George Poste

George Poste "received a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine in 1966 and a PhD in Virology in 1969 from the University of Bristol," according to the "DNA: 50 Years of the Double Helix" conference website. "He is Chief Executive of Health Technology Networks, a consulting group specializing in the application of genomics technologies and computing in healthcare. From 1992 to 1999 he was Chief Science and Technology Officer and President, R&D of SmithKline Beecham (SB). During his tenure at SB he was associated with the successful registration of 29 drug, vaccine and diagnostic products. He is Chairman of diaDexus and Structural GenomiX and serves on the Board of Directors of Maxygen, Illumina and Orchid Biosciences. He is also an advisor to several venture capital funds. He is a member of the Defense Science Board of the US Department of Defense and in this capacity Chairs the Task Force on Bioterrorism. He was elected Fellow of the Royal Society in 1997." In 1999 he received a CBE from the Queen, but contrary to the DNA conference website, he has not been knighted.

In February 2003, Poste was elected to the Monsanto board of directors.