DSM and Firmenich confirm leadership team
DSM and Firmenich recently announced the future leadership team for the merged business.
The new company's executive committee will have a balanced team of individuals drawn from both DSM and Firmenich, representing the "diversity, skillset, and ambitions" of the combined entities.
The existing executive management teams of DSM and Firmenich will remain unchanged until the completion of the merger, which is expected in the first half of 2023.
The future executive Committee of DSM-Firmenich will consist of:
Geraldine Matchett and Dimitri de Vreeze. As previously confirmed, they will be Co-CEOs. Currently Co-CEOs of DSM, they will continue to hold additional CFO (Matchett) and COO (de Vreeze) responsibilities respectively for the future combined company.
Emmanuel Butstraen will be chief integration officer, overseeing the merger of these two iconic companies. A French national, Butstraen joined Firmenich in 2018. He had spent the previous ten years leading businesses at Solvay. Prior to that, he spent 17 years with BASF.
DSM-Firmenich's global network of 15 R&D facilities will be led by Dr Sarah Reisinger. A US national, she holds a PhD in microbiology from the University of California, Berkeley and has extensive experience in biology and related fields, previously holding leadership roles at Ginkgo Bioworks and Amyris. She joined Firmenich in 2018 to lead its biotechnology and process engineering teams, taking on her current role of chief research officer in 2021.
DSM-Firmenich will have four complementary businesses, each led by a member of the future executive committee. They will include: Perfumery & Beauty, Food & Beverage/Taste & Beyond, Health, Nutrition & Care, and Animal Health & Nutrition.
Ivo Lansbergen, who was appointed DSM's executive VP for animal health & nutrition in 2019, will continue to lead that business.
Photo credit: GettyImages/fotostorm
