Novozymes and Chr. Hansen have completed a merger originally announced in 2022, and now, the two combined companies will operate as one Denmark-based business called Novonesis. All approvals and registrations with the Danish Business Authority were completed at the end of January.
 
“We have successfully combined Novozymes and Chr. Hansen and today we come together as one leading global biosolutions partner,” said Ester Baiget, president and CEO of Novonesis. “Novonesis combines our joint strengths and the wonders of biology, and we are set to lead a new era of biosolutions. We will innovate and develop transformative biosolutions that improve the way we all produce, consume, and live. And we have gathered the brightest minds and together with my 10,000 colleagues, we will unlock the limitless potential of biosolutions.”
 
The combined company has over 10,000 employees, with an expertise which spans more than 30 different industries.
 
“I am pleased to witness the realization of the Novozymes and Chr. Hansen combination, creating a true global biosolutions leader,” said Cees de Jong, chairman of Novonesis. “We will continue to create powerful biosolutions for our customers and partners based on our more than 100 years of innovation and application expertise. Together, we will serve as a growth partner to our customers; a value creator to our shareholders; and a company that has a significant, positive impact on society and the planet. Novonesis builds on a shared heritage of sustainability leadership and will keep leading the way.”
 
Novonesis chose its name based on combining “novo,” the prefix for new which signals the company’s Nordic heritage and values, and “genesis,” a nod to how ancient Greek thinkers played a key role in the development of science as we know it today.  
 
The new company is estimated to have an annual revenue of approximately 3.7 billion euros, with half of the company dedicated to health and producing better food, with the other half focused on reducing chemical use and targeting climate-neutral practices.
 
The combined group will operate a global network of R&D and applications centers, as well as manufacturing sites which will employ its 10,000 employees.
 
As part of its sustainability ambitions, as communicated in December 2022, the company will aim for carbon neutrality by 2050, with a 75% reduction in absolute CO2 emissions from operations and a 35% reduction in absolute CO2 emissions from supply chain by 2030. The company will aim to achieve gender parity across its professionals and senior management by 2030, with no less than either 45% men or women.
 
The executive leadership team will include:
 

• Ester Baiget, CEO
• Rainer Lehmann, CFO
• Jacob Paulsen, EVP, Food & Beverage Biosolutions
• Amy Byrick, EVP, Human Health Biosolutions
• Tina Sejersgaard Fanø, EVP, Planetary Health Biosolutions
• Claus Crone Fuglsang, Chief Scientific Officer
• Anders Lund, Chief Operating Officer
• Henrik Joerck Nielsen, EVP, Strategy & Integration
• Morten Enggaard Rasmussen, EVP, People & Stakeholder Relations
• Winnie Bügel, General Counsel – Legal (temporary role)