Switzerland-based Firmenich has named Patrick Firmenich as chairman of its board of directors for the family-run business. The appointment promotes Firminech from the role of vice chairman a position he held for two years, while it also adds to his previous position as CEO from 2002 and 2014.
The new chairman succeeds the outgoing chair, Yves Boisdren, who is retiring after more than a decade in which he contributed significantly to the recent growth of the business. He joined the board in 2006 and became chair in 2013.
Building on the Firmenich name
“Patrick Firmenich is an outstanding leader with in-depth knowledge of the industry and Firmenich’s businesses, as well as, a deep personal commitment to social responsibility,” said Boisdron.
“Building on his exceptional career at Firmenich, I have no doubt that the company will greatly benefit from his broad industry insights and strong belief in driving business growth responsibly and sustainably”.
The Firmenich Board has also announced that Olivier Bazil will be retiring after eight years as chairman of the finance, audit & risk committee.
Additionally two new non-executive directors to the board. Richard Ridinger, CEO of Lonza, a global leader in Life Sciences is joining the Board with exceptional experience in science-driven organizations, having held global roles in groups such as Cognis and Henkel. Pierre Bouchut,
“Richard Ridinger and Pierre Bouchut join us at a critical point in our history and will help us drive for success in the coming years. I am delighted they have agreed to join the Board as Non-Executive Directors,” said Patrick Firmenich.
Brain makes new appointment to the board of managers
Meanwhile, Biotechnology player Brain, which is active in the cosmetics and personal care arena has appointed Franck Goebel to the board of management, effective from the beginning of November.
Goebel is moving from his existing position at the company as managing director, a position he has held since February 2015.
The company says that the main motivation behind Goebel’s new appointment is to anchor the group’s M&A acitivities, which are proving to be a crucial element of the business’s growth as it rides the huge expansion of the biotechnology sector.
In particular, the company says that it is aiming to focus its growth on the rapidly evolving bioindustrial B2B product business, which will be a key element of his new responsibilities.
"I am eagerly anticipating this exciting new challenge. In the past two years, I have already been able to gain a comprehensive view of the company, and I do see a clear potential for growth. In future, I would like to cooperate even more closely with oursubsidiaries in order to continuously expand the industrialization of the Brain Group,” said Goebel