Chr. Hansen has appointed Cees de Jong as CEO, replacing Lard Frederiksen who is stepping down after eight years as chief executive and 33 years with the company.

De Jong, a doctor of medicine, has worked at various ingredient and biopharmaceutical firms including DSM, Campina and Quest Internationa. Most recently, he served as COO of Crucel, which was acquired by Johnson and Johnson in 2010.

His professional experience means he "brings a unique combined knowledge of ingredients and biopharmaceuticals", chairman Ole Anderson said.