Press release -
Closer to the customers
Chr. Hansen changes the regional structure of its commercial organization in order to align geographies and to provide a stronger strategic focus.
“Our present four regions will merge into three new and at the same time take seat in the Corporate Leadership Team. Each region will be headed up by a Group Vice President and they will report directly to me. We strengthen our customer-centric approach and move regional commercial decision making and corporate leadership closer,” says CEO Cees de Jong.
The three new regions are:
- EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) headed by Jacob Vishof Paulsen, Group Vice President EMEA
- Americas (North America and Latin America) headed by David Carpenter, Group Vice President Americas
- APAC (Asia Pacific) headed by Sten Estrup, Group Vice President APAC
“We match regions that are closer to each other geographically and also to a large extent commercially when it comes to customer lay-out, buying habits and consumer preferences. For instance in North-, Central- and South America we see growing interaction between the regions and consumer demand for regional availability of products they are accustomed to from their home markets,” Cees de Jong concludes.
The reorganization entails a change in the management structure. In addition to the Executive Board members, Cees de Jong, Klaus Pedersen, Knud Vindfeldt, Henrik Dalbøge, Carsten Bennike and Jesper Allentoft, the Corporate Leadership Team will consist of Winnie Büegel, Compliance, Christian Barker, Strategic Development (both members today) and the new Group Vice Presidents Jacob Vishof Paulsen, EMEA, David Carpenter, Americas and Sten Estrup, APAC.
Background on the Group Vice Presidents:
Jacob Vishof Paulsen
Jacob Vishof Paulsen joined Chr. Hansen October 1, 2006 as Sales & Business Development Director in Global Sales. He was later appointed Area Country Manager for Central East Europe and also spent one year at the Chr. Hansen office in Parma, Italy. From April 2011 and until now he was the Regional Vice President for Europe.
Jacob Vishof Paulsen holds an MSc in Applied Economics and Finance from Copenhagen Business School.
David Carpenter, Americas
David Carpenter joined Chr. Hansen October 1, 1999 as Head of the Bio Ingredients division in North America. He was soon hereafter appointed Senior Vice President Sales & Marketing, Chr. Hansen Inc. and from 2005 until the present he served as Regional Vice President, North America.
David Carpenter holds a BS in Agriculture and an MBA from Lindenwood University, US.
Sten Estrup, APAC
Sten Estrup joined Chr. Hansen January 1, 2002 as International Sales Manager, South America. He spent the next eight years in managerial positions in South and Central America latest as Regional Vice President, South America. In 2010 he returned to Denmark to take up the position as Senior Vice President Commercial Development, Cultures & Enzymes Division.
Sten Estrup holds an MSc in Dairy Science & Technology and a MBA in General Management from Henley Business School.
Topics
Chr. Hansen is a global bioscience company that develops natural ingredient solutions for the food, nutritional, pharmaceutical and agricultural industries. The products include cultures, enzymes, probiotics and natural colors, and all solutions are based on strong research and development competencies coupled with significant technology investments. Revenue in the 2013/14 financial year was EUR 756 million. The company holds a leading market position in all its divisions: Cultures & Enzymes, Health & Nutrition and Natural Colors. It has more than 2,500 dedicated employees in over 30 countries and main production facilities in Denmark, France, USA and Germany. Chr. Hansen was founded in 1874 and is listed on NASDAQ OMX Copenhagen.
