Emmo Meijer is the new Corporate Director Research & Development at FrieslandCampina

Emmo Meijer has been appointed Corporate Director Research & Development at the dairy company, FrieslandCampina, taking up his post on 1 April 2011. Meijer succeeds Toon van Hooijdonk, who will be stepping down on 30 April 2011 following a long and successful career. Meijer will focus on the changes in R&D needed to bring about the route2020 strategy.

Emmo Meijer (59) studied chemistry at the VU University Amsterdam, graduating in 1979. In the same year, he joined DSM. In various research and business management positions, he played an important role in the transformation of DSM to a more life sciences-oriented business. In 2001, he became DSM’s first Chief Technology Officer.

Since 2005, he has held the position of Senior Vice-President at Unilever, initially with global responsibility for Food R&D, later widened to include R&D as a whole, and then Strategy, reporting to the CEO. He is also a part-time professor at Eindhoven University of Technology (TUE), Chairman of the Netherlands Academy of Technology and Innovation, Director of Koninklijke Hollandse Maatschappij der Wetenschappen, Chairman of the Energy Advisory Committee, Chairman of the Top Institute Food and Nutrition, Chairman of the FND Steering Group and a member of various Dutch and European organisations in the field of life sciences. In addition, he was Chairman of The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) -Chemical Sciences and Chairman and Vice-Chairman of DPI. He has been an honorary member of the Royal Dutch Chemistry Association (KNCV) since 2003.

Toon van Hooijdonk (63) has worked for FrieslandCampina and its legal predecessors for over 25 years and has held various R&D roles. Alongside his work for FrieslandCampina, Van Hooijdonk is also Professor of Dairy Science and Technology at Wageningen University and holds various Board positions, including the Food Valley foundation, the Global Dairy Platform and the Top Institute Food and Nutrition. He also sits on the Technology and Innovation Committee of the Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers (VNO-NCW) and is Chairman of the Dutch Dairy Association’s Nutrition Committee. Earlier in his career, he worked at Unilever Research in the UK and at NIZO Food Research. Van Hooijdonk will continue his association with FrieslandCampina as a scientific adviser.