The dsm-firmenich Executive Committee

Dimitri de Vreeze,
Chief Executive Officer (since 2023)

Dimitri de Vreeze has held the position of CEO of dsm-firmenich since September 2023. Under his leadership, the company has made great strides to establish itself as a global leader in nutrition, health, and beauty, able to help customers deliver what consumers want, what we collectively need, and what our planet demands. Previously, he served as the former DSM’s Co-CEO from 2020, having joined the company in 1990. Starting in Finance, he took on leadership roles in various Business Units around the world before being named Young Captain of the Year in the Netherlands in 2006. He was appointed to DSM’s Managing Board in 2013 and was instrumental in setting DSM’s strategy and executing its transformation journey to a fully focused health, nutrition, and bioscience company.

He chairs the Young Captain Foundation, awarding and elevating young leadership potential, and is also the Chair of the ALV United World College Maastricht, bringing together young people from all directions of life to work together toward a peaceful and sustainable future.

Emmanuel Butstraen,
Chief Operations Officer (since 2024) and Business Unit President Perfumery & Beauty (since 2023)

Emmanuel Butstraen was appointed President of dsm-firmenich’s Perfumery & Beauty Business Unit in July 2023. In addition, he was appointed Chief Operating Officer of dsm-firmenich in May 2024. He has played an instrumental role in bringing together the formerly separate four units of Perfumery, Ingredients, Operations, and Beauty & Care, defining the operating model, pushing accountability and empowerment, building strong customer connections and trust, steering differentiation through creation & innovation, and building long-term strategy while executing on roadmap and performance delivery. Prior to this, Emmanuel was the Chief Integration Officer, designing and implementing the operating model of the newly created dsm-firmenich while securing the conditions to detail and deliver the merger synergies.

Before the merger, he served as the President of Firmenich’s Taste & Beyond Business Unit (2018–2022) and drove the business’s transformation to become the global innovation partner of choice to the food & beverage industry, leading growth across the Group’s three segments: Beverages, Sweet Goods, and Savory. Creating winning solutions for customers with a focus on enhanced well-being, Emmanuel put Firmenich’s expertise to work – making healthier choices taste great, from sugar and salt reduction to plant proteins, clean-label offerings, and functional nutrition solutions. Prior to joining Firmenich, Emmanuel was the President of Solvay’s Novecare global Business Unit, preceded by 17 years with BASF, where he served as Strategy Senior VP of the Agricultural Products division.

Mieke Van de Capelle,
Chief Human Resources Officer (since 2023)

Mieke Van de Capelle was appointed as Chief Human Resources Officer of dsm-firmenich in April 2023, running the HR function as well as Global Real Estate and Workplace. Under Mieke’s leadership, dsm-firmenich has successfully implemented a new Group operating model, values, and integration of all people processes, cementing our new company’s way of working as one. She is the Secretary of the Compensation Committee and the Governance & Nomination Committee of the Board of Directors.

Previously, she served as Chief Human Resources Officer of the former Firmenich as from 2016. At Firmenich, she was responsible for leading the Global Human Resources, Sustainability, and Corporate Communications functions, setting the company’s strategy and winning culture as a responsible business.

A seasoned leader with close to 30 years of global consumer goods and chemical industry experience.

Philip Eykerman,
Chief Strategy, M&A, and Transformation Officer (since January 1, 2026)

Philip Eykerman was appointed in April 2023 as President of the Health, Nutrition & Care (HNC) business and Head of Strategy and M&A, positions he also held at legacy DSM. In that time, he dealt with the consequences of our merger in HNC, drove the vitamin transformation program for HNC, and successfully grew HNC into a global leader in preventative health and patient care. He also led the Group’s M&A activities (ANH divestment and portfolio fine-tuning activities) in line with our Group’s growth strategy, further strengthening our diverse expertise and unique capabilities as innovators in nutrition, health, and beauty.

Since January 1, 2026, Philip Eykerman has transitioned into the role of Chief Strategy, M&A and Transformation Officer, while remaining a member of the Executive Committee.

Previously, Philip served as Executive Vice-President of Corporate Strategy & Acquisitions at the former DSM, was a partner at McKinsey & Company, and leader of McKinsey’s Chemicals Practice in the Benelux and France. He was a member of the Advisory Board of the Rotterdam School of Management and in 2024, he was appointed Non-Executive Director of Umicore, a circular materials technology company.

Laetitia Pictet,
Chief Legal, Risk and Compliance Officer (since 2025)

Laetitia Pictet began her legal career in the pharmaceutical industry. She joined the former Firmenich as VP Senior Legal Counsel in 2015 and was swiftly promoted to SVP Head of Commercial Legal in 2018. In 2021, she took on the additional role of Secretary of the Board. Following the completion of the merger in 2023, Laetitia assumed the responsibilities of Corporate Secretary for dsm-firmenich, alongside Risk Management.

She brings over 25 years of senior legal expertise across Europe, the Americas, and Asia. Her exceptional skills and dedication are a tremendous asset to our company. Laetitia’s deep legal expertise and unwavering commitment to excellence consistently drive impactful results and fostering a culture of integrity and compliance.

Patrick Niels,
Business Unit President Taste, Texture & Health (from 2023 until December 31, 2025

Patrick Niels was appointed as President of the Taste, Texture & Health business of dsm-firmenich in May 2023. In his current role, Patrick has successfully brought Taste and Ingredients Solutions under one roof and established cross-divisional collaboration. While transforming the business, he has continued to focus on performance and has succeeded in growing the two divisions above market.

He started his international career in 1991 when he joined Gist-Brocades, which the former DSM subsequently acquired in 1998. He went on to hold various leadership roles across DSM, in pharmaceuticals, materials, and nutrition, including spending nine years in the US. At DSM, he oversaw the transformation of multiple businesses, creating high-performing growth teams centered around the shift to sustainability. Patrick built DSM’s Food & Beverage business, which was established by combining the company’s activities and capabilities from three former areas in 2021. Following the merger of DSM and Firmenich, his responsibilities included the integration of the full Food & Beverage activities of dsm-firmenich. Patrick Niels retired per January 1, 2026, concluding a distinguished 34-year tenure with the company.

Dr. Sarah Reisinger,
Chief Science & Research Officer (since 2023)

Dr. Sarah Reisinger was appointed as Chief Science & Research Officer of dsm-firmenich in April 2023. She is driving dsm-firmenich toward new frontiers of scientific excellence, building on the company’s legacy of industry-leading innovation. By embracing new technology to deliver breakthrough solutions in a fast-changing world, she harnesses a multidisciplinary and global approach to research and development. She had joined the former Firmenich in 2018 as Vice-President of Biotechnology & Process Engineering, before becoming that company’s Chief Research Officer in 2021.

Dr. Sarah Reisinger combines an extensive background in biotechnology with a strong track record in ingredients and technology development for the consumer goods industry. Prior to joining Firmenich, she held pivotal roles at Ginkgo Bioworks, Intrexon, and Amyris, having started her career in the field of biology and cancer therapeutics. She also served as Chair of EuropaBio until mid 2025.

Ralf Schmeitz,
Chief Financial Officer (since 2023)

Ralf Schmeitz was appointed Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of dsm-firmenich in September 2023, marking a significant milestone in his journey with the company. He joined the former DSM in 2006, and his path has been marked by outstanding achievements and a track record of strong performance.

Ralf Schmeitz has played a pivotal role in propelling the transformation of the Finance function and in navigating substantial portfolio changes. Prior to his CFO role, he held the position of Head of Group Finance, overseeing Finance & Control, Treasury and Taxation. In his last role at DSM, he held the position of Group Controller, spearheading both the Business Controlling and Accounting teams. Ralf Schmeitz began his career at PwC, laying strong foundations and building financial and strategic acumen, and then moved to Hewlett Packard, where he assumed diverse leadership responsibilities in Finance.

Maurizio Clementi,
Business Unit President Taste, Texture & Health (since January 1, 2026)

Maurizio Clementi has been President of the Taste, Texture & Health Business Unit at dsm-firmenich since January 1, 2026 and is a member of the dsm-firmenich Executive Committee. An Italian national with dual American and Italian citizenship, Maurizio joined dsm-firmenich in 2011. He has a strong background in international business and has led a variety of functions, including strategy, business development, finance, and M&A. Maurizio spent several years in corporate consultancy roles, specializing in M&A, and more than eight years at Nissan Motor Co., where he was CFO for key European markets and part of the strategic transformation of the Group.

At Firmenich, Maurizio served as the Taste & Beyond division’s Global Strategy Senior Vice President for several years, where he was a key architect of the division’s strategic transformation, driving purpose-led growth and stellar performance. He was appointed President of Firmenich’s Taste and Beyond in 2022. Following the merger between DSM and Firmenich, he was appointed Head of the Taste Division within the Taste, Texture and Health Business Unit.

Alessandre Keller,
Business Unit President Health, Nutrition & Care (since January 1, 2026)

Alessandre Keller joined dsm-firmenich in October 2025 as incoming Health, Nutrition & Care President, with more than 25 years of global leadership experience gathered out of China, Asia-Pacific, Europe & Middle East, and Latin America. He brings clear strategic vision and a strong track record of transformational excellence across the healthcare, nutrition, and FMCG sectors. From 2019 to 2025, Alessandre was with the leading European diagnostic services company Unilabs. There, he ultimately served as Chief Markets Officer and Executive Board member, turning around a € 1.6 billion business across 16 countries.

During a career spanning multiple roles at Nestlé from 2000 to 2019, Alessandre played a central role in advancing the company’s global nutrition strategy across all life stages. He drove market leadership in healthy-aging nutrition in China and led breakthrough innovations such as the HMO and organic pipeline that reshaped the infant formula category as the company’s global leader for early life nutrition, guiding strategy and supervising operations in more than 80 countries. Alessandre previously served as Board Chairman for Rimed AG, a leading provider of medical radiology services in Switzerland, and was the Chairman of the Asia Pacific Industry Chamber for Infant Nutrition.