Goch, Germany – DFE Pharma, a global leader in pharma- and nutraceutical excipient solutions, announced today that Dr. Sven Abend has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). With 25 years of global business leadership experience, Abend will succeed Martti Hedman and assume his responsibilities on February 1st. Hedman has decided to retire from his position as CEO after three impactful years with DFE Pharma in which time he played a pivotal role in shaping the future of the company.
Abend brings a long-standing and diverse experience in the chemical industry. His most recent position was CEO of Gelita, a manufacturer of gelatin and collagen peptides for the food, health, nutrition and pharmaceutical industries. Prior to that, he worked at Lonza (as Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Operating Officer), Kolb (as Business Manager and CEO), and Cognis (in product management and key account roles). Abend also holds a PhD in Chemistry from Christian-Albrechts-Universität in Kiel (Germany).
Speaking on behalf of the Governance Board, Herman Ermens of Royal FrieslandCampina said, “We are extremely pleased to welcome Dr. Sven Abend to DFE Pharma. His extensive experience in the global pharmaceutical industry, combined with his long track record of success leading multinational companies, makes him the ideal candidate to steer DFE Pharma into the future”.
“It is a very exciting time to join DFE Pharma. As a leading global company in a broad range of excipient categories, I am confident we can continue to grow the business and offer DFE Pharma’s customers high quality products and innovative services. I am looking forward to working with my new colleagues and driving the company to greater success” stated Abend.
Since 2020, DFE Pharma has been jointly owned by Royal FrieslandCampina, one of the world’s leading multinational dairy companies, and CVC Strategic Opportunities II, a fund managed by the global investment firm CVC Capital Partners; each holding a 50% share. The partnership between these two shareholders supports DFE Pharma’s growth ambitions and provides further opportunities to excel as a global leader in pharmaceutical and nutraceutical ingredients.
