Gingko Bioworks, Marijn Dekkers
The former CEO of Bayer and Thermo Fisher Scientific, Marijn Dekkers, will join Ginkgo Bioworks as chairman of the board of directors and strategic advisor to the company.
Ginkgo terms itself an ‘organism company’ and works in the synthetic biology space to make enzymes for pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Gingko pointed towards Dekkers’ 25 years of experience in the life sciences industry as a contributing factor to his appointment.
Jason Kelly, Ginkgo Bioworks CEO and co-founder, said, “Dekkers’ deep experience in life science and leading complex businesses is unmatched and we are eager to benefit from his expertise. There is no doubt that Dekkers will be an invaluable addition to our team, advising on our business and long-term strategy.”
In terms of contribution, Dekkers will balance the role with his current position as chairman of Unilever and founder of investment firm, Novalis LifeSciences.
Dekkers will work from Ginkgo’s Boston, US, office one day per week, to guide “special projects to build new companies on top of Ginkgo’s platform for biological engineering.”
“The synthetic biology industry continues to amaze me in terms of the breadth of possibilities it has to offer – and Ginkgo has already tapped into many markets that are ripe for a new wave of innovation,” said Dekkers.
