Unibio, the sustainable protein company, has appointed David Henstrom as its new CEO. He is expected to join the company in June 2021. This follows the decision of Henrik Busch-Larsen, the current CEO and member of the founding family, to step down from his role to pursue other business interests. Busch-Larsen will continue to serve as a board member of the company and remains one of its major shareholders.
David joins from Cargill, the global food and nourishment giant, where he has worked since 1994 across a range of business units, most recently as vice president and managing director for Growth Ventures and Commercial Excellence at the Salt Group. His long track record across Cargill’s food and nutrition businesses includes leading the formation of a joint venture with PURIS Proteins which enabled Cargill’s entry into the pea protein business.
Jan Boeg Hansen, chair of the board, said: “Henrik has been the driving force behind Unibio for more than a decade, and we owe him an immense debt of gratitude; we simply would not be here without him. I am delighted that Henrik will continue to stay involved with the company. I would also like to welcome David to the team. He has an exemplary track record of driving highly specialised food and nutrition businesses across Cargill’s portfolio worldwide, and his skills and experience will be invaluable as we continue the global roll out of mass production of Uniprotein®, our leading sustainable protein.”
Henrik Busch-Larsen, outgoing CEO, said: “We have arrived at a natural point in Unibio’s development where a range of different skills are needed to take the company to the next stage. David has an incredible track record that complements Unibio’s future development areas very well and I am excited to see where he will take Unibio in the coming years.”
David Henstrom, the incoming CEO, said: “Unibio is uniquely positioned, with a sustainable protein that can be produced at an industrial scale, adding value to feed markets worldwide. They have license or production agreements with partners in three continents. I look forward to helping accelerate their expansion in the years ahead.”
