Nutreco CEO Wout Dekker to step down
Nutreco announced that CEO Wout Dekker will be leaving Nutreco by the end of 2012. This will mark the end of a career at the company encompassing almost thirty years, of which twelve years were as CEO.
The Supervisory Board of Nutreco appointed Norwegian Knut Nesse as the successor to Wout Dekker. Knut Nesse is currently chief operating officer of the Aquaculture division and has been with the company since 1995. During his Nutreco career he has held various management positions and was appointed COO of the Aquaculture division and member of the Nutreco Executive Board in 2009.
“At the age of 55, I have spent more than half of my life at Nutreco. I have done this with the greatest pleasure and it has been more than rewarding. It has been a privilege to work with so many great people in this exciting and dynamic agriculture and aquaculture industry. Now it is time for change. I can hand over with complete trust in my successor and the Executive Board colleagues and in the growth potential of Nutreco. My primary priorities for 2012 are to make this year a success for the company and to conduct a good handover of responsibilities to Knut Nesse. After having stepped down, I will continue my role in Supervisory Boards of other companies and I will further develop my entrepreneurial interests,” said Dekker.
“Wout Dekker’s decision to step down as Nutreco CEO comes at a logical moment. Not only has he led Nutreco very successfully over the past 12 years, Wout and his team have also laid a solid foundation for a prosperous future for the company. The development and introduction of the growth strategy ‘Ambition 2016 – driving sustainable growth’ in November 2011 was welcomed by all of Nutreco’s stakeholders. Wout has had a decisive impact on the development, growth and success of the company since joining the Executive Board in 1996. We congratulate him on his outstanding career at Nutreco.
We are proud that with the appointment of Knut Nesse we have an internal successor for Wout Dekker and we are confident that under his leadership Nutreco’s growth prospects can be realised. Knut has shown his leadership and entrepreneurial capabilities in heading successfully the Aquaculture division of Nutreco. With the appointment of Knut we have ensured continuity in the successful development of Nutreco and the execution of the growth strategy ‘Ambition 2016 – driving sustainable growth’. During 2012 we will concentrate on a transfer of responsibilities and consider the future composition of the Executive Board in addition to its current members,” said chairman of the supervisory board Jan Maarten de Jong.
