Novozymes and Chr. Hansen have come closer to a joint group on Tuesday, where the business has been streamlined and the management team put in place.

”We are creating a fantastic company made of two outstanding companies. But now we are creating one that is even better at providing answers for the future,” says Ester Baiget, currently CEO of Novozymes and future head of the combined group, in an interview with MarketWire, and continues:

”We are creating a bigger company - and in ten years, we will be even bigger.”

The new management team is a mix of managers from Novozymes and Chr. Hansen, and the CEO emphasizes that both companies will come together in the new organization.

”We’re creating a brand new company that builds on the legacy of two companies. Two companies that have a lot in common: we share a common purpose, we both have sustainability at the heart and science at the center, and we both come with a toolbox full of biology,” says Baiget.

”We have employees who are married or are cousins - there are so many overlaps and so many similarities. And we want to build on that and become stronger together. But we are creating something new and not just a merger of two companies,” she says.

The new company will not be called Novozymes or Chr. Hansen - but the name will not be announced until all regulatory approvals are in place. And this is expected to happen within a timeframe ranging from the fourth quarter of this year to the first quarter of next year.

”In addition to a new name, we need to create a new corporate culture that everyone feels at home in. And there is only one word for the company we want to be: Better - and yes, of course, bigger,” says the CEO.

Two divisions

When the final pieces fall into place, the new company with over 10,000 employees globally will consist of the main divisions Planetary Health Biosolutions and Food & Health Biosolutions.

The former combines Novozymes’ Household Care, Bioenergy and Agriculture & Animal Health/Nutrition divisions with Chr. Hansen’s Animal and Plant Health. The division will focus on solutions for the agricultural sector. The second division - Food & Health Biosolutions - will consist of two sub-divisions: Food & Beverage Biosolutions and Human Health Biosolutions.

Food & Beverage is Chr. Hansen’s Food Cultures & Enzymes and Novozymes’ Food & Beverage division, while the other sub-division consists of Chr. Hansen’s Human Health and HMO business and Novozymes’ Human Health and Advanced Protein Solutions.

”This is the way we are now organizing ourselves. We are creating a food, beverage and dairy division where we combine the expertise of the two companies. And in doing so, we are creating an organization that is even better at creating value.”

”In the healthcare division, it’s also about breaking down walls. From replacing chemicals in detergent and making it possible to wash at lower temperatures, bringing sustainable cultures to agriculture, to using biofuel and making healthier and more sustainable animal feed,” explains Baiget.

She points out that when organizing a company, size should not be the driving force - but the principle of being true to oneself. At the same time, it is a market-driven organization with the customer at the center.

New main office

In connection with the merger, the management team moves from the address in Bagsværd, where Novozymes has been located since the separation from Novo Nordisk, to a new headquarters in Lyngby. At the same time, Chr. Hansen’s old headquarters in Hørsholm will remain.

”Lyngby is only the head office. This means the management will be located here. It is our new campus in Lyngby that we are now occupying - and it will fill up.”

”In Bagsværd, we are downsizing and moving out of one of the buildings. And we will continue to be located in Hørsholm,” says the CEO of the merged company.