dsm-firmenich proposes Richard Ridinger as new chair after Thomas Leysen retirement
- Thomas Leysen will retire from the Board and step down as Director and Chair once his successor is elected.
- The Board unanimously proposes independent director Richard Ridinger as Chair and will submit his appointment to shareholders at an EGM on 19 October 2026.
- Ridinger has served on dsm-firmenich’s Board since 2023 and was previously CEO of Lonza.
- The handover follows merger completion and portfolio tuning, including the planned closing of the Animal Nutrition & Health sale later this year.
Board change
Thomas Leysen has decided to retire from the Board and will step down from his roles as Director and Chair once a successor has been elected by shareholders.
Proposed successor and shareholder vote
The Board has unanimously proposed Richard Ridinger, an independent director since 2023, as Leysen’s successor. Shareholders will be asked to approve his appointment at an Extraordinary General Shareholders Meeting on 19 October 2026.
Strategic context
The Board said the timing follows the merger being fully completed, portfolio tuning nearing completion with the planned closing of the Animal Nutrition & Health sale later this year, rejuvenation of the Executive Committee, and an ongoing margin improvement programme.
Candidate background
Richard Ridinger is a German national with more than three decades of international leadership experience across life sciences, specialty chemicals and healthcare. He served as CEO of Lonza from 2012 to 2019, sits as Chair of the Supervisory Board of Brenntag SE and Chair of the Board of Recipharm AG, and previously served on Firmenich’s board from 2016 to 2023.
Source: dsm-firmenich
