Petra Volckaert, new Chief Digital Officer at Nutreco.
Photo: Nutreco
Animal nutrition company Nutreco has appointed Petra Volckaert as its new Chief Digital Officer, the company has announced, effective from 1 June. Volckaert will also join the company’s Management Board, as Nutreco looks to advance the next phase of its digital transformation strategy.
Volckaert brings more than 25 years of experience in senior leadership roles spanning digital transformation, technology, and business innovation, Nutreco said in its announcement. She most recently served as Senior Vice President Digital Partner Taste, Texture & Health at dsm-firmenich, where she led the digital agenda for the business, including work on post-merger integration, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) harmonisation, and "digital food factory concepts".
Prior to joining dsm-firmenich, she spent 14 years at Bayer, holding a range of international roles focused on digital transformation, information technology, and global commercial functions.
In her new role at Nutreco, Volckaert will focus on "scaling impact, strengthening standards, and embedding digital and data-driven capabilities across the global organisation," the company said.
“Digital is central to Nutreco’s ambition to transform food production and deliver sustainable protein solutions. To successfully deliver on our purpose of Feeding the Future, digital, AI and data are key levers to unlock value, improve animal health, and accelerate growth,” said Nutreco CEO Bastiaan van Tilburg.
“I’m delighted Petra is joining the team at Nutreco and look forward to accelerating our digital ambitions under her leadership,” he added.
“Digital capabilities have advanced significantly in recent years, enabling more sustainable solutions and better, more accessible data across the industry," Volkaert said, commenting on her new role.
“I’m excited to join Nutreco as the company continues to drive progress, challenge what’s possible, and deliver innovative solutions for customers now and in the future,” she added.
The appointment comes after a major staff reshuffle at Nutreco last September, which saw the then-CEO of Skretting, Bastiaan van Tilburg, taking over as CEO of Nutreco after the departure of outgoing chief executive David Blakemore, while Maarten Bijl, then Nutreco's Chief Digital Officer, moved to Skretting as its new CEO.