Bastiaan van Tilburg poses in front of the Skretting feed factory in Stavanger, Norway.
Photo: Skretting.
We knew he would replace Therese Log Bergjord since Nutreco announced on April 8 that the former Skretting CEO was stepping down. A few days later he had already gotten on it "to connect with and listen to" his new colleagues, but it has been at the beginning of June that Bastiaan van Tilburg has taken office.
On Monday, June 3, Skretting officially welcomed van Tilburg, who was excited to join the "world class team" at the Stavanger, Norway, based company. According to his statements, his constant travel during his onboarding process has paid off.
"Over the past weeks I’ve had the opportunity to meet many talented and experienced people, visit our amazing innovation facilities in Norway, and learn from our customers about the biggest challenges they are facing today," he said.
"It’s my ambition to build on the strong foundations laid by Therese Log Bergjord, to make an even bigger impact in helping our customers solve those challenges," Bastiaan van Tilburg continued. After seven years at Nutreco's subsidiary, the former CEO left the position of her own accord. "It was time for a change," she said then.
Prior to joining Nutreco five and a half years ago, Skretting's new CEO worked in various commercial and operational leadership positions at Makro - another company that, like Nutreco, is part of the global family-owned SHV - in Brazil. Before that, he spent four years at Royal Dutch Shell.
Therefore, the aquafeed company emphasized in its release that van Tilburg brings both relevant experience and new perspectives to Skretting and the aquaculture sector. "He has a proven track record of deep commitment to sustainable growth through innovation," it reads.
Now, in setting his goals at the helm of the company, the new CEO said that in 2023, Skretting contributed to 26 million healthy seafood meals every day worldwide and that it needs to increase that number to more than 40 million to match the projected population of 10 billion by 2050, and to do so while significantly reducing its footprint.
"Through our great people, sustainable innovations and strong partnerships, I am convinced that we will achieve our mission of feeding the future, together," he stated.
As mentioned above, Bastiaan van Tilburg's promotion has led to several moves within Nutreco culminating in the appointment of Rob Binnekamp as the new Managing Director of Trouw Nutrition & Skretting Middle East and Africa. He replaces Pieter Bastiaanssen, who will take over the position of Managing Director for Trouw Nutrition Europe and Central Asia, which van Tilburg is vacating.
One of Bastiaanssen's latest actions at the head of Trouw Nutrition & Skretting Middle East and Africa was the opening at the end of April of a new fish and poultry feed facility in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria, which will be able to meet both local demand and that of neighboring West African countries.
At its inauguration, Pieter Bastiaanssen said that thanks to the new facility, the company was now "ready to help farmers enhance production efficiency." That work will now be continued by Binnekamp of whom Skretting highlighted his wealth of experience and expertise. "Rob is an exemplary leader who is strongly committed to innovation and success," the release claims.
Rob Binnekamp, for his part, said he is thrilled to join such a diverse and dynamic business unit and to have the opportunity to build on Bastiaanssen's remarkable legacy. "I am passionate about our purpose of Feeding the Future and with our best-in-class teams and solutions, this region can make a massive difference in pursuit of it," he said.
"Our opportunity to grow and innovate in the Middle East and Africa is immense and we will continue to do this by staying close to our customers and driving our industry forward together," Binnekamp concluded.