Roslin Technologies has announced that Ernst van Orsouw has been appointed its new CEO, to lead the company as it accelerates the commercialisation of ‘cutting-edge’ technology solutions for the food, agriculture and veterinary sectors.
Van Orsouw joins from animal genetics pioneer Genus Plc., where he was global director of strategy and marketing at its porcine division, Pig Improvement Company (PIC).
At Roslin Technologies, where he takes over from executive director and founder Glen Illing, he will drive the strategic agenda as the company moves from focusing on technological innovations to deploying those advances through sales and partnership agreements.
Roslin Technologies, which works closely with the Roslin Institute, home of world-famous Dolly the Sheep, has developed an animal stem cell platform for cultivated meat production, alongside cutting-edge genomic breeding techniques.
It also exploits the same platform technologies to provide a range of solutions in animal health.
Previous experience
Van Orsouw has over 15 years’ experience in agribusiness, initially at Boston Consulting Group and more recently at PIC, where he led on a series of strategic initiatives, including acquisitions, across the animal breeding and genetics sectors.
He was also an executive committee member of the board of the Center for Food Integrity, a global not-for-profit organisation with a mission to build consumer trust in the world’s rapidly changing food systems.
Commenting on his appointment, Ernst van Orsouw said:
Roslin Technologies is the jewel in the crown of Scottish and British agri-business, and I am excited to join at this stage in the company’s growth.
“Over the last few years, the company has built a world-class scientific platform that can fundamentally disrupt key areas of the AgTech industry.
“The commercial potential of Roslin Technologies’ offerings can now be brought to market, from proprietary stem cell lines for cultivated meat and animal health, to genomic breeding programmes for insects and traditional livestock.”
