Feike Sijbesma has over 30 years’ experience as an international executive and senior leader across multiple industries including food, nutrition, (bio)chemicals, health, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology, diversified industrials and renewable energy. Feike is a leader who is highly respected and trusted globally by business, NGO’s, and governments.

Feike is Honorary Chair, and the former CEO (2007-2020), of Royal DSM. He is Chair of the Supervisory Board of Royal Philips and a Non-Executive Director at Unilever.

He is also Co-Chair of the Global Centre on Climate Adaptation, together with Ban Ki-moon, former Secretary General of the United Nations. He is a designated Global Climate Leader of the World Bank (and carbon pricing champion), member of the Advisory Council of the IMF, member of the Board of Trustees of the World Economic Forum and Co-Chair of the Business Network for Scaling Up Nutrition at the UN. Previously, he was a member of the Supervisory Board of the Dutch Central Bank.

Feike served for 20 years on the Managing Board of Royal DSM, including 13 years as CEO. Under his leadership, DSM very successfully transformed from a bulk-chemical company into a global leading innovative science-based company, focused on Nutrition, Health and Sustainable living. He has proven at DSM that sustainability is not only a key responsibility but also a core value and a main business driver. Feike is a main advocate for Inclusion and Diversity.

Feike studied Medical and Molecular Biology at the University of Utrecht and Business Administration at Erasmus University in Rotterdam. Feike is a recipient of several awards, as the Humanitarian of the Year Award & Leaders of Change Award presented by the United Nations; he received an honorary doctorate from Maastricht and Groningen University, Netherlands; he was listed by Fortune on the World’s 50 Greatest Leaders, and by Harvard Business Review as World’s 100 most successful CEO’s. He also received the Courage to Lead Award from the World Resources Institute.

Feike is currently also investor in smaller companies in food and sustainability/energy and advises companies on transformations.

Feike was decorated in 2021 by the Prime Minister of The Netherlands as Grand Officer in the order of Orange Nassau; one of the highest royal honors of The Netherlands.