Member of the Board since 2013 and Vice Chair since June 2018.
Steen Riisgaard was born in 1951 and is a Danish national. He received an MSc in Microbiology from the University of Copenhagen. He began his career as a Research Fellow at Statens Serum Institute (SSI) and a Research Microbiologist at Foss Electric, Denmark.
Steen Riisgaard has over 35 years of experience in industrial biotechnology. He joined the Novozymes A/S (then Novo Nordisk A/S, Enzymes Division) Research & Development team in 1979. In 1982, he moved to Tokyo to start up a new Enzymes Research & Development unit in the Novo Nordisk subsidiary, Novo Industry Japan Ltd. He returned to Denmark in 1985 and held a number of different positions in the company until 1989 when he was promoted to Corporate Executive Vice President of the Enzymes Business. In 2000, Steen Riisgaard became the President and CEO of Novozymes A/S, from the demerger from Novo Nordisk A/S, and served in that position until April 2013.
Other Board Positions and Management Duties:
- Chair of the Board, New Xellia Group A/S, Denmark
- Chair of the Board, Lactobio A/S, Denmark
- Vice Chair of the Board, Villum Foundation, Denmark
- Board Member, Novo Nordisk Foundation, Denmark
- Board Member, Corbion N.V., the Netherlands