Veramaris, a joint venture between DSM and Evonik, will enter the scale-up phase of its business. Launched in 2018, Veramaris is the only ASC-MSC certified sustainable algal oil with the highest level of both EPA & DHA omega-3 available on the global market, today. The algal oil is an alternative omega-3 source to fish oil and is currently used to achieve animal nutrition in aquaculture, pet food and most recently, in human dietary supplements. 

In its startup phase, Veramaris strategically focused on a value chain marketing approach for the aquaculture and pet food sectors, which resulted in significant market growth for sustainable EPA & DHA omega-3. In this next phase, Veramaris will focus on enhancing operational excellence and further deepening the DSM/Evonik collaboration in the human nutrition supplement and the shrimp markets.

“We warmly thank the Veramaris team for laying a strong business foundation, on which we now build this next phase of growth. Therewith, we also acknowledge the valuable contributions Karim Kurmaly and Alexander Hillmann have made in the early years of Veramaris. DSM and Evonik remain fully committed to growing the market for sustainable EPA & DHA omega-3. I am thrilled and confident that together we will reach new heights,” said André Bos, chairman of the Veramaris Supervisory Board. 

Leading the scale-up will become the responsibility of Veramaris’s new leadership team: 

• Gertjan de Koning, vice president Essential Products, DSM Animal Nutrition & Health, will assume the role of CEO from October 1, 2022.  
• Already joining the business from August 1, 2022, Holger Kinzel, vice president Animal Nutrition Asia North, Evonik, will take on the role of CFO/COO.  
• The team will be further strengthened with the addition of Florian Butzmann as new head of Supply Chain Management and Marion Hax as business performance management. 

“Advancing the cooperation between DSM and Evonik will bring the Veramaris venture to the next level of profitable growth. With a clear shared vision – to conserve marine life – we will not only realize the full potential of our natural algal oil solution but also be able to lead the market,” said Emmanuel Auer, co-chairman of the Veramaris Supervisory Board. 

Gertjan de Koning  

Gertjan has a background in chemical technology and joined DSM in 1995. He started his career in DSM Performance Materials and later in DSM Nutrition. He helped shape the DSM Nutrition business through acquisitions and integrations. Gertjan became the first vice president Nutritional Lipids, during which role he was one of the driving forces behind the conception of Veramaris. Over the past five years, Gertjan successfully navigated DSM’s portfolio of feed vitamins through a period of unprecedented volatility realizing considerable growth.  

Holger Kinzel 

Holger has a strong commercial background and a degree in business administration. He joined Evonik in 1997 and held various positions in the company covering Product Line & Market Segment Head as well as Sales & Marketing roles in Asia and Germany. In those roles, he drove business growth and strategic portfolio development. Based in Shanghai, Holger assumed the role of regional vice president Animal Nutrition Asia North in 2019, driving regional business growth and organizational development in a highly dynamic region.