Plenary Speaker - Biography
Steen Riisgaard

Steen Riisgaard

President & CEO
Novozymes A/S

Steen Riisgaard is President & CEO of Novozymes A/S and has had the position since Novozymes A/S was demerged from Novo Nordisk A/S in 2000. Mr Riisgaard joined Novo in 1979 as a microbiologist in Enzymes R&D.

  • In 1982 he went to Tokyo to start up an Enzymes R&D unit in Novo's subsidiary, Novo Industri Japan Ltd.

  • He returned to Denmark in 1985 as director of Enzyme Process Research and the following year was appointed vice president of the Detergent Enzyme Division.

  • In 1989 he was promoted to corporate executive vice president with special responsibility for Enzyme Business, including Enzyme Research, Enzyme Development and Application, Enzyme Production, Enzyme Operations and all of Novo Nordisk's activities in China.

    Prior to joining Novo Nordisk, Mr Riisgaard was a research fellow at the Serum Institute of Denmark (1976-77) and a research microbiologist at Foss Electric, Denmark.

    Mr Riisgaard received his MSc in Biology from the University of Copenhagen. Mr Riisgaard serves on the boards of WWF (World Wildlife Fund) Denmark and Egmont International Holding A/S and he is the Chairman for EuropaBio.