Richard was appointed unanimously by the Supervisory Board of EIT Food to succeed Dr. Andy Zynga, who has announced that he is stepping down after a long and successful career which includes serving as the EIT Food CEO over the past five years.
Richard brings a wealth of experience to the role of leading the world’s largest and most dynamic food innovation community. He has been an integral part of EIT Food's journey since joining the organisation in 2021 and has served as Chief Impact Officer since April 2023. An experienced senior executive, he previously held leadership roles with EIT Climate-KIC, Microsoft, and a range of organisations across the innovation and sustainability sectors. Richard is ideally placed to strengthen EIT Food's position as a mission-led, multi-funder organisation, that drives impact across food systems.
On the announcement of his appointment to CEO of EIT Food, Richard said:
EIT Food brings together an amazing team, with a community of partners, entrepreneurs, students and organisations who are dedicated to food systems transformation. It is an incredible privilege to lead the organisation as we build on everything our community has achieved, and bring our focus and energy to tackling some of the biggest issues we face, from achieving net zero to making healthy food available to all and improving food system resilience.
I am delighted to be taking the role, building on the fantastic legacy Andy has created, and continuing to work in the EIT KIC ecosystem, which is a unique and very special place within Europe's innovation community.
Looking forward, Richard will work closely with the EIT Food leadership team to develop the organisation's mission-led, portfolio-driven approach. And he will continue engaging with the food system community to drive change through collective learning, problem solving and invention.
Michiel de Ruiter, Chairperson of the EIT Food Supervisory Board, congratulated Richard on his appointment, saying:
On behalf of the Supervisory Board, I am very happy to welcome the appointment of Richard, after an extensive selection process in which a large number of candidates were interviewed and evaluated. I am looking forward to working with Richard and the Executive Team, along with our partners, to accelerate the transition of the food system towards net zero, resilience and improved consumer health.
At the same time, I want to thank Andy for his outstanding tenure in the last 5 years in which he was instrumental to build EIT Food into the ecosystem it is today. The Supervisory Board wishes him good luck in his further career as he continues to drive impact in the food system and beyond.
Outgoing CEO, Dr. Andy Zynga, also congratulated Richard on his appointment as the new CEO of EIT Food, saying:
am delighted that Richard has been appointed as our new CEO - coming from within the organisation, Richard’s deep understanding of the needs of EIT Food and our key stakeholders will ensure a smooth leadership transition in the next stage of our critical mission.
It has been an honour and a privilege to lead EIT Food successfully for the past 5 years, and I wish Richard every success as he takes over the helm as the new captain of our ship.