Prolupin announces Alpro´s former Vice President CFO Paul Denayer as new CEO
PORTFOLIO NEWSPaul brings with him more than 20 years of relevant experience as business leader in the Food Industry. Paul served most recently as CEO of Crop’s, market leader in Europe in frozen vegetables, fruits and meal solutions.
Paul also served more than 10 years as Vice-President CFO at Alpro, the European market leader in plant-based food and beverages. Paul played a pivotal role in Alpro’s growth journey and has been instrumental in transitioning Alpro from a niche player to a branded mainstream category leader.
Paul’s track record in leading teams and companies in the Food and Plant-Based industry in particular, positions him for success in leading our organization forward. His strong leadership skills and ability to sense and respond to market opportunities will help focus Prolupin in its pursuit of profitable international growth.
Reiner Küster, Chairman of the Advisory Board, Prolupin
I am very excited to be joining the Prolupin team. The market for plant-based is booming, driven by strong consumer demand for healthy and sustainable choices, I strongly believe Prolupin with its expertise and branded position has enormous potential to address the plant-based market for further growth, expand internationally and grow its plant-based offering both in B2C and B2B. I look forward to work together with the Prolupin team and execute upon the significant market opportunities in plant-based.
Paul Denayer, CEO, Prolupin
Christian Fankhänel, coming from Mars, recently joined Prolupin to become the new CFO. The company also strengthened its organization with the hiring of Wolfgang Strack to lead its B2B division. “We enter the global plant-based protein B2B market to grasp the significant upside potential on the back of the lupine protein core product” says Reiner Küster.
We are convinced that with Paul Denayer, Wolfgang Strack and Christian Fankhänel we have the ideal management team to take Prolupin to the next level. Together with the team we look forward to further internationalize the B2C-business and further establish the B2B-business.
Bernd Arkenau, Managing Partner, eCAPITAL
In the course of this, Malte Stampe, sole managing director since 2015, is leaving the company.
About Prolupin
Prolupin GmbH was founded in 2010 as a spin-off of the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging in Freising, Bavaria. The company specialises in extracting the protein of the sweet lupin and making it usable for the production of food in the form of the unique lupin protein isolate (LPI). It is a patented process based on 25 years of research. In 2014, the scientists of the Fraunhofer IVV and the researchers of Prolupin GmbH were awarded the German Future Prize for the development of plant-based food ingredients from lupins and a contribution to balanced nutrition. The start-up develops its own products and markets them under the umbrella brand MADE WITH LUVE in German and Austrian food retailers and via selected online shops.
About eCAPITAL
eCAPITAL is a venture capital firm that provides early to growth stage funding to technology companies in the fields of software & information technology, cybersecurity, industry 4.0, new materials and cleantech. Founded in 1999, eCAPITAL has a history of supporting entrepreneurs determined to build companies with lasting significance. Partnering with eCAPITAL means joining an international network of business leaders, entrepreneurs, technologists and potential partners. eCAPITAL is located in Germany, currently manages funds with over EUR 280 million under management and was lead investor of some very successful German exits like sonnen, Novaled or Jedox.
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