Aerbio announces the appointment of Alexander Lacik, CEO of Pandora to board of directors

August 29, 2024 – Copenhagen

Aerbio, a pioneer in fermentation technology, today announces the appointment of Alexander Lacik to their board of directors. Ranked the best CEO in Denmark, Alexander’s branding genius and passion for sustainability perfectly matches the transformative potential of Aerbio’s technology, and he will help steer the company’s commercialisation by guiding go-to-market and communications strategies, amongst other general responsibilities as a non-executive director.

Alexander has over 30 years of experience from global consumer goods companies, including serving as Head of North America for Reckitt, various international leadership positions at Procter & Gamble and CEO of childcare company Britax. In his current 5 year tenure as CEO of leading global jewellery firm Pandora he has overseen a revitalisation of the Danish company’s brand and operations, stabilising performance and driving investor confidence.

Known for strategic and hands-on leadership, emphasising innovation, efficiency and customer-centricity, Alexander is also passionate about sustainability. How these can be combined to drive value is illustrated in several of Pandora initiatives in recent years, most notably adoption of lab-grown diamonds, whereby sustainability serves as an important differentiating factor and a key part of the company’s brand identity. Applying this approach to commercialisation of Proton™, Aerbio’s ultra-sustainable protein, is anticipated to strengthen and accelerate market penetration in replacing and augmenting protein ingredients from plant and animal sources in human and animal nutrition, and beyond.

“We are super excited to welcome Alexander to Aerbio at this pivotal moment in our journey,” said Lars Topholm, Chairperson of Aerbio. “His strategic vision and operational expertise will be invaluable as we accelerate the commercialisation of Proton and continue to develop the next generation of sustainable products. With Alexander joining the team, we are confident that we can develop the best possible go to market strategy to enable Proton to meet the growing demand for sustainable protein solutions and to drive meaningful impact in the global food and nutrition markets.”

Educated at the University of Växjö, and holding executive roles for global companies some of which headquartered in Sweden and Denmark, Alexander is extremely well connected and respected within the Nordic business community. He joins Birgitte Skadhauge, Carlsberg Group’s VP of R&D, on Aerbio’s single-tier board led by chairperson Lars Topholm, Head of Research at Carnegie Bank. Together this Nordic-centric board will guide Aerbio’s scale-up roadmap, including the upcoming development of a demonstration facility, which will serve as the final technical validation before commercial-scale production begins.

Expressing his enthusiasm for joining Aerbio, Alexander said “I have always been an advocate for the role of businesses in leading the sustainability agenda, but as an executive for mature companies this has mainly been about evolving the operations and positioning in established markets. Rather than making incremental changes to sustainable food production, Aerbio has the potential to radically and positively disrupt the way we make food and change the world for the better. I’m confident that there is a fit not just in terms of the skills and experience I can bring to the board, but in the shared vision between myself, the management of the company, and the rest of the board.