Novozymes and Chr. Hansen announce name of future combined company: Novonesis

Novozymes and Chr. Hansen announced their future name ‘Novonesis’. The name reflects the beginning of an era of biosolutions where Novonesis will unleash the full potential of biological solutions and generate significant value for all stakeholders and society at large. The announcement of the name marks an important milestone towards uniting the two companies. 

Ester Baiget, President and CEO of Novozymes, said:

″Novonesis reflects where we came from, what we can achieve, and what we will become together. We are dedicated to harness the transformative potential of biology. Building on our legacy of developing innovative biosolutions, we stand ready to unlock unprecedented opportunities. In Novonesis, we will unite the brightest minds and the best science and technology in the field to help customers and businesses prosper while enabling to solve some of the greatest challenges we all face. We are here to start an era of biosolutions. That is why we have chosen to call our new company Novonesis which means ‘A new beginning’.″       

Cees de Jong, Chairman of Novozymes, added:

″We developed the name Novonesis in close collaboration and dialogue between Novozymes and Chr. Hansen. It has been crucial to find a name that can be a home to all our 10,000 employees, but even more importantly the name should represent the future potential of biosolutions. We believe we have found that name in Novonesis. A name that reflects our immense commitment to making biological solutions play an even bigger role in our planet’s future.″ 

The name ‘Novonesis’ is supplemented by a brand identity inspired by the world of microbiology.  

Progress on closing the combination

The merger approval process continues to progress as planned, and we expect closing to take place in the first quarter of 2024 following regulatory approval. The name Novonesis will be used and gradually implemented once the proposed combination is completed. Until final merger control approvals are received, and the proposed combination completes, Novozymes and Chr. Hansen operate as completely separate companies.

For additional information on the proposed combination, please visit Power with biology (power-with-biology.com) or Proposed merger (chr-hansen.com).

The name ’Novonesis’ has origin in the classical roots of science

‘Genesis’ is Greek for ‘origin’ or ‘beginning’. By choosing a word with a root in Greek the name honors how ancient Greek thinkers (from Pythagoras to Aristotle) played a key role in the development of science as we know it today.

‘Novo’ means new. The Novo name is globally associated with strong science capabilities, a purpose driven mindset, a Nordic heritage as well as a great societal contributor. These are all assets and values which are shared by the future combined company.

The combined group at a glance

• A global network of more than 23 manufacturing sites and close to 40 R&D and application centres that employ around 10,000 talented and purpose-driven employees. 

• Committed to carbon neutrality by 2050, a 75% reduction in scope 1 and 2 emissions from our own operations by 2030, and a 35% reduction in scope 3 emissions from our full supply chain by 2030. 

• Target of a 45-to-45% gender balance across all professionals and senior management by 2030.

Hosted by AgroPages and sponsored by Novozymes, the 5th Biopesticides, Biostimulants and Biofertilizers Summit (BioEx 2024) will be held on March 7-8, 2024 in Shanghai. Novozymes will present at BioEx 2024 how the company will fully unlock the potential of biological solutions to create greater value for agricultural development worldwide.