Novozymes, Chr. Hansen to take new name following combination

Novozymes and Chr. Hansen this week 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,” according to a news release announcing the new name. 

The name change follows the acquisition announcement almost exactly a year ago when the Danish companies said that Novozymes would acquire Chr. Hansen.

Novozymes has a significant presence in North Carolina. It maintains its North American headquarters in Franklinton and an R&D facility in the Research Triangle. The company employs around 800 people in the state.

“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,” said Ester Baiget, president and CEO of Novozymes, in the announcement. “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’.”       

Novozymes is a global provider of enzyme and microbial technologies targeted at agriculture and a variety of other industries. Chr. Hansen is a global bioscience company that develops natural ingredient solutions for the food, nutritional, pharmaceutical and agricultural industries.

The regulatory approval process continues to progress as planned, the companies said, with European Commission conditional approval earlier this week and a closing to take place in the first quarter of 2024 following other approvals. The name Novonesis will be used and gradually implemented once the proposed combination is completed. 

Combined, the company will have a global network of more than 23 manufacturing sites and close to 40 R&D and application centers that employ around 10,000 talented and purpose-driven employees.