Sijbesma, Feike

 Chairman Managing Board, Royal DSM 
Alumnus, recipient RSM Distinguished Alumni Award 2009 

 Feike Sijbesma is chair of the managing board of directors at DSM, the global Life Sciences and Materials Sciences company, one of the largest Dutch multinational companies. 

Born in 1959, Feike studied Medical Biology at the University of Utrecht and Business Administration at Erasmus University in Rotterdam. 

In 1987, he joined the Industrial Pharmaceuticals Division of Gist-brocades, where he was responsible for strategic planning and business development. From 1990 to 1993, he was appointed the division’s marketing and sales director. 

Thereafter he was given leadership of Savoury Ingredients, which was later a business unit of Gist-brocades’ Food Specialties Division. 

In 1995, he was made director of that division and joined the Gist-brocades’ Executive Committee. He became chairman of the Managing Board on May 1, 2007. 

Company website: www.dsm.com  

UN 2010 Humanitarian of the Year Award 

On 21 October 2010, Feike Sijbesma received the prestigious 2010 Humanitarian of the Year Award from the United Nations Association of New York. Sijbesma received this prize for his outstanding commitment to corporate social responsibility and in particular for DSM’s partnership with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).  
For the YouTube video of the award ceremony, click here.