DPI, the international polymer research platform, is pleased to announce the appointment of Ernst Jan van Klinken as its Managing Director as of February 1, 2020. Van Klinken will succeed Jacques Joosten, who has decided to step down after serving DPI for 14 years. Joosten will support a smooth transition of responsibilities, following which he is to join the DPI Supervisory Board.
Under Jacques Joosten’s leadership, DPI underwent a major transformation: from a public-private partnership jointly funded by industry, universities and the Dutch government to a primarily industry-funded collaboration platform. Jacques Joosten: ‘Around the year 2011, we had to implement a different funding model as a consequence of changes in the government’s innovation policy. Thanks to a strong reputation worldwide and the trust of our industrial partners, DPI was able to reposition itself and continue to play its unique role as an enabler of world-class industry-driven research in polymers. I am sure Ernst Jan will bring a new dynamic to DPI and explore new initiatives to further enhance DPI’s role. I wish him every success.’
Ernst Jan van Klinken (50) has a successful track record of 25-plus years as an all-round business leader in performance plastics, high performance fibres, returnable packaging and news media. Van Klinken: ‘DPI offers a unique international network-based proposition for intercompany collaboration on polymer research. This collaborative approach is becoming increasingly important as the world gears up to respond to the numerous and complex challenges coming our way, requiring efforts that clearly extend beyond individual companies’ research and innovation portfolios. When it comes to topics such as circular economy in plastics, bio-based polymers, global collaboration and global resource limitations, it’s clear that there is a huge task at hand and I’m excited to further build this platform to help shape our joint future in and around polymers.’
DPI’s Supervisory Board is pleased that the succession is now complete. Yvonne Engelen, on behalf of the Supervisory Board: ‘I would like to thank Jacques Joosten for his dedication to DPI during more than a decade and for navigating DPI towards continuity in its important role in industry-driven polymer research. Now it will be Ernst Jan’s challenge to steer DPI into a new phase of its existence. His solid professional background and his drive for innovation and sustainable solutions place him in an excellent position to lead DPI into the future. On behalf of the Board, I warmly welcome Ernst Jan to DPI and wish him lots of success.’