AMSilk, a world leader in supplying innovative high-performance bio-based silk materials, announces the appointment of Klaus Kjeldal as Chief Production Officer (CPO) and Managing Director (MD) in May 2022.

Kjeldal, who brings more than 25 years’ biotechnology experience in global operations, will lead the scale-up of AMSilk’s protein production with existing CMOs. He will be responsible for developing and implementing the future AMSilk strategy for protein production, including the development of capacities and new CMOs worldwide.

The expert was most recently Head of Operations Enzymes at BASF and has previously worked for Uniobio, Novozymes and Orkla Foods leading their global operations and manufacturing. He has considerable experience in global operations and brings a deep understanding of product development, purchasing, engineering, process improvements, internal logistics and contract manufacturing. Klaus has worked across Europe, the US and Asia with multiple different strategies, processes and technologies.

Dr. Wolfgang Colberg Chairman of the Advisory Board, AMSilk, said: “The Board and I are very pleased to welcome Klaus to the AMSilk Management Team. AMSilk is entering a new phase of growth and the appointment of Klaus is a testament to AMSilk’s growth strategy, as we continue to drive the industrial upscaling of the Company.”

Ulrich Scherbel, Chief Executive Officer, AMSilk, said: “To have Klaus join the team is validation of our role as one of the world’s leading suppliers of innovative high-performance biotech materials. Klaus’ knowledge and experience of global manufacturing will be invaluable as we scale-up AMSilk’s protein production in 2022.”

Klaus Kjeldal, Chief Production Officer and Managing Director, AMSilk, added: “I am excited to be joining AMSilk and help progress the Company through the production and operations growth phase.  AMSilk is a truly innovative company looking to make real change and I share its passion for making high-performance biotech materials that are accessible to everyone.”

AMSilk develops and supplies smart bio-fabricated silk materials for use in everyday life. The environmentally friendly, sustainable silk biopolymers can be fully recycled and are 100% biodegradable. These materials are leading the change to better and more sustainable products as well as driving state-of-the-art biomedical developments.