Dsm-firmenich lines up Richard Ridinger as chair in board reshuffle
The fragrance and flavours group has proposed independent director Richard Ridinger to succeed Thomas Leysen, who is stepping down as chair.
Dsm-firmenich, the fragrance and flavours group formed from the 2023 merger of Dutch nutrition company DSM and Swiss flavours and fragrance house Firmenich, has proposed Richard Ridinger, currently an independent director, to succeed Thomas Leysen as chair of its board, according to Cosmetics Business. Leysen has announced his retirement from the role.
Leadership continuity at dsm-firmenich matters to the broader beauty and fragrance supply chain because the company sits upstream of nearly every major perfume and cosmetics house, supplying scent, flavour and active ingredients to brands from LVMH's fragrance houses to mass-market personal care. A board-level transition, even a planned and orderly one, tends to prompt questions from clients and investors about strategic continuity, particularly around the pace of integration synergies still being extracted from the DSM-Firmenich merger and the company's positioning in premium, naturals-led ingredient innovation.
The appointment will need formal shareholder approval, but the board's proposal signals an internal, low-drama succession rather than an external search, which markets typically read as a vote of confidence in the current strategic direction. What to watch is whether Ridinger's arrival brings any shift in capital allocation priorities, particularly around further bolt-on acquisitions in specialty ingredients, an area where dsm-firmenich has been active as beauty brands push for more traceable, preservative-free and naturally derived formulations.
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