Bastiaan van Tilburg to succeed David Blakemore as CEO of Nutreco

NETHERLANDS – Bastiaan van Tilburg will take over as Chief Executive Officer of Nutreco, one of the largest animal feed producers globally, on September 1, 2025, succeeding David Blakemore, who has decided to step down after leading the global animal nutrition and aquafeed company since 2022.

Blakemore, who came out of retirement to take the helm three years ago, was tasked with sharpening Nutreco’s focus on customer intimacy, value-added solutions, and positioning the company for long-term growth. He said the foundations are now in place for new leadership to guide Nutreco into its next phase.

“I have enjoyed my time with Nutreco. Having the opportunity to lead this great business has been a privilege,” Blakemore said. 

“I’ve enjoyed meeting colleagues and customers around the world and collaborating to drive our vision and purpose forward. I’m immensely proud of what we’ve achieved together.”

Van Tilburg’s track record

Van Tilburg, who has been with Nutreco for nearly eight years, currently serves as Chief Operating Officer of Aquaculture. 

Before that, he was Managing Director for Europe and Central Asia and previously General Manager of Trouw Nutrition in Benelux, Scandinavia, and France.

His earlier career includes leadership roles at Makro, a subsidiary of SHV in Brazil, and four years at Royal Dutch Shell. He studied at the University of Groningen, where he earned both Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees in International Organisation and International Relations.

Van Tilburg said he was honoured to take up the role. “It’s a fantastic honour to lead Nutreco. We are a group of talented and purpose-driven people with a passion for our purpose of Feeding the Future,” he said. 

“Our company has a very meaningful role to play in the food system, and I know that we still have a lot of untapped potential to unlock together. That is why it excites me to accelerate the execution of our strategy and to keep us focused on delivering the very best of Nutreco to our customers, everywhere, every day.”

Wider leadership changes

As part of the leadership reshuffle, Maarten Bijl, currently Chief Digital Officer, will succeed van Tilburg as CEO of Skretting, Nutreco’s aquafeed division.

Floris de Ryck, CEO of SHV, Nutreco’s parent company, expressed gratitude to Blakemore. “We respect David’s decision to step down and want to thank him for all his contributions to Nutreco and wish him all the best in the future.” 

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