Nutreco appoints Petra Volckaert as Chief Digital Officer

NETHERLANDS – Animal nutrition and aquafeed company Nutreco has appointed Petra Volckaert as its new Chief Digital Officer (CDO), effective June 1, 2026, as the company accelerates its digital transformation strategy across global operations.

Volckaert will also join Nutreco’s Management Board and will be responsible for leading the next phase of the company’s digital and data-driven transformation.

She’ll focus on scaling digital capabilities, strengthening standards and embedding advanced technologies across the organisation.

She joins Nutreco with more than 25 years of experience in digital transformation, technology leadership and business innovation.

Most recently, Volckaert served as Senior Vice President, Digital Partner, Taste, Texture & Health, at dsm-firmenich, where she led key digital initiatives following the merger of DSM and Firmenich. 

Her work included post-merger integration, enterprise resource planning (ERP) harmonisation and the development of digital food factory concepts aimed at improving operational efficiency and innovation within the health and nutrition sector.

Before joining dsm-firmenich, she spent 14 years at Bayer, holding a range of international leadership positions spanning digital transformation, information technology and commercial operations.

The appointment comes as Nutreco increasingly leverages digital technologies, artificial intelligence and data analytics to improve operational performance, animal health outcomes and sustainability across its feed and nutrition businesses.

“Digital is central to Nutreco’s ambition to transform food production and deliver sustainable protein solutions.

“To successfully deliver on our purpose of Feeding the Future, digital, AI and data are key levers to unlock value, improve animal health, and accelerate growth,” said Bastiaan van Tilburg, Chief Executive Officer of Nutreco.

He added that Volckaert’s experience would help the company accelerate its digital ambitions and strengthen its ability to deliver value across its global operations.

Volckaert said advances in digital technologies are creating new opportunities to develop more sustainable solutions and improve access to data throughout the food and agriculture value chain.

“Digital capabilities have advanced significantly in recent years, enabling more sustainable solutions and better, more accessible data across the industry,” she said.

Nutreco, a subsidiary of SHV Holdings, operates globally through its animal nutrition business, Trouw Nutrition, and aquafeed division, Skretting.

The appointment reflects a broader trend across the animal nutrition and feed industries.

Companies are increasingly investing in digital technologies, artificial intelligence and data analytics to improve feed efficiency, sustainability, supply chain management and animal health performance.

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