January 30, 2026

 

dsm-firmenich appoints new Chief Human Resources Officer

 

dsm-firmenich announced this month the appointment of Nikeisha van Sleeuwen as Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO).

 

Effective April 1, 2026, she will report directly to Dimitri de Vreeze, dsm-firmenich's chief executive officer, and will serve as a member of the executive committee. She succeeds Mieke Van de Capelle, who will retire from the company following 10 years of exceptional service.

 

Van Sleeuwen currently serves as SVP Talent & Culture and Global Rewards at dsm-firmenich. With over 20 years of HR leadership experience across the United States and Europe, she has a proven track record of fostering talent and building inclusive, high-performing teams across global functions.

 

Previously, she was SVP HR for the Animal Nutrition & Health business, partnering with executives to drive organisational performance, growth, and transformation.

 

Van Sleeuwen holds academic credentials from Ramapo College of New Jersey and Cornell ILR. A Jamaican-American national, she joined the company nearly 20 years ago.

 

Mieke Van de Capelle, who has led the HR function through a decade of significant transformation and the successful integration of dsm-firmenich, leaves behind a truly best-in-class HR organisation, the company said.

 

Under her leadership, the company achieved great progress in employee engagement and capability building. After leading the company through major milestones and laying strong foundations for the future, she has decided to retire from the company on March 31, 2026.

 

De Vreeze said: "I am delighted to welcome Nikki to the executive committee. She is an exceptional leader who has consistently demonstrated her ability to drive engagement, strengthen inclusion, and shape impactful strategies to grow talent at dsm-firmenich. She is the perfect person to lead our HR function. I am also deeply grateful to Mieke, who has been a foundational leader for our company. Her legacy is one of professional excellence and deep care for all our colleagues. Thanks to her strong focus on succession planning, we are able to appoint such an outstanding internal successor, ensuring we build consistency as we shape the future of our organisation."

 

- dsm-firmenich