TSG
Applied Innovation Day
2024

Thomas P. Meier has been CEO of Ricola since 2019. He has many years of experience in marketing, sales and general management positions in the consumer goods industry. Before joining Ricola, he was CEO of Franke Coffee Systems, a globally active division of the Franke Group, and a member of the Franke Group Management Board. Prior to that, he held various key positions in the branded goods industry in Switzerland and abroad at Lindt & Sprüngli, Unilever, and Wander AG.

Thomas P. Meier holds a degree in business administration with a specialization in marketing from the University of St. Gallen. 

Evelyne has a track record as an Analyst and Portfolio Manager in energy and resources at GAM Investment Management in Zurich and Capital Research Global Investors in London. She began her career at The Capital Group in Los Angeles, California.

Evelyne holds a Masters degree in Engineering from ETH Swiss Federal Institute of Technology with concentrations in Food Science, Biochemistry and Biotechnology.

In 2017, together with Tobias Reichmuth, Evelyne founded The Singularity Group with the vision in mind to bring cash flow-based returns to innovation portfolios. Publicly, she has presented as an expert on major international televised networks as well as conferences and is often quoted in the press.

Lukas Hartmann is a nutrition expert with a career spanning over 15 years at major Swiss companies in the field. He joined the Hochdorf Group in 2017 as Head of Development for baby care. In 2021, he transitioned to VP Innovation and R&D. Previously, he was part of a start-up in the area of sustainable probiotic feed supplements and active as a Process Engineer at Nestlé Suisse S.A., where he was responsible for developing, implementing, and commercializing a powdered infant formula. He started his career as a Project Lead in Research and Development at  Nestlé, Orbe, in the Product Technology Center in the area of Infant Cereal Nutrition, where he was responsible for developing and implementing formulations and manufacturing processes in various factories worldwide. He holds a Master’s of Science degree in Food Sciences from the ETH Zurich and an MBA from the University of St. Gallen (HSG).

Juergen Eck is an entrepreneur, biotechnology pioneer, and inventor holding over 50 patents and patent applications. He is co-founder and former CEO of BRAIN AG, a leading European industrial biotech company specializing in enzymes, performance microorganisms, and bioactive natural compounds for food, feed, cosmetics and industrial applications.

Juergen holds many notable board memberships, including with BIO Deutschland (Association of the Biotechnology Industry Germany), DECHEMA (Society for Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology e.V.), and as a member of the Board of Trustees of MPI (Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology). In 2009 to 2018 he was appointed to the Senate Commission of the German Research Foundation and the European SusChem Core Group. He was awarded "German Entrepreneur of the Year" in 2017.

For over 30 years Juergen has worked as an inventor and technology innovator. Having co-founded BRAIN AG in 1993, he initially established and served as Head of Research & Development, laying the foundation for the success of the company's proprietary technology platform for enzyme discovery, microbial producer strain optimization, and BioActive natural compound discovery and development. Juergen was appointed Chief Technology Officer in 2000 and CEO in 2015, enabling further growth of the BRAIN Group including expanded pipelines of novel biological, enzyme-based, and performance microorganisms products; various spin-offs and acquisitions, and a successful IPO of BRAIN AG at the Frankfurt stock exchange in 2016.

Juergen actively represents industrial biotechnology innovations around the world. He holds a PhD in Biochemistry with focus on molecular biology and biotechnology from Darmstadt Technical University in Germany.