New Board of Directors: ‘We are confident CHDR will continue to grow in the coming years’
In 2024, a new Board of Directors started at CHDR. Prof Geert Jan Groeneveld took over the leadership of the organisation and Anouk de Jong, MSc, MBA, became CHDR's first CFO. As the organisation welcomed a new CEO and CFO, it also faced immediate challenges due to shifting market dynamics in the biotech sector. ‘These are challenging times, but we are confident about the future.’
The year 2024 began with a significant leadership change at CHDR. Groeneveld succeeded Prof Koos Burggraaf, who will focus on the CHDR Academy in the coming years. ‘With the size of our organisation and our ambitious growth plans, I felt it was essential to bring a CFO on board. I was delighted that Anouk de Jong agreed to take on the role,' says Groeneveld. ‘I felt completely at home here from day one,’ says de Jong. 'CHDR is a warm and dynamic organisation, with highly motivated staff and a well-run management team. I was also pleased to contribute to the strategy for the coming years.'
Fluctuating market
The new Board of Directors immediately had to deal with a challenging situation, as a unusually high number of clients canceled or postponed planned studies due to financial difficulties. Following the global COVID-19 crisis, funding for the biotechnology sector declined.
‘It's a bit counterintuitive that after a pandemic, there is less money for biotech, but those are the facts,’ says Groeneveld. 'Immediately after the pandemic, we were very busy, but in hindsight, much of that was simply catching up on studies that had already been planned.’
In recent years, CHDR has increasingly provided services for the biotechnology sector. Like CHDR, biotech companies are often science-driven. CHDR's expertise provides significant added value, especially for first-time entrepreneurs. Because of this focus on biotech, fluctuations in the sector directly impact CHDR.
‘Of course, we would have preferred another start as the new Board,’ says de Jong. ‘But there was also a lot of understanding and we were able to clearly explain why we remain confident about the future.’
De Jong and Groeneveld are confident about the company’s perspective in the longer term. ‘We are already seeing signs that funding for the biotechnology sector is picking up again,’ says De Jong. Groeneveld adds ' We expect to return to our previous growth trajectory soon. There is still a strong demand for new treatments, and we are well positioned to serve the market, both in Europe and beyond. In the coming years, I expect CHDR to continue to grow.'
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