Jan Hunik - Innovation and Business creation

Q: Where is Jan based?

Jan is based in The Hague, Netherlands .

Q: What languages does Jan speak?

Jan speaks the following languages: Dutch (Native), English (Advanced), German (Intermediate) .

Q: How many years of experience does Jan have?

Jan has at least 33 years of experience. During this time, Jan has worked in at least 8 different roles and for 7 different companies . The average length of individual experience is 4 years and 2 months . Note that Jan may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

Q: What is Jan's latest experience?

Jan's most recent position is Innovation and Business creation at Independent Consultant .

Q: What companies has Jan worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Jan has worked for Independent Consultant and ATRO Medical BV .

Q: Which industries is Jan most experienced in?

Jan is most experienced in industries like Biotechnology , Healthcare , and Food and Beverage . Jan also has some experience in Beauty and Cosmetics , Professional Services , and Agriculture .

Q: Which business areas is Jan most experienced in?

Jan is most experienced in business areas like Product Development , Research and Development (R&D) , and Strategy and Planning . Jan also has some experience in Project Management , Investments, M&A & Venture Capital , and Marketing .

Q: Which industries has Jan worked in recently?

Jan has recently worked in industries like Healthcare and Professional Services .

Q: Which business areas has Jan worked in recently?

Jan has recently worked in business areas like Product Development , Research and Development (R&D) , and Strategy and Planning .

Recommended expert

The Hague, Netherlands

Experience

Apr 2023 - Present

2 years 11 months

Innovation and Business creation

Independent Consultant

Jan 2017 - Mar 2023

6 years 3 months

Netherlands

CEO and Co-founder

ATRO Medical BV

ATRO Medical’s core business is the design and holding the regulatory dossier for the meniscus prothesis and successful outsource manufacturing and clinical studies.
Built the company from scratch, raised €6,3M Venture Capital, obtained a €5,0M innovation credit of the Dutch Government (Ministry of Economic Affairs) plus several grants totaling €3,6M (including the €2,5M EIC accelerator grant).
ATRO Medical has become ISO 13485 certified and has obtained FDA Breakthrough designation in the US for its meniscus replacement device.
Completed enrollment for a second clinical study in December 2022.
Medtech Innovator Finalist in 2019 and recipient of the $50k Johnson & Johnson QuickFire Award in 2022.
Left the company with an effective start-up team and professional organization to produce and clinically test the device, building relations with strategics, consultants and investment funds to scale the business.

Jan 2010 - Dec 2017

8 years

Netherlands

Strategy Director

DSM Biomedical

Provided leadership in preparing venture and M&A deals and led strategic planning for growth of the global product portfolio of a €140M business.
Successfully led the preparation of acquisitions at Royal DSM (€10B annual turnover), setting a company-wide example for a five-day comprehensive due diligence and becoming integration lead for the business and R&D work stream of a US acquisition.
Gained hands-on experience in valuation, M&A processes, US business environment and deal making, resulting in one large US-based acquisition (US$360M) and three venture investments.
Supported and drove various business units in creating strategic marketing plans for a wide range of medical device products, covering cardiovascular, orthopedic devices, ophthalmic and general surgery.
Left DSM with several patent licenses and an initial investment of €600k by DSM Venturing to build the ATRO Medical start-up.

Jan 2007 - Dec 2009

3 years

Netherlands

Program Director

DSM Innovation

Led the program for a new business area of personal nutrition.
Built and executed a business plan for genetic profiling for weight management.
Streamlined and focused the business and project portfolio.
Initiated a close collaboration with a spin-out of Philips.
Left due to regulatory uncertainty for genetic profiling and halted internal funding during the 2008 financial crisis; invited to return to DSM Biomedical as Strategy Director.

Jan 2002 - Dec 2007

6 years

Delft, Netherlands

Business Manager

DSM Food Specialties

Led new product development for the food ingredient market with budget and sales responsibility, integrating products emerging from R&D into the sales organization.
Led the business team to successfully introduce a game-changing genetically engineered biotech product in the B2B market, managing sales, R&D, technical support, production, IP and regulatory approvals on a global scale.
Directed the global (EU, Americas and Asia) launch within six months.
Achieved worldwide sales success, especially in China, Eastern Europe and South America, fully realizing the business plan within five years with a high-margin product that continues growing (last update 2020).
Moved to the Innovation business group as Program Director of a new initiative, Personalized Nutrition.

Jan 1997 - Dec 2002

6 years

Netherlands

Sr. Project Manager

DSM Food Specialties

Managed a project portfolio for development of new or improved production processes for the food ingredients business.
Successfully developed an alternative process for producing vitamin B12.
Developed a new class of products based on a protein-digesting enzyme.
Transformed several basic and applied biotechnology molecules into commercial processes applied in cosmetics, crop-protection, beer and dairy industry.
Promoted internally to Business Manager with the key task of transforming ideas into commercially viable products.

Jan 1993 - Dec 1997

5 years

Netherlands

Program manager

Unilever Research Laboratory

Managed a portfolio of biotechnology-driven product developments for Unilever food and cosmetics business groups.
Conducted fundamental research supporting existing business in enzymes, yeast extracts and flavouring, and developed new products.
One product for mal-odor treatment reached the cosmetic market after departure.
Left when biotechnology was no longer a core business and associated business groups were divested early 1997.

Jan 1993 - Dec 1993

1 year

Wageningen, Netherlands

Post-doc

Agricultural University Wageningen

Engineered strategies for scale-up of biotech processes.
Worked on an EU-funded one-year project building on the PhD thesis as a transition between university and Unilever.

Industries Experience

See where this freelancer has spent most of their professional time. Longer bars indicate deeper hands-on experience, while shorter ones reflect targeted or project-based work.

Experienced in Biotechnology (17 years), Healthcare (16 years), Food and Beverage (15 years), Cosmetics (5 years), Professional Services (3 years), and Agriculture (1 year).

Biotechnology

Healthcare

Food and Beverage

Cosmetics

Professional Services

Agriculture

Business Areas Experience

The graph below provides a cumulative view of the freelancer's experience across multiple business areas, calculated from completed and active engagements. It highlights the areas where the freelancer has most frequently contributed to planning, execution, and delivery of business outcomes.

Experienced in Product Development (26 years), Research and Development (17 years), Strategy (14 years), Project Management (13 years), Investments and M&A (8 years), and Marketing (8 years).

Product Development

Research and Development

Strategy

Project Management

Investments and M&A

Marketing

Skills

Strategic Thinker With Good Analytical Skills
Strong Business Orientation
Quickly Grasp New Businesses And The Underlying Driving Forces
In Depth Knowledge Of Lifesciences And Medical Devices Markets
Quickly Connect To People And Organizations
Leading Multi-disciplinary (And Multi-cultural) Teams
International Business Experience In Eu, Us, Jp And China

Languages

Dutch

Native

English

Advanced

German

Intermediate

Education

Oct 1988 - Jun 1992

Wageningen Agricultural University

PhD, Bioprocess Engineering · Bioprocess Engineering · Wageningen, Netherlands

Oct 1983 - Jun 1987

Wageningen Agricultural University

MSc · Wageningen, Netherlands

Profile

Created

February 2024

Last Update

February 2025

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Frequently asked questions

Do you have questions? Here you can find further information.

Where is Jan based?

Jan is based in The Hague, Netherlands.

What languages does Jan speak?

Jan speaks the following languages: Dutch (Native), English (Advanced), German (Intermediate).

How many years of experience does Jan have?

Jan has at least 33 years of experience. During this time, Jan has worked in at least 8 different roles and for 7 different companies. The average length of individual experience is 4 years and 2 months. Note that Jan may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

What roles would Jan be best suited for?

Based on recent experience, Jan would be well-suited for roles such as: Innovation and Business creation, CEO and Co-founder, Strategy Director.

What is Jan's latest experience?

Jan's most recent position is Innovation and Business creation at Independent Consultant.

What companies has Jan worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Jan has worked for Independent Consultant and ATRO Medical BV.

Which industries is Jan most experienced in?

Jan is most experienced in industries like Biotechnology, Healthcare, and Food and Beverage. Jan also has some experience in Beauty and Cosmetics, Professional Services, and Agriculture.

Which business areas is Jan most experienced in?

Jan is most experienced in business areas like Product Development, Research and Development (R&D), and Strategy and Planning. Jan also has some experience in Project Management, Investments, M&A & Venture Capital, and Marketing.

Which industries has Jan worked in recently?

Jan has recently worked in industries like Healthcare and Professional Services.

Which business areas has Jan worked in recently?

Jan has recently worked in business areas like Product Development, Research and Development (R&D), and Strategy and Planning.

What is Jan's education?

Jan holds a Doctorate in Bioprocess Engineering from Wageningen Agricultural University and a Master from Wageningen Agricultural University.