Lesaffre appointed Christine M’Rini Puel as Chief R&D Officer as of January 1, 2022. She succeeds Carmen Arruda, who is taking over the management of Biospringer, following the appointment of Brice-Audren Riché as CEO of Lesaffre.

Christine M’Rini Puel holds a doctorate in medicine and a doctorate in science. She started her career in 1990 at the Faculty of Medicine and Rangueil Hospital in Toulouse, specializing in Human Physiology. During this period, she completed a two-year post-doctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School in the USA.

In 2006, she became Deputy and then Director of the Science and Technology Department at the French Embassy in China. She was in charge of bilateral scientific relations between France and the People’s Republic of China.

In 2008, she joined Institut Mérieux, a holding company of 5 companies including BioMérieux, the world leader in infectious disease diagnostics, as Scientific Director. During this time, she was introduced to the world of bacteria and other micro-organisms such as yeast. She led numerous public-private collaborations, including a gene therapy program.

In 2013, she joined Danone as R&D manager in the fresh dairy division. In 2017, she was appointed Vice President of Research and Innovation of the Medical Nutrition division in Utrecht, The Netherlands.

“I fully share Lesaffre’s values and desire to innovate in all its sectors of activity. Indeed, the study of micro-organisms and fermentation represents fantastic potential for innovation in food and nutrition & health sectors, whether human, animal or environmental.  I am therefore delighted to put my thirty years of experience at the service of Lesaffre’s ambition to work together to better nourish and protect the planet”, said Christine M’Rini Puel in a statement.