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Sustainable food technology company Lyras has appointed Mark Kalhøj Andersen as its new CEO. This decision comes as the Danish company seeks to capitalise on its groundbreaking technology, which offers significant energy and water savings compared to traditional pasteurisation methods. Lyras has garnered international acclaim for its innovative approach to pasteurisation, which uses a process called raslysation. This technique, which employs UV light to effectively deactivate microorganisms in opaque liquids, has captured the attention of food and beverage manufacturers globally. Mark Kalhøj Andersen, previously serving as the company's chief commercial officer, brings a wealth of experience to his new role, having demonstrated proficiency in both technical and business domains. Mads Storgaard Mehlsen, chairman of the board at Lyras, said: “Mark Kalhøj Andersen has a profound insight into both Lyras’ markets and product. He has a deep technical understanding of raslysation. He has previously been employed in a strong tech development company and been part of scaling a company from a few million to just under a billion in five years.” He continued: “Adding to that, he has excelled in his time as Lyras’ CCO, where he has improved our sales activities as well as operational and administrative efficiency. He possesses the entire toolbox, from development to operations and sales to scaling. His unique combination of technical knowledge and business insight positions him perfectly to guide Lyras through our ongoing growth and development phases.”

Can UV light reduce the food industry’s climate impact? Check out Lyras' exclusive article on this topic here. Andersen's strategic contributions to Lyras extend beyond his recent appointment as CEO. As CCO, he played a core role in shaping the company's global sales and marketing strategies, overseeing the establishment of international sales offices and cultivating partnerships with engineering and OEM partners. Expressing his enthusiasm for his new role, Andersen added: “It is a great honour to be given the responsibility of driving Lyras further towards strategic growth and innovation. I step into the role of CEO with great humility and expect a steep learning curve, but I have a strong group of owners and board as well as a fantastic organisation which I am sure will support me in the process. I will especially prioritise organisational development by gathering and engaging employees across the organisation. In addition, I will continue to focus on commercial scaling of our sales platform.” Founder and former CEO Rasmus Mortensen said: “It is with peace of mind that I now pass on the baton to Mark. His loyalty to Lyras’ values and growth strategy is a driving force that I value highly in his professional handling of our common goal of growing Lyras quickly. In addition to finding a new CEO with the right skills, it has also been important for me to find a person with the right vision and solid integrity. I now look forward to my new role as chief vision officer, where I can continue to work towards achieving Lyras’ vision and goals by identifying future opportunities and working with customers.” Andersen previously served as technical director at DESMI Ocean Guard A/S, where he oversaw organisational expansion and international development initiatives. He has a Master of Science in chemistry with a specialisation in environmental engineering, and an HD degree in organisation and management. Anderson featured in our latest edition of FoodBev Magazine, exploring the company's cutting-edge technological advancements. Don't miss out on the upcoming issue (FoodBev 76), which comes out soon – subscribe today.