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Functional ingredients manufacturer Beneo has announced the appointment of Niels E Hower as the latest member of its executive board of directors. The appointment, effective immediately, will see Hower responsible for Beneo’s portfolio of plant-based proteins. This includes Meatless, a specialised company for plant-based texturising solutions. Hower has more than 25 years of experience in the retail, wholesale and life science sectors. He has an MBA in economics and has occupied several senior management roles during his career, where some of his key responsibilities have included category and product management, and operations. Prior to the new role at Beneo, Hower was positioned as EVP global procurement at Fresenius Kabi. He also co-founded the Doctor Chococo brand, which launched a functional milk chocolate bar containing vitamin D and other beneficial ingredients. Beneo acquired Meatless in 2022. Leading Beneo’s plant-based protein division, Hower will focus on continuing the development of Meatless to meet growing demand for plant-based products, alongside Beneo’s wider ingredient portfolio including faba bean ingredients and textured wheat protein. Commenting on his new role, Hower said: “I am happy to join the Beneo team, whose technical and nutritional expertise and longstanding experience has made the company a leading player for prebiotic chicory root fibres, functional carbohydrates and speciality rice ingredients”. Hower said that his ambition is to grow the plant-based protein business by accelerating market expansion and extending solutions. He added: “In the future, we will continue to grow our range into more products to satisfy different market needs for meat and fish alternatives”.