Els Willems, R&D director Feed & Specialties

"True innovation translates into measurable and sustainable impact in the market."

How did you know Agrifirm?

I was finishing my Phd at KU Leuven university in Belgium and applying for different researcher positions when I was contacted by a headhunter. I was not very familiar with Agrifirm except the big yellow factory located next to the highway. The cooperative nature of the company appealed to me because every innovation must create value for both our members - who are also our customers - and for the company itself. 

  • What is your job at Agrifirm?

    For the past 12 years I have worked in the Research and Development and the Business Development department within Agrifirm, combining my 2 passions: innovation and impact in the market. Since 1 September 2025 I am R&D Director Feed and Specialties and ad interim Plant-Based Solutions, leading a team of experts to support our business units worldwide with innovations in feed, specialties and plant-based solutions. 

What energizes you in your work?

I love working in a team where people bring diverse skills, expertise, and perspectives. Being surrounded by colleagues who challenge me to think differently - energizes me. Collaborating, learning from each other, and combining our strengths to create innovations that truly make a difference is what motivates me most. I get energy from that sense of share purpose, continuous learning, and achieving results together. 

What are you proud of?

I am proud at how innovation has developed within Agrifirm. When I first joined the company, R&D was scattered into different business units and operated far away from the daily business, whereas today we are a centrally organized and linked closely to the market. We fuel the company's success by turning strategy into impactful innovations that enable our business units' to win in the market. 

What are you proud of?

On a lot of things. But if I have to mention 1 thing: how the R&D team works together and works towards the main goals. In the end, it's really about how the team is put together. They are really super motivated, they are very loyal to Agrifirm, they have clear goals that contribute to the projects. They have a good sense of what is going on in the business, they know who they need for what. Twice a year there is an R&D event and then a lot of energy flows. R&D team leads also meet regularly and you can see that this goes very well. It is a very international and diverse team with a good male/female ratio.
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