Materials

AMSilk, World’s First Industrial Supplier of Vegan Silk, Appoints Klaus Kjeldal to Upscale Operations

AMSilk, a leader in the production of innovative high-performance bio-based silk materials, based in Munich Germany, announces the appointment of Klaus Kjeldal as Chief Production Officer (CPO) and Managing Director (MD).

“Klaus’ knowledge and experience of global manufacturing will be invaluable as we scale-up AMSilk’s protein production in 2022.”

Klaus was most recently Head of Operations Enzymes at BASF and has previously worked for Uniobio, Novozymes and Orkla Foods. Klaus brings his experience in global operations and an understanding of product development, purchasing, engineering, process improvements, internal logistics and contract manufacturing.

Leading the bio silk industry across multiple applications

AMSilk’s operations include cover silk fibres – high-performance textile solutions which are recyclable and 100% biodegradable, and Medtech – safe and biocompatible biotech materials. In May 2021 the company raised €29M in Series C funding led by Novo Growth, the growth equity arm of Novo Holdings with participation from new investors Cargill and E.R. Capital Holdings.

In January of this year, AMSilk announced a partnership with Mercedes-Benz for the development of novel, sustainable car door pulls, as part of the car manufacturer’s latest technology program. The company is also known for its collaboration with Adidas for its synthetic, biodegradable spider silk shoes.

Mercedes-Benz VISION EQXX
©Mercedes-Benz

Dr. Wolfgang Colberg Chairman of the Advisory Board, AMSilk, said: “The Board and I are very pleased to welcome Klaus to the AMSilk Management Team. AMSilk is entering a new phase of growth and the appointment of Klaus is a testament to AMSilk’s growth strategy, as we continue to drive the industrial upscaling of the Company.”

Ulrich Scherbel, Chief Executive Officer, AMSilk, commented: “To have Klaus join the team is validation of our role as one of the world’s leading suppliers of innovative high-performance biotech materials. Klaus’ knowledge and experience of global manufacturing will be invaluable as we scale-up AMSilk’s protein production in 2022.”

Klaus Kjeldal added: “I am excited to be joining AMSilk and help progress the Company through the production and operations growth phase.  AMSilk is a truly innovative company looking to make real change and I share its passion for making high-performance biotech materials that are accessible to everyone.”

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