Algiecel bolsters leadership team to drive commercial scale-up of its microalgae platform

Danish microalgae ingredients company Algiecel has strengthened its senior leadership team with the appointment of Mette Ingeman Pedersen as chief financial officer and Tove Feld as chair of its board of directors, as it prepares to scale commercial production of its marine bioactives platform.

• Algiecel appointed Mette Ingeman Pedersen as chief financial officer and Tove Feld as chair of its board of directors ahead of its next phase of commercial growth.
• The appointments added finance, industrial scale-up and governance expertise as the Danish company prepared to commercialize its microalgae ingredients platform.
• Algiecel raised DKK60 million (approximately US$9.4 million) in 2024 to support the continued development and scale-up of its technology.

The appointments are intended to strengthen the company's financial, operational and governance capabilities as it moves toward commercializing microalgae-derived ingredients for the nutrition, pet food and personal care sectors.

Pedersen joins Algiecel after more than 20 years in senior finance, advisory and commercial roles across the Nordic region. Most recently, she served as CFO of Topsoe's Power-to-X business, where she helped establish the finance function and operating model for a rapidly expanding organization supporting the commercial deployment of green technologies and first-of-a-kind industrial infrastructure.

Her previous experience also includes senior finance leadership positions at Saxo Bank, Nordea and Danske Bank, spanning finance transformation, IPO readiness, valuation modeling and fundraising preparation. At Algiecel, she will lead the finance function as the company prepares for commercial expansion and future investment.

"Algiecel is entering a decisive stage, where strong financial discipline must support ambitious commercial execution," said Mette Ingeman Pedersen, CFO at Algiecel. "The company has developed a platform with the potential to make high-performing microalgae ingredients more reliable, scalable and commercially accessible. My focus will be on helping Algiecel build the structure, investor confidence and financial resilience needed for long-term growth."

Alongside the CFO appointment, Algiecel has named Tove Feld as chair of its board of directors. Feld brings 35 years of experience in energy, infrastructure, renewables and strategic transformation, together with more than 15 years of board experience across private and publicly listed companies.

An engineer by training, she has held senior leadership roles at Ørsted and its predecessor DONG Energy, including chief technology officer and head of engineering. She has also held senior leadership positions at Siemens Wind Power and DNV.

Algiecel said Feld's experience in scaling technology-based businesses, internationalization, investment, governance and risk management will support the company as it progresses from platform validation toward commercial production.

"Algiecel's opportunity is not only about producing microalgae; it is about building a reliable industrial platform for marine bioactives," said Tove Feld, chair of the board of directors at Algiecel. "The company combines biology, engineering and sustainability in a way that is highly relevant to the future of ingredient supply. I look forward to supporting the team as it moves towards commercial scale."

Chief executive Susanne Palsten Buchardt said the appointments reinforce the company's ability to execute its commercialization strategy. "Scaling Algiecel requires more than promising technology," she said. "It requires operational discipline, financial rigour, industrial experience and a leadership team capable of turning innovation into reliable commercial supply. Mette and Tove bring exactly that. Their appointments strengthen our ability to execute as we build Algiecel into a trusted supplier of effective microalgae ingredients delivered at scale."

The appointments also expand the company's female representation across executive and board-level leadership. Alongside Buchardt as CEO and Pedersen as CFO, the leadership team includes Head of Legal & HR Rikke Dybvad, board member Merete Lundbye Møller and Feld as board chair.

Algiecel develops ingredients using Nannochloropsis oceanica microalgae cultivated in compact, modular bioreactors powered by artificial light, water and captured carbon dioxide. The company said the approach is designed to deliver predictable supply, consistent product quality and flexible scaling while reducing customers' exposure to volatility in marine-derived ingredient supply chains.

The company raised DKK60 million (approximately US$9.4 million) in 2024 to support the continued development and scale-up of its technology.

(Main photo shows from left to right, Mette Ingeman Pedersen (Algiecel CFO), Susanne Palsten Buchardt (Algiecel CEO) and Tove Feld (Algiecel Chair BOD))