Jan (Hendrik) Hunik-Innovation and Business creation
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Experience
Innovation and Business creation
Independent Consultant
CEO and Co-founder
ATRO Medical BV
- ATRO Medical’s core business is the design and holding the regulatory dossier for the meniscus prothesis and successful outsource manufacturing and clinical studies.
- Built the company from scratch, raised €6,3M Venture Capital, obtained a €5,0M innovation credit of the Dutch Government (Ministry of Economic Affairs) plus several grants totaling €3,6M (including the €2,5M EIC accelerator grant).
- ATRO Medical has become ISO 13485 certified and has obtained FDA Breakthrough designation in the US for its meniscus replacement device.
- Completed enrollment for a second clinical study in December 2022.
- Medtech Innovator Finalist in 2019 and recipient of the $50k Johnson & Johnson QuickFire Award in 2022.
- Left the company with an effective start-up team and professional organization to produce and clinically test the device, building relations with strategics, consultants and investment funds to scale the business.
Strategy Director
DSM Biomedical
- Provided leadership in preparing venture and M&A deals and led strategic planning for growth of the global product portfolio of a €140M business.
- Successfully led the preparation of acquisitions at Royal DSM (€10B annual turnover), setting a company-wide example for a five-day comprehensive due diligence and becoming integration lead for the business and R&D work stream of a US acquisition.
- Gained hands-on experience in valuation, M&A processes, US business environment and deal making, resulting in one large US-based acquisition (US$360M) and three venture investments.
- Supported and drove various business units in creating strategic marketing plans for a wide range of medical device products, covering cardiovascular, orthopedic devices, ophthalmic and general surgery.
- Left DSM with several patent licenses and an initial investment of €600k by DSM Venturing to build the ATRO Medical start-up.
Program Director
DSM Innovation
- Led the program for a new business area of personal nutrition.
- Built and executed a business plan for genetic profiling for weight management.
- Streamlined and focused the business and project portfolio.
- Initiated a close collaboration with a spin-out of Philips.
- Left due to regulatory uncertainty for genetic profiling and halted internal funding during the 2008 financial crisis; invited to return to DSM Biomedical as Strategy Director.
Business Manager
DSM Food Specialties
- Led new product development for the food ingredient market with budget and sales responsibility, integrating products emerging from R&D into the sales organization.
- Led the business team to successfully introduce a game-changing genetically engineered biotech product in the B2B market, managing sales, R&D, technical support, production, IP and regulatory approvals on a global scale.
- Directed the global (EU, Americas and Asia) launch within six months.
- Achieved worldwide sales success, especially in China, Eastern Europe and South America, fully realizing the business plan within five years with a high-margin product that continues growing (last update 2020).
- Moved to the Innovation business group as Program Director of a new initiative, Personalized Nutrition.
Sr. Project Manager
DSM Food Specialties
- Managed a project portfolio for development of new or improved production processes for the food ingredients business.
- Successfully developed an alternative process for producing vitamin B12.
- Developed a new class of products based on a protein-digesting enzyme.
- Transformed several basic and applied biotechnology molecules into commercial processes applied in cosmetics, crop-protection, beer and dairy industry.
- Promoted internally to Business Manager with the key task of transforming ideas into commercially viable products.
Program manager
Unilever Research Laboratory
- Managed a portfolio of biotechnology-driven product developments for Unilever food and cosmetics business groups.
- Conducted fundamental research supporting existing business in enzymes, yeast extracts and flavouring, and developed new products.
- One product for mal-odor treatment reached the cosmetic market after departure.
- Left when biotechnology was no longer a core business and associated business groups were divested early 1997.
Post-doc
Agricultural University Wageningen
- Engineered strategies for scale-up of biotech processes.
- Worked on an EU-funded one-year project building on the PhD thesis as a transition between university and Unilever.
Industry experience
See where this freelancer has spent most of their professional time.
Experienced in Biotechnology, Healthcare, Food and Beverage, Cosmetics, Professional Services, and Agriculture.
Business area experience
See which departments and functions this freelancer has contributed to most.
Experienced in Product Development, Research and Development, Strategy, Project Management, Investments and M&A, and Marketing.
Skills
- Strategic Thinker With Good Analytical Skills
- Strong Business Orientation
- Quickly Grasp New Businesses And The Underlying Driving Forces
- In Depth Knowledge Of Lifesciences And Medical Devices Markets
- Quickly Connect To People And Organizations
- Leading Multi-Disciplinary (And Multi-Cultural) Teams
- International Business Experience In Eu, Us, Jp And China
Languages
Education
Wageningen Agricultural University
PhD, Bioprocess Engineering · Bioprocess Engineering · Wageningen, Netherlands
Wageningen Agricultural University
MSc · Wageningen, Netherlands
Statistics
Experience
Global experience
Expertise
Qualifications
Profile
Frequently asked questions
Have questions? Find more information here.
Jan is based in The Hague, Netherlands.
Jan speaks the following languages: Dutch (Native), English (Advanced), German (Intermediate).
Jan has at least 34 years of experience. During this time, Jan has worked in at least 8 different roles and for 7 different companies. The average length of individual experience is 4 years and 2 months. Note that Jan may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.
Based on recent experience, Jan would be well-suited for roles such as: Innovation and Business creation, CEO and Co-founder, Strategy Director.
Jan's most recent position is Innovation and Business creation at Independent Consultant.
In recent years, Jan has worked for Independent Consultant and ATRO Medical BV.
Jan is most experienced in industries like Biotechnology, Healthcare, and Food and Beverage. Jan also has some experience in Cosmetics, Professional Services, and Agriculture.
Jan is most experienced in business areas like Product Development, Research and Development, and Strategy. Jan also has some experience in Project Management, Investments and M&A, and Marketing.
Jan has recently worked in industries like Healthcare and Professional Services.
Jan has recently worked in business areas like Product Development, Research and Development, and Strategy.
Jan holds a Doctorate in Bioprocess Engineering from Wageningen Agricultural University and a Master from Wageningen Agricultural University.
The availability of Jan needs to be confirmed.
Daily rate distribution
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Average rates for similar positions
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Calculated based on our freelancers’ daily rates as of 25 Aug 2026. Actual rates may vary depending on seniority level, experience, skill specialization, project complexity, and engagement length.
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