oniqa announces a change in leadership

EINDHOVEN, The Netherlands, July 8, 2024: Ioniqa, a privately owned company at the leading edge of plastic upcycling, announced that after 15 years, Ioniqa’s founder Tonnis Hooghoudt is handing over his CEO role to Michiel Hoogendijk as of today.

Hooghoudt will remain shareholder of the company and stay actively involved as an advisor to the Management Team of Ioniqa.

Since Hooghoudt founded Ioniqa in 2009, he has fostered the development of Ioniqa’s catalytic upcycling technology – Denua™️. Hooghoudt has steered the evolution of Ioniqa’s technology from lab scale to building of the company’s industrial demo plant in the Netherlands. Under his leadership Ioniqa has partnered with value chain companies such as Coca-Cola, Indorama Ventures and Unilever. Most recently, Ioniqa entered into a strategic partnership with Koch Technology Solutions to license Ioniqa’s technology to the market, branded as Denua™️. 

‘The past 15 years have been amazing in both the challenges that the team has faced and in the way they resolved them. As a result, Ioniqa is now leading the pack globally to resolve one of the biggest challenges we face on the planet: plastic waste. Ioniqa is a unique company, making plastics sustainable with its circular technology. I congratulate Michiel Hoogendijk with his CEO appointment and remain confident Ioniqa will be successful in coming years’ – Tonnis Hooghoudt, Ioniqa’s founder.

Succeeding Hooghoudt as Ioniqa’s CEO is Michiel Hoogendijk.  With a background in business development and transformation, Hoogendijk will drive further growth of Ioniqa and the commercialisation of Denua™️. Hoogendijk is a business leader with a track record of delivering results and responsible for driving growth in chemical companies such as AkzoNobel and Avery Dennison. In order to ensure a smooth transition Hooghoudt will remain in an advisory role providing support to his successor. 

‘I am impressed with Ioniqa’s technology, people and partnerships and look forward to help the company commercialise Denua ™, its leading solution for one of todays most pronounced environmental challenges, plastic waste.’ – Michiel Hoogendijk, Ioniqa’s CEO.

As a further part of Ioniqa’s growth and professionalisation, the company is pleased to announce that it has established a Board of Directors. 

‘With the appointment of Michiel Hoogendijk as the new CEO of Ioniqa, and with a Supervisory Board now in place, the company is well positioned to commercialise our leading Denua ™ technology.’ – Lou Lievense, Member of Ioniqa’s Board of Directors

Commercialisation of the Denua ™ technology is a joint effort between Ioniqa and our partner Koch Technology Solutions, the world’s leading PET technology company. 

‘Over the last 2 years we initiated and then maintained a great partnership with Tonnis Hooghoudt and his team on this disruptive technology that will transform plastic recycling. Together we have successfully overcome numerous challenges, now as we focus on commercialisation, I look forward to continuing this close collaboration with the guidance and leadership of Michiel Hoogendijk..’ – Adam Sackett, CEO of Koch Technology Solutions. 

 Company Description

Ioniqa is a clean-tech spinoff from the Eindhoven University of Technology (The Netherlands), specialised in creating value out of waste by using its proprietary circular technology. With a cost-effective process, Ioniqa is able to close the loop for plastics, starting with PET plastics. This award-winning innovation transforms all types and colours of PET waste into valuable sources for ‘virgin-quality’ recycled PET. Upcycling processes for other types of plastic are being researched and expected to be launched in the near future. More information Ioniqa.com

Denua™️

Denua™️ is the catalytic upcycling process that delivers truly circular PET plastic. Created by Ioniqa and implemented at scale in partnership with Koch Technology Solutions, this new method makes recycling an option for PET plastic currently destined for landfill. For more information go to: www.denuatech.com