Dr. Chris Nelson
President & CEO, Kemin Industries
Dr. Chris Nelson is the President and CEO of Kemin Industries, a global ingredient manufacturer focused on improving the quality of life for more than 3.8 billion people every day with over 500 specialty ingredients made for the human and animal health, aquaculture, pet food, nutraceutical, food technology, crop technologies, and textile industries.
Dr. Nelson began his career at Kemin as Director of R&D. He helped pioneer the process of using the lutein molecule for human consumption in supplements and fortified foods. Lutein plays a central role in human eye health, specifically in reducing risk of age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of adult blindness. Today, more than 60 million people consume lutein daily.
Under his leadership, Kemin has grown 10 times in size and continues to use applied science to serve customers in more than 120 countries. Established in 1961, Kemin is a privately held, family-owned-and-operated company with more than 2,800 global employees.