BaseClear is pleased to announce Dr. Derek Butler as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective 1 January 2022. Dr. Butler will succeed Bas Reichert, who co-founded the company in 1993 with Erna Barel and has lead the company for the past 28 years.
Dr. Butler has served BaseClear for the last 15 years in a number of leadership positions and is currently the company’s Chief Commercial Officer. He is a microbiologist and a graduate of University College Cork and TIAS Business School. His appointment as CEO is a significant step in BaseClear’s growth strategy, which focuses on delivering excellence in microbial genomics solutions.
Dr. Butler has more than 20 years of biotech experience and has held a number of commercial and scientific roles within BaseClear. He is also the cofounder of Leiden-based MyMicroZoo, a company that offers direct-to-consumer microbiome testing. Reichert comments: “Derek has shown confident leadership over the last years and is extremely capable. He has the right background to transition the company into the next phase of BaseClear’s growth. He is a scientist by training with extensive commercial experience, which gives Derek significant insights into the needs of our customers and the market that we operate in.” Reichert will take up a non-executive role as the Chairman of BaseClear’s Board of Directors. “With Derek taking over the executive leadership position, I will continue to support the management team in implementing the current strategic plan.”
Dr. Butler remarks “I am thankful to Bas, Erna and the management team for this opportunity and their trust. They have founded and built a dynamic, vibrant and innovative company with a very talented team. I’m honoured and excited to take on this new role and to lead the company as we take the next steps to realise our growth ambition. Together, we want to make a significant contribution to the biotechnology industry.”
Derek Butler looks forward to discussing microbial genomics opportunities.