Pim Lindhout was appointed Knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion on Wednesday 29 September. During his retirement due to his retirement as head of R&D at Solynta, he was surprised with this Royal Award.
WAGENINGEN, September 29 - Pim Lindhout was appointed Knight of the Order of the Lion of the Netherlands on Wednesday 29 September. He was surprised with this royal decoration during his retirement as head of R&D at Solynta. Lindhout was associate professor of plant breeding at Wageningen University before he switched to the business world in 2006. After working for four years at De Ruiter Seeds and Monsanto, he co-founded the Wageningen company Solynta in 2010.
Pioneering work
Mayor Floor Vermeulen called it a great honour to be able to address the resident of his city. He praised Lindhout's efforts in the field of potato breeding. Pim Lindhout and his team have developed new potato varieties based on potato seed rather than seed potatoes. "By building on many years of distinguished scientific work by Wageningen University and Research, and through your company Solynta's continued intensive collaboration with the WUR, your work will go down in history as one of the greatest transitions in plant breeding. A model of private public cooperation. With this Royal Decoration we also appreciate your personal pioneering work. Your dedication and special merits are of value to society," said Mayor Vermeulen.
Business Award, Food Valley Award and National Icon
"Close colleagues and peers describe Lindhout as a man of vision and leadership", according to Vermeulen. "Yet there was regular skepticism or even jeers from reputable colleagues in the field. But this is increasingly giving way to admiration". Solynta won the entrepreneurial award of the city of Wageningen and the Food Valley Award in 2012. In 2014 Solynta was named a National lcoon, a highly prestigious award for innovation, groundbreaking research and development within the Dutch economy.
