Dubai Biotechnology and Research Park (DuBiotech), the major life sciences hub in the Middle East and a member of TECOM Investments, today announced it is set to host the regional office of Firmenich SA, the international developer of perfumes and flavours.
As the world’s largest privately-owned fragrance and flavour developer, the Swiss company will utilize its new facilities at the state-of-the-art four-storey Nucleotide Laboratory Complex at DuBiotech to create new fragrances and flavors that cater to clients in the region.
With an annual turnover of 2.641 billion Swiss Francs (USD $2.462 billion) at end-June 2009, and over 5,600 employees worldwide in over 50 countries, Firmenich has a client portfolio that includes some of the world’s most prestigious flavour and perfume brands.
Dr. Marco Baccanti, Executive Director, DuBiotech, said: “We are delighted to welcome a global leader such as Firmenich to our life sciences business park. The cluster now reaches the important critical mass of 65 companies from all over the world, active in all the fields of life sciences industry. The decision of Firmenich to base its regional operations at DuBiotech is another strong testament to our success.”
Patrick Firmenich, Chief Executive Officer of Firmenich, said: “We are extremely delighted to launch our regional offices at DuBiotech, and we feel confident this marks the beginning of a new and exciting chapter in Firmenich’s growth. As a company whose roots go back 115 years, the foundation of our success has been in understanding the unique needs of our varied customers worldwide and providing them with fragrances and flavours that satisfy their evolving tastes.”
The Nucleotide Laboratory Complex at DuBiotech is designed to house biotech, life sciences and pharmaceutical activities ranging from research and development, diagnostic, analytical and equipment training activities.
Major global companies that have recently set up at DuBiotech include MAQUET Middle East, a market innovator for operating room systems and intensive care units, and Mubadala Healthcare’s establishment of the National Reference Lab (NRL), an initiative in partnership with Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings (LabCorp), one of the world’s largest and most experienced clinical laboratory companies.
