Can plant-based meat win over the mainstream? Rutger Rozendaal is determined to prove it can. As CEO of The Vegetarian Butcher, he leads the company’s bold mission to remove animals from the food chain by making plant-based meat irresistibly tasty and globally accessible. Since joining in 2019 as Chief Commercial Officer, Rutger has helped accelerate the brand’s international growth and impact. In 2025, The Vegetarian Butcher joined forces with Vivera to form The Vegetarian Butcher Collective—creating Europe’s largest plant-based powerhouse.

Rutger brings a rare combination of strategy, science, and food industry experience to the protein transition. He began his career at Boston Consulting Group, building a foundation in strategy and transformation before moving to Unilever Ice Cream, where he led digital growth and on-demand innovation across international markets. With a background in applied physics from TU Delft and Harvard University, Rutger combines analytical rigor with a clear mission: scale delicious plant-based alternatives and help reshape the future of food.