Bjørn Hansen is the new head of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA, Helsinki / Finland; www.echa.europa.eu). He succeeds Geert Dancet, who will retire in early 2018. The term of office of the executive director is five years and it may be prolonged by the management board once for five more years.

Hansen is currently head of the Chemicals Unit of DG Environment at the European Commission. From 2007 to 2008, he was also the operative director of ECHA and played a significant role in the development of REACH, the EU's chemicals regulation. Before joining DG Environment, Hansen was an area coordinator in Ispra / Italy for the existing substances team at the European Chemicals Bureau, which no longer exists.