Simon Nynens, the chief commercial officer of New Jersey Institute of Technology as well as the CEO of the New Jersey Innovation Institute, is leaving the school, it was announced Friday.
Friday will be his last day.
Nynens, who joined NJIT/NJII in 2018, has been a key factor in the growth of NJII, which is a corporate entity of the school. Nynens completed a reorganization of NJII and led it to the achievement of several important milestones.
Most recently, NJII completed the $73 million sale of its subsidiary, Biocentriq, and announced partnerships with McKinsey to launch the Digital Capabilities Center and with Merck to create the Digital Startup Studio program.
Nynens, a frequent member of various ROI Influencers lists, told school personnel in a campuswide email from NJIT President Teik Lim that the time is right to find a new challenge.
“Throughout my career, I have been someone who is energized by the idea and the challenge of building something up, creating a foundation upon which future growth can be supported and sustained,” he wrote.
“I am very proud of what we have accomplished, because we did this as a team. I have been very fortunate to be surrounded by great colleagues, and I believe that NJII and NJIT both are poised for continued growth. That makes this the right time for me to step away from my role as I pursue the completion of my doctoral studies and other interests.
“I have appreciated the opportunity to become part of the NJIT/NJII community, and to work on projects that have such meaningful impact on our economy and create opportunities for entrepreneurs and for NJIT students, faculty, and alumni.”
Lim said the school will begin the process of identifying a new leader for NJII. Until a replacement is found, Lim will assume leadership of NJII in collaboration with its board of directors.
