Mr Horbach, 45, joins the company from Indian-based wind energy business Suzlon Energy, where he had served as chief executive since January 2007.
He also holds a Masters degree in Chemical Engineering, which he was awarded by the Technical University in Eindhoven, in his native Netherlands.
Mr Horbach's appointment, which is effective immediately, was welcomed by Bill Woodburn, who had filled the post on an interim basis since shortly after the £1.2 billion takeover of Biffa by private equity group Wasteacquisitionco was completed in April 2008 (see letsrecycle.com story).
Mr Woodburn said: “One of my most important responsibilities at Biffa has been to search for the right executive to lead the business forward. Once I became more familiar with Biffa's strengths and opportunities, there was no question that Andre Horbach was the right choice to head Biffa.
“His command of operations, strategic planning and commercial growth initiatives makes him the ideal candidate to advance Biffa's on-going missions of growth, higher operating efficiency and service quality.
“Andre is an accomplished engineer and a proven manager with a distinguished record of not just successfully operating complex businesses but leading them to a whole new level of performance,” he added.
The decision to appoint Mr Horbach as chief executive, with his recent background in renewable energy technology, is seen as further proof that Biffa is looking to develop the technological side of its operations, an area it has traditionally eschewed in favour of a focus on landfill, recycling and collection services.
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