People

People

Charlotte Hebebrand, Director General of the International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA), will end her term with the organisation on May 1st. IFA’s Senior Director of the Agriculture Service, Patrick Heffer, will serve as interim Director General as of 1 May, until a new permanent Director General can be proposed by IFA’s Board of Directors and approved by the membership at the organisation’s General Meeting, with the aim of having a new person in place by July.

In a farewell letter to IFA’s membership, Charlotte said that it had been “a tremendous privilege” to work with IFA since joining the association in September 2012. “I will forever be grateful for the trust you placed in me, for your engagement to both build and implement IFA’s strategic objectives, and for all the support you have provided to IFA,” she said. “IFA is a dynamic and vibrant association for a crucially important industry in a fast changing world, and we have a terrific Secretariat and outstanding senior staff, which will ensure a smooth transition. I am very pleased that I will continue to be closely involved in IFA affairs, as I assume my next post as EVP at Nutrien, pending work authorization from immigration authorities, and will be delighted to remain in touch with all of you.”

The board of directors of Haldor Topsoe has announced the appointment of Roeland Baan as the company’s new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) as from June 1st, 2020. Baan takes over from Bjerne S. Clausen, who will retire in June after more than 40 years with the company, including more than eight years as CEO. Since 2016, Roeland Baan has been President and CEO of the global stainless steel company Outokumpu. Previously, he held a wide range of global CEO and executive vice president (EVP) positions at Aleris International, Arcelor Mittal, SHV NV and Shell. He is Vice Chairman of the International Stainless Steel Forum and member of the Executive Committee of Eurofer. He also serves as a supervisory board member of SBM Offshore NV and as an independent board member of Norsk Hydro ASA. Mr. Baan is a citizen of The Netherlands and holds a MSc in Economics from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

“I am delighted to announce Roeland Baan as new CEO of Haldor Topsoe A/S. He has remarkable global experience and a proven track record of driving growth, developing businesses and building cohesive organizations. I am convinced he will contribute to the continued strong performance of Haldor Topsoe. Topsoe is a profitable company with a solid core business. With Roeland’s direction, we will continue to focus on being global leader in the markets in which we operate,” said Jeppe Christiansen, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Haldor Topsoe A/S.

“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Bjerne S. Clausen for his contribution and dedicated work during his more than 40 years with the company. Bjerne is retiring after an impressive career. As a scientist and leader, he has been a defining figure in both Topsoe’s technological and commercial development. As CEO, Bjerne has played an instrumental role in making Haldor Topsoe the focused and profitable company it is today”.

Bjerne S. Clausen commented: “I have had an amazing journey here at Topsoe, worked on a vast variety of exciting projects, worked with some of the sharpest brains in the field of catalysis and chemistry, and met customers and partners around the globe. I cannot imagine a more rewarding career. I welcome Roeland Baan to the company. He has come to a great company with dedicated and passionate colleagues.”