People

People

Charlotte Hebebrand, director general of the International Fertilizer Association (IFA), is to step down at the beginning of May, after more than seven years in the role.

In her farewell letter to IFA members, 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,” Ms Hebebrand 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.”

Although Charlotte is leaving IFA she will not be leaving the fertilizer industry. She was therefore looking forward to keeping in contact with colleagues: “I am very pleased that I will continue to be closely involved in IFA affairs, as I assume my next post as executive vice president at Nutrien …and will be delighted to remain in touch with all of you.”

Patrick Heffer, the senior director of IFA’s agriculture service, will act as interim director general for several months until a permanent replacement for Ms Hebebrand is found. IFA is aiming to appoint a new director general by July. The candidate will need to be proposed by IFA’s board of directors and then approved by the membership at its general meeting.

The Mosaic Company is merging its potash and phosphates operations into one single management team from the start of April. The new combined business will be led from Tampa, Florida, by Bruce Bodine, currently senior vice president, phosphates. Bodine has extensive leadership experience in both the potash and phosphates segments of Mosaic’s business. Karen Swager, currently senior vice president, potash, will take on a new role for Mosaic. She will now lead on North America supply chain, procurement, and corporate environmental, health and safety. Ms Swager will also be based in Tampa, Florida.

Anthony Cina has become the new chairman of Itafos. Anthony was formally appointed to the role by the company’s board of directors in February, having served as interim chairman since last November. He has been on the board of Itafos since April 2015 and also chairs the company’s audit committee. Mr Cina has extensive executive-level mining industry experience, having served in various accounting, finance and tax roles during his 30-year career. Anthony was previously a senior vice president at Yamana Gold Inc. He was also the chief financial officer of Itafos immediately prior to this. Mr Cina is a chartered accountant and chartered professional accountant. He holds a commerce degree from the University of Toronto.

Linda Dempsey has joined CF Industries as vice president, public affairs. She succeeds Rosemary O’Brien, who is retiring after 41 years with CF. Ms Dempsey will take on responsibility for all aspects of global public affairs for the company. She will report directly to Tony Will, CF’s president and CEO.

“Linda’s proven leadership across trade, investment, regulatory, tax, and other public policy issues will serve CF well in the years ahead,” said Will. “We look forward to her strategic counsel and insight as we actively participate in the legislative and regulatory process, drive engagement with our many stakeholders and communicate the broad and positive impact our company has on the world.”

Prior to joining CF, Ms Dempsey was vice president, international economic affairs, for the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). In a varied career, Ms Dempsey has also served on Capitol Hill as a senior trade advisor, enjoyed a stint as a lawyer in private practice, and worked on overseas development in the agricultural sector.

Ian Harebottle resigned as the CEO of South African-based phosphate project developer Kropz Plc at the end of February. The board has appointed Mark Summers, currently the company’s chief financial officer, as its interim CEO.

Kropz chairman Lord Robin Renwick said: “I and the Board have been extremely grateful for the contribution Ian has made as CEO of Kropz Plc. He kindly undertook not to leave until the company had made progress towards a solution for Elandsfontein.”

Harebottle commented: “It has been a privilege to lead Kropz since its IPO, during what has been a challenging period for our industry and the company. Importantly at Elandsfontein we now have a clear pathway to production, supported by a comprehensive funding solution that is at an advanced stage of negotiation. Significant progress has also been achieved at Hinda and for these reasons I believe it is the right time for me to hand over the reins and pursue other challenges.”