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People

Alexander Prygunkov became Uralchem’s new CEO on the 4th December. Mr Prygunkov, who was formerly PIK Group’s chief operating officer, will focus on the digital transformation of the company. He is also expected to strengthen Uralchem’s position in the chemicals and agricultural industries, and introduce a more modern approach to business management.

Alexander has occupied a number of high-level operational and financial management positions. During a successful career at PIK, he notably implemented a digital strategy and helped create Russia’s largest residential real estate management company. Mr Prygunkov holds an honours degree in finance from Volgograd State University.

Vitaly Lauk was appointed as Uralkali’s new CEO on 4th December. Vitaliy was previously Uralkali’s technical director. He succeeds Dmitry Osipov who has stood down to focus on other projects at the company.

Dmitry Mazepin, the chairman of Ural-chem and deputy chairman of Uralkali, thanked outgoing CEO Dmitry Osipov: “We are grateful for the significant contribution he has made to Uralkali’s development. Under his leadership the company has retained its leading position in the global potash market.”

“I would like to express my gratitude to the shareholders, the board of directors, the management team and employees of Uralkali for their help and support,” replied Dmitry Osipov: “My work at Uralkali has enabled me to gain invaluable managerial experience, new skills and expertise, which has been possible largely due to the company’s effective positioning in key potash markets.”

Incoming CEO Vitaly Lauk said: “I recognise that my appointment reflects a deep level of trust on the part of both our shareholders and the board of directors. Supported by the longstanding expertise and professionalism of the management team and employees, the company will continue its strategic development aimed at maintaining its leading position in the sector.”

Mr Lauk holds a degree in underground mining from Perm State Technical University and an MBA from the St Petersburg International Institute of Management. He joined Uralkali in 1990 as a mine worker before being appointed deputy technical director in 2016. Vitaly has been the company’s technical director and a member of Uralkali’s management board since 2017.

Itafos appointed G David Delaney as CEO at the end of November. Mr Delaney has been an independent company director at Itafos since February 2017. He succeeds Dr Mhamed Ibnabdeljalil who had served as CEO since May 2019.

Mr Delaney is a senior business executive with over 30 years’ experience in fertilizer and agricultural industry leadership roles. He was previously the chief commercial officer of the Farmer’s Business Network, an independent group that links together thousands of North American farmers. Prior to that, Mr Delaney was a strategic advisor to Paine Schwartz Partners, a private equity firm with interests in the food and agricultural sectors. Before that, he was chief operating officer and executive vice president at Potash Corp.

“The board is extremely pleased to have David as CEO. David is highly respected within our industry and has been an independent director of the company for several years,” said Anthony Cina, the chairman of Itafos. “His in-depth knowledge of both the industry and company, combined with his collaborative leadership style and adaptability, will serve both him and the company well.”

BASF CEO Dr Martin Brudermüller was elected as the new president of Cefic in October 2020. He succeeds Daniel Ferrari, the CEO of Versalis, who was president for the previous two years.

Marco Mensink, Cefic’s director general, welcomed Dr Brudermüller’s election: “With more than 30 years’ experience in various roles in the chemical industry, he will be able to lead us to deliver on the Green Deal objectives. Additionally, his strong belief in cooperation with stakeholders will help Cefic to continue to act as a dialogue partner with the European institutions and societal actors.”

Dr Brudermüller set out his ambitions for Cefic: “The EU chemical industry has the capability, know-how and is developing the innovative technologies to deliver on the challenges we are facing today and in the future. The Green Deal is designed as a turning point for Europe and the chemical industry stands ready to support its objectives. The pandemic is one of many instances where we have shown that our sector is resilient and reliable.”