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ICL has announced that Raviv Zoller, the company’s president and CEO for the past seven years, is expected to leave the company in early 2025, following both the appointment of a replacement and a formal transition.

In a letter to the company’s employees, Zoller wrote, “I feel great pride, mixed with sorrow, as I announce my expected retirement from the position as president and CEO of ICL. Over the past seven years at this amazing organization, I have come to know our employees who give their heart and soul to the company. Together, we have turned ICL into an outstanding employer, a company that strives for innovation, and a place where everyone can influence success. We have nurtured our internal and global partnerships, as we have dealt with significant external challenges. Regardless, we have focused on continuous learning and improvement and can be proud of the strength of the company, which functions as a well-oiled machine – innovative, very profitable, robust, and focused, which generates consistently strong cash flow.

“Since taking office, I have been involved in all strategic and long-term planning, including succession planning for my role, and I will be parting ways with an even stronger company than the one I joined seven years ago. I am leaving the board of directors with a talented and strong management team, a solid organizational structure, and a promising five-year plan. I expect the selection and transition processes will be quick and will be completed by the release of our annual financial statements.”

“During Raviv’s tenure, ICL has enjoyed unprecedented success across its key operations. The company’s exceptional management team and employees – who have been the foundation of ICL’s success for decades – have led significant disruption in the company’s approach to innovation and sustainability. Under Raviv’s leadership, the company has successfully executed against its strategy and significantly increased the profitability of its products,” said ICL Chairman, Yoav Doppelt.

Eero Mäkinen (1886-1953), a pioneer of the Finnish mining industry and one of the key inventors of Flash Smelting, has been inducted into the National Mining Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony took place in Denver, Colorado on November 2, 2024. Mäkinen played an important role in the development of the modern mining industry in Finland. During his career, he made significant contributions to mining education, research and technology. Mäkinen led Outokumpu as the CEO for three decades, bringing the company to global recognition, and established institutions for mining and metallurgical engineers. Notably, Mäkinen contributed to the invention of flash smelting, an energy-efficient process for extracting metals like copper and nickel from concentrate. The groundbreaking technology was first implemented at Outokumpu in Harjavalta, Finland, and has since received the status of Best Available Technique by the EU; it has also been awarded ASM Historical Landmark status.

“Flash Smelting is one of the cleanest smelting technologies available, and Eero’s legacy continues to shape the mining industry. As we speak, the same technology, but on a much larger scale, is being commissioned in Indonesia at the world’s largest single-line copper smelter,” said Jyrki Makkonen, Vice President, Smelting at Metso. “Metso and Outokumpu share a long history together, and we are pleased and honored that Eero and Flash Smelting will be featured in the National Mining Hall of Fame.”

“We are extremely proud that our Eero Mäkinen has been so recognized for his contribution by the National Mining Hall of Fame. The same spirit of innovation is still evident at Outokumpu, as it was when Flash Smelting was first invented – not only was it totally new but an energy-efficient process to tackle the energy challenges in post-war Finland. Even though this technology is not part of our operations anymore, both innovation and energy efficiency continue to be embedded in our operations at Outokumpu today,” says Jukka Sieppi, Vice President, Core Stainless Technology at Outokumpu. “Flash Smelting was the start of our technology division, which is today part of Metso, and we are proud of the shared history and continued cooperation.”