Ben van Beurden ended his tenure as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Shell and was replaced by Wael Sawan on January 1st, 2023. Van Beurden will continue working as adviser to the Board until June 30, 2023, after which he will leave the group.
Topsoe has made a number of changes to its board. Kim Saaby Hedegaard has been appointed as the company’s new Executive Vice President, Power-to-X. Hedegaard has served as interim Head of Power-to-X since May 2022. Before that, he held the position as Chief Operations Officer (COO). He joined Topsoe in 1999 and has since held various leadership positions within engineering, technology, and sales. Since 2017, he was responsible for Catalyst Production and Technology globally. He holds a MSc in chemical engineering from the Technical University of Denmark. He is replaced as COO by Andreas Bruun Jørgensen.
H.J. Baker’s chief operating officer (COO) Luis Masroua has become president of the company.
Clariant has announced a reorganisation into three global business units instead of the previous five, with the business unit presidents to be located in the regions with the largest customer base and highest growth potential for the respective businesses. It will also create a new executive steering committee that will include the CEO, the CFO and the presidents of the new business units. The company says that the new structure aims to reduce hierarchical layers, foster greater accountability, speed up decision-making processes and enhance customer proximity, while strengthening diversity.
Itafos has announced the appointment of Stephen Shapiro and Isaiah Toback to its board of directors, effective from April 14, 2022. Toback replaces Rory O’Neill as a nominee by its principal shareholder, CL Fertilizers Holding LLC, pursuant to an investor rights agreement between the Company and CLF.
Haldor Topsoe has appointed Elena Scaltritti as the company’s new chief commercial officer. She will take up her new position no later than July 1st, 2022. She has previously been executive vice president at Korea’s SONGWON Industrial Group, where she was responsible for the group’s commercial activities.
Nutrien Ltd has announced that Mayo Schmidt has left his position as president and CEO of Nutrien and has resigned from the Board. Ken Seitz , Executive Vice President and CEO of Potash, has been named the company’s interim CEO. Seitz brings extensive global leadership experience in the agriculture and mining sectors and is well-positioned to progress the company’s stated strategy and lead the integrated business during the transition.
Anglo American plc has announced a number of senior leadership changes. Seamus French has decided to leave Anglo American at the end of 2021 after 14 years with the company and will be replaced as CEO of Bulk Commodities by Themba Mkhwanazi , currently CEO of Kumba Iron Ore. Mpumi Zikalala , currently managing director of De Beers Managed Operations, has been appointed as CEO of Kumba. Both appointments will take effect on 1st January 2022. Mpumi’s successor at De Beers Managed Operations will be confirmed in due course.
The Sulphur Institute (TSI) has announced that Connor Dyck of Koch Sulfur has assumed the responsibility of chairman of the TSI board. Dyck said, “It is an honour to be named TSI’s Chair. I look forward to working with the Institute and its members to advocate on behalf of the sulphur and sulphuric acid industries.”
The International Fertilizer Association (IFA) says that Svein Tore Holsether has been elected as its new chair of the Association. IFA said in its press release that the selection of Holsether, the president and CEO of Yara International, is a continuation of the industry’s commitment to sustainability.