On the Move – Neste, Agribusiness Association of Iowa, USGC, DMC, ExxonMobil, and more

April showers bring May flowers and apparently lots of changes with personnel moves in the bioeconomy. From Neste’s new President & CEO, a new CEO for Agribusiness Association of Iowa as well as Azelio, U.S. Grains Council new VP and COO of Ethanol Export Development, ExxonMobil’s new President of Low Carbon Solutions, and more, it’s an exciting time to work in the bioeconomy.

If you have an “On the Move” for us to cover, please contact Helena Kennedy at [email protected].

Matti Lehmus appointed as President and CEO of Neste as of 1 May 2022

Neste Corporation’s Board of Directors appointed Matti Lehmus as President and CEO as of 1 May 2022. He succeeds Peter Vanacker, who will hold the position until 30 April 2022.

Matti Lehmus holds a M. Sc. in chemical engineering and an eMBA. He joined Neste in 1998, and has held several key leadership positions during his career in both the oil products business and renewables. He has been a member of the Neste Executive Committee since 2009, and currently serves as Executive Vice President, Renewables Platform.

“The Board of Directors commenced an international recruitment process immediately after Peter Vanacker’s resignation in December last year. The Board has carefully evaluated several candidates for their suitability to lead Neste’s next steps in delivering profitable growth. I am pleased to note that we found an excellent internal successor who is very well equipped to take over the role,” says Matti Kähkönen, the Chair of Neste’s Board of Directors.

Also in Neste news, convening after the Annual General Meeting in late March, Neste’s Board of Directors elected the members of its two Committees. Matti Kähkönen was elected as Chair and John Abbott, Martina Flöel and Johanna Söderström as members of the Personnel and Remuneration Committee. Marco Wirén was elected as Chair and Nick Elmslie, Just Jansz, Jari Rosendal and Eeva Sipilä as members of the Audit Committee.

Northey named CEO of Agribusiness Association of Iowa

The Agribusiness Association of Iowa (AAI) announced that Bill Northey, former Secretary of Agriculture for Iowa, has been named as its new CEO. Northey will be succeeding Joel Brinkmeyer, who will be retiring on May 1, 2022.

Northey is well known in ag circles in Iowa. An Iowa State University grad, Northey grew up on a family farm in Dickinson County that is still in the family today. Northey’s public service began as a District Commissioner for the Dickinson County Soil and Water Conservation District. His involvement with the Iowa Corn Growers Association and the National Corn Growers Association culminated in his role as President of NCGA in 1995-1996. Northey was elected three times as Secretary of Agriculture for Iowa in 2006, 2010, and 2014. Most recently, Northey served as Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, his term ending in January of 2021.

Atkins, USGC Vice President And COO, To Leave Council

The U.S. Grains Council (USGC) announced that Kimberly Atkins, vice president and chief operating officer since 2015, will be leaving the Council on April 13. She will remain in the agricultural space, serving as vice president, public affairs and policy at Laura Wood Peterson Consulting, a consulting firm focused on sustainability issues and agricultural policy.

Atkins leaves the organization with a long list of achievements, one of the most memorable including discussing renewable fuels possibilities with the Vice President of Ecuador in 2019 and again in 2020.

“We are very sad to see Kim leave the organization and are eternally grateful for the 16 years she has dedicated to working on behalf of the U.S. producer and agribusiness sector,” said Ryan LeGrand, USGC president and CEO.

The Council will open the search for Atkins’ replacement both internally and externally immediately.

Boubin Named Council’s Director Of Global Ethanol Export Development As Healy Transitions Out

As Brian Healy, U.S. Grains Council (USGC) director of global ethanol market development, prepares to transition from his position at the Council, the organization is happy to announce that Mackenzie Boubin will be joining the staff on May 2 as the director of global ethanol export development.

“Mackenzie has a thorough understanding of ethanol facilities and farming operations,” said Ryan LeGrand, USGC president and CEO. “Her enthusiasm for building markets and her strong desire to work for the Council will serve her and us well in her new role. We look forward to having Mackenzie join the Council team in May.”

Boubin has many years of experience building an extensive network of agricultural and environmental industry-related contacts, and currently serves as the biofuels and industry relations director at the Minnesota Corn Growers Association. In that capacity, Boubin has been in close contact with USGC stakeholders, and her duties there have had direct ties to the work of the Council.

Prior to her time at Minnesota Corn, Boubin worked as a refined fuels sales account representative at CHS and the Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association. She also served as a captain in the U.S. Army Reserve.

ExxonMobil appoints Dan Ammann president of Low Carbon Solutions

ExxonMobil said Dan Ammann, former General Motors president and CEO of Cruise autonomous vehicle company, has been appointed president of ExxonMobil Low Carbon Solutions, effective May 1. Ammann replaces Joe Blommaert, who has elected to retire after 35 years of service.

Ammann was named CEO of Cruise, which is majority-owned by GM, in 2018, and was appointed president of GM in 2014. He was previously GM’s chief financial officer and joined GM as treasurer in 2010. He helped lead GM’s initial public offering following the company’s 2009 restructuring.

ExxonMobil created the Low Carbon Solutions business to commercialize the company’s extensive low-emission portfolio with the objective to create long-term shareholder value and support global emission-reduction efforts. Low Carbon Solutions is focused on commercializing low-emission business opportunities in carbon capture and storage, hydrogen and low-emission fuels, by leveraging the skills, knowledge and scale of ExxonMobil.

DMC Appoints Kelly Smith as VP R&D

Kelly Smith, Ph.D. has joined DMC Biotechnologies as VP R&D. Previously, she was Head of Bioprocessing and Formulation Development at Joyn Bio. Kelly has more than 20 years of experience building and leading research and development teams and has a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering Science from the California Institute of Technology.

Kelly has a broad diversity of experience in both start-up and large companies, including multiple product launches from concept to commercial. She has diverse technical experience across a range of roles and functions, and experience in a variety of product and application areas.

Matt Lipscomb, Ph.D., CEO & Co-Founder of DMC said, “Kelly has exceptional leadership qualities with a track record of building engaged, high-trust and high-results teams. As we expand our operations at DMC, we are excited to welcome Kelly to the team.”

Personnel Changes at BASF

The Board of Executive Directors of BASF has decided on the following personnel change:

Livio Tedeschi (50), Senior Vice President, Agricultural Solutions Europe, will take over as President of BASF’s Agricultural Solutions division, based in Limburgerhof, Germany, on April 1, 2022. The current head of the division, Vincent Gros (59), is leaving the company at his own request.

Jonas Wallmander appointed as new CEO of Azelio

The Board of Directors of Azelio AB appointed Jonas Wallmander as its new Chief Executive Officer. Jonas Wallmander joined Azelio in 2011 and has been Executive Vice President and part of the Executive Team since 2017. He assumes his new position with immediate effect, replacing Jonas Eklind.

Jonas Wallmander has worked in the energy sector since 2005 where he has gained extensive know-how in the field of renewable energy. He was initially recruited to Azelio in 2011 as Chief Operating Officer (then known as Cleanergy), and over the years he has been responsible for large projects and production build-up as well as taking part in project funding, among other things. In his role as Executive Vice President in the Executive Team, Jonas has been responsible for operational and product-related work as well as strategic business development. Jonas holds a Master of Science in Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Linköping University of Technology.