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Nelson Silva was appointed to Nutrien’s board of directors in the second week of August. His appointment coincided with the retirement of David C Everitt from Nutrien’s board, where he has been a director since 2013.

“David has been a valuable member of the board of directors… and we want to express our sincere thanks for his many contributions to our success,” said Mayo Schmidt, Nutrien’s chairman. “The board of directors would also like to welcome Mr Silva. Nelson brings over 30 years of global business experience, and strong Brazilian experience, to the Nutrien board and we look forward to working with him to advance Nutrien’s vision and strategic plans.”

Mr Silva brings to Nutrien extensive experience in a variety of leadership roles at major international companies. Nelson’s past roles include stints as: chief strategy and performance officer at Petroleo Brasileiro; CEO for BG Group in South America; the president of BHP Billiton’s aluminium business unit; sales & marketing director at Vale; and being All Logistica’s CEO. Mr Silva currently holds non-executive directorships at Compass Group, Altera Infrastructure and Cosan Limited. He is also an advisor to Appian Capital Advisory and HSB Solomon Associates.

PhosAgro has reappointed Andrey Guryev as company CEO, a position he has held for the last seven years. His reappointment was unanimously confirmed at the end of July by a vote of the company’s board of directors during a meeting held in absentia. The board also gave approval for Guryev’s senior external positions. These include: the presidency of the Russian Association of Fertilizer Producers (RAFP); board membership of the International Fertilizer Association (IFA); membership of the Russian Federation’s UNESCO Commission; board membership of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs; and chairing both the Russia-Argentina and Russia-Brazil Business Councils.

Jari Ponsiluoma is Sandvik Materials Technology’s new product manager for its tube business in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). The role covers heat exchangers and fertilizer industry applications. Jari will be responsible for attracting new tube industry customers and product development, as well as promoting Sandvik’s growth and profitability in the EMEA region.

Jari previously worked for Sandvik for more than a decade, becoming the company’s global product manager for its automotive business unit in 2010. In 2018, he left Sandvik to work for Ovako Group for two years – as a product line manager in their powertrain division – before returning to Sandvik earlier in 2020 to take up a role within premium segments.

“It is a great opportunity to be working with Sandvik again. I look forward to reconnecting with my contacts in the industry and developing new strategies to benefit our customers in the tube industry,” Ponsiluoma said.

The Sulphur Institute (TSI) has appointed Ron Olson as its agronomist. Ron brings to TSI 30 years of experience as an independent consulting agronomist, as well as 15 years with Cargill and The Mosaic Company as R&D manager prior to this. His consulting company works directly with farmers and agricultural retailers, offering custom soil sampling, soil analysis and crop management expertise. The company pioneered the use of precision soil sampling and the conversion of that data into computer maps. Linking these data to GPS/GIS technology allowed the development of crop management programmes capable of maximising economic yields. At Cargill and Mosaic, Ron led the team that developed MicroEssentials™ , a product which has subsequently become the world’s leading commercial sulphur-enhanced fertilizer.

“TSI is delighted with Ron Olson’s eagerness to assist with the sulphur agronomy needs of our members”, said John Bryant, TSI President. “Ron brings a highly applicable and successful background in sulphur fertilizers. Ron will also readily assist us with our important work on sulphur advocacy and other TSI services.”

Ahmed El-Hoshy became OCI’s new CEO at the start of August. He replaces Nassef Sawiris who has become the Executive Chairman of OCI’s board, and will continue to be responsible for OCI’s business strategy. El Hoshy was previously the company’s chief operating officer. Prior to this, he led OCI’s expansion in North America, taking the company from zero capacity in this region in 2011 to its current 5.5 million t/a of fertilizer capacity today. His various senior leadership roles at the company include CEO of OCI Partners and CEO of OCI Americas.

Nassef Sawiris said: “In my new role, I can fully focus on OCI’s strategic direction, and I look forward to working with the team to create long-term value for our shareholders, as we can see a wide array of exciting opportunities ahead that benefit the company, the market and our stakeholders. I also believe this is an opportune moment for the management change: this year marks an important inflection point for the company as we expect to achieve run-rate production across the platform, allowing us to benefit disproportionately from a recovery in the economic cycle.”

In response, Ahmed El-Hoshy said: “I am excited to take on this new role and look forward to continue working alongside Nassef, Hassan and the whole team. We have already built an industry-leading and highly efficient global platform that delivers crucial products to the world. We will continue our focus on operational and commercial excellence and recently bolstered this effort with the appointment of Bart Voet as VP Manufacturing to lead our global production platform. Our world-class asset base, led by exceptional employees, is well-positioned to drive value and growth within a framework of ever increasing focus on safety and sustainability.”

Sarfaraz Ahmed Rehman became the new managing director and CEO of Fauji Fertilizer Bin Qasim Ltd (FFBL) over the summer. His appointment was approved following the expiry of the contract of Lt General Javed Iqbal, whom he replaces. Mr Rehman is a qualified chartered accountant with senior management experience spanning three decades. He began his career with Unilever in 1983, before progressing to roles in other multinational companies such as Smithkline Beecham, Jardine Matheson/Olayan and PepsiCo.

Sarfaraz was notably CEO of Engro Foods for over six years, having launched the company in 2005. In 2012, he took a sabbatical from Engro to establish the Karachi School for Business and Leadership. Sarfaraz was contracted to Grant Thornton for 2016-17 as an executive coach. He has worked extensively as executive coach and mentor with Careem, Gatron-Novatex, Engro, ICI, Descon, PPL, UBL and City School.

On 6th August, FFBL also appointed Mohammad Munir Malik and Rehan Ahmed to the company’s board of directors, replacing Maj Gen Abid Rafique (Retd) and Brig Hamad Qadir (Retd) respectively.

John Mansanti has resigned as president and CEO of Crystal Peak Minerals, the company behind the Sevier Playa potassium sulphate (SOP) project in Utah. Dean Pekeski, currently vice president of project development, has been appointed interim president and CEO with effect from 31st August. Mr Pekeski has been with the Company since 2015 and has played a key role in the development of the Sevier Playa project.

Although resigning to pursue other business interests, Mr Mansanti has agreed to continue in a consulting position, acting as senior advisor to the board. This will allow Crystal Peak Minerals to still draw on his experience as it develops the Sevier Playa project. Mr Scruggs, Crystal Peak’s board chair, thanked Mr Mansanti for his contribution: “John has been instrumental in driving the development of the Sevier Playa project over the past two and half years. This culminated in the receipt of the Record of Decision in August 2019, the most significant milestone in the Company’s history. We wish John all the best in the future.”