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Jumana Saleheen.

The International Fertilizer Association (IFA) elected Svein Tore Holsether as its new chair on 14th June. He replaces Mostafa Terrab, the chairman and CEO of OCP Group. IFA said Holsether, who is the president and CEO of Yara International, would continue the fertilizer industry’s commitment to sustainability.

“I am honored to be appointed Chair of IFA because the fertilizer industry has a key role in finding sustainable solutions to some of the greatest challenges the world is facing,” Holsether said. “As an industry, we need to lead the way to decarbonise food and build resilient and fair food systems.”

IFA also confirmed a number of other appointments and changes to its executive board. Dmitry Konyaev, the chair of Ural-chem, is the association’s new vice chair. He will serve alongside Svein Tore Holsether on IFA’s executive board of directors. The executive board also welcomed two new appointments: Jeanne Johns, managing director and CEO of Incitec Pivot Ltd, and Tony Will, president and CEO of CF Industries. Mostafa Terrab, as the immediate past chair, will remain on IFA’s executive board, as will Zhai Jidong, vice president international for Kingenta, and Alzbeta Klein, IFA’s director general.

The following five new board directors were also elected by IFA’s membership:

• G David Delaney, CEO, Itafos
• Ahmed El-Hoshy, CEO, OCI NV
• Shakeel Ahmad Khan, CEO, Petronas Chemicals Marketing
• Suresh Krishnan, managing director, Paradeep Phosphates Ltd and Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilizers
• Mayo Schmidt, president and CEO, Nutrien.

IFA members also re-elected Raviv Zoller, the president and CEO of ICL Group, to the board of directors.

Dmitry Mazepin took over as the CEO of Uralchem on the 12th May. Mazepin was previously Uralchem’s chairman, a position he has held since 2007. He replaces Sergey Momtsemlidze who has become the company’s nitrogen production director.

“A fundamentally new stage in the development of Uralkali and Uralchem has begun. Our traditional business is being modernized and I would like to lead these changes to ensure an effective strategy for the long-term growth of Uralchem and Uralkali. Returning to direct control of the entire chain of operations will allow me effectively and as quickly as possible to join forces to promote Russian fertilizers on the world stage, as well as to form a convenient platform for providing a full range of agrotechnical and climate-neutral services in the Russian market,” Mazepin explained.

In a coordinated move, Dmitry Konyaev, the previous deputy chairman and former CEO, was appointed as Uralchem’s new chairman.

London-based commodity research company CRU launched a new sustainability division in mid-June. Named CRU Sustainability, it will focus on four areas: climate policy and regulation; carbon emissions and markets; the clean energy transition; and the circular economy.

“CRU is bringing together all its sustainability expertise into one division and, in so doing, launching a unique service designed to give clients in the industries CRU serve, the much-needed data and insights to accelerate their journey to net zero,” CRU said in a statement.

The new division will be led by Jumana Saleheen, who will also remain in her current post as CRU’s chief economist. Dr Saleheen brings over two decades of experience to her role as head of CRU Sustainability – having previously worked at the Bank of England and the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.

“I am pleased to appoint Jumana as Head of CRU Sustainability. As Chief Economist at CRU Group, Jumana has become an important voice in the industry. Her background in policy making and data analysis makes her the ideal person for this role. CRU Sustainability will play a vital role in enabling all stakeholders in the commodity industry to take bold action, and successfully transition to a low-carbon world,” said Robert Perlman, CRU’s executive chairman.