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People

Ken Seitz.

KP Engineering, LP specialising in the design and execution of customized EPC solutions for the refining, syngas, hydrogen and renewable fuels industries, has named Bill Preston as its new president and Chief Executive Officer. Based in Houston, Preston has served as KPE’s president and Chief Operating Officer since 2015. During that time, he was responsible for leading significant growth and upholding KPE’s core operational values of respect and integrity. As CEO, he will be responsible for the overall direction, execution and global expansion of the company. Preston has 34 years of experience leading and growing technology-based businesses in the engineering, oil and gas, energy and chemical production sectors. Prior to joining KP Engineering, he served in vice president roles for companies including a division of Texaco and ChevronTexaco, Linc Energy, Synthesis Energy Systems and GreatPoint Energy. He also served as CEO of The Energy Capital Group, developing syngas and chemical production facilities in the petrochemical and oil refining industries. He is currently the Executive Director of the Global Syngas Technologies Council, the hydrogen and syngas industry’s premier trade association.

Preston commented, “I am proud to work alongside a talented group of industry professionals that are dedicated to engineering our customers’ success, and I look forward to overseeing exciting developments and global growth within KPE through 2022 and beyond.”

He will work alongside Michael Roberts, Senior Vice President of Operations; Mahesh Thadhani, Senior Vice President of Business Development, who was appointed in November 2021; Doug Schnittker, Vice President of Projects; and Ken Fischer, Vice President of Technology.

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.

Russ Girling, Chair of the Nutrien Board of Directors, said: “Nutrien has a talented and deep executive team, and we are confident that Ken Seitz and this team will continue to build on the organisation’s record financial and operating performance. The Nutrien Board of Directors will work with an executive search firm to begin a global search to select a long-term leader that will take the company into its next phase, which will consider internal and external candidates.”

Mr. Seitz said, “I look forward to working with the executive leadership team, delivering on our commitment to advance sustainable solutions to feed a growing world.”

Seitz joined Nutrien as Executive Vice President and CEO of Potash in 2019. He has 25 years of global management experience working across more than 60 countries, and was a former president and CEO of Canpotex, one of the world’s largest suppliers of Potash.

Johnson Matthey (JM) has appointed Alberto Giovanzana as managing director of Catalyst Technologies. Alberto joins JM from BASF where most recently he was Senior Vice President and Head of Global Technology for the e2 billion Nutrition and Health Division. Prior to this, Alberto ran BASF’s Plastic Additives business in Europe, Middle East and Africa and has also held various marketing and operations roles. In his new role, Alberto will leverage the technical expertise at JM in the field of process catalysts and drive collaboration with customers to harness business opportunities in the energy transition and circular economy, according to the company.