Fertilizer International 514 May-Jun 2023
31 May 2023
People
People
Abdulrahman Al-Fageeh is the new CEO of SABIC. He is also the current chairman of SABIC Agri-Nutrients, the company’s fertilizer division.
Mr Al-Fageeh’s tenure as CEO, which will run until 9th April 2025, was approved by SABIC’s Ordinary General Assembly in mid-April. He was also confirmed as a member of the company’s executive board.
SABIC’s confirmation of its new CEO follows the recent appointment of Dr Mohammed Yahya Al-Qahtani as vice chairman by the company’s board.
Abdulrahman Al-Fageeh told the General Assembly: “SABIC has successfully faced the challenging global conditions, investing in its collaborative relations with Saudi Aramco, which led to the successful supply of the world’s first commercial shipment of independently certified blue ammonia to South Korea.”
He also said that SABIC is sparing no efforts to achieve sustainable growth. This includes setting long-term sustainability goals and reducing the life cycle emissions of its products across their value chain.
Previously, Mr Al-Fageeh has held many senior executive positions at SABIC during his 35 years with the company. These include roles in project management, plant operations, and corporate & business management. Notably, he has been the executive vice president of SABIC’s petrochemicals, performance chemicals and polymers strategic business units at various times. His other senior SABIC positions include vice president of the polyethylene business unit and president of Yansab for six years.
Externally, Mr Al-Fageeh is the chairman of both the Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA) and the Saudi Petrochemical Manufacturers Committee.
Dr Aaron Waltz is Ostara’s new chief technology officer. Dr Waltz brings deep agronomic expertise to the company alongside more than 20 years of agricultural industry experience.
Aaron began his career at DuPont Pioneer. Since then, he has worked in technology development roles in the adjuvants, biologicals and fertilizer industries.
“Aaron’s skills are highly complementary to the existing executive team and will enable Ostara to realise our vision of global expansion as we increase production of our portfolio of Crystal Green phosphate fertilizers,” said Kerry Cebul, Ostara’s CEO. “Aaron’s agronomic expertise, diverse science background, and leadership will be critical as we rapidly expand our platform of technologies and significantly increase production to meet grower needs.”
In reply, Aaron Waltz said: “Ostara has developed a unique foundation of innovative crop nutrition products and technologies that help growers optimise yield, embrace sustainability, and reduce application rates. I am excited to join the organisation to build on this foundation and accelerate their adoption.”
Dr Waltz’s interest and involvement in agriculture began on his family’s farm in Nebraska. After gaining his PhD from The University of Nebraska, Lincoln, he pursued a successful career in crop production and product development.
PhosAgro’s shareholders elected a new board of directors during the company’s annual general meeting (AGM) on 24th March. CEO Mikhail Rybnikov and chairman Viktor Cherepov were among those named.
The AGM also approved the company’s 2022 annual report. PhosAgro produced a record 11.0 million tonnes of fertilizers last year, an increase of almost seven percent on 2021. This was divided between 8.4 million tonnes of phosphate-based products and 2.6 million tonnes of nitrogen-based products.
“2022 will certainly go down in the history of Russia’s business as one of the most challenging years even compared to the period of the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Mikhail Rybnikov, PhosAgro’s CEO. “We were, too, affected by a number of sanctions, the disruption of international ties and supply chains that had developed over years of cooperation.”
“The past year has offered Russian businesses unprecedented challenges: the rules and mechanisms of international trade, including those for fertilizers and agricultural commodities, no longer work as they used to,” said Viktor Cherepov, PhosAgro’s chairman. “PhosAgro Group, a supplier to farmers around the globe, was forced to adapt quickly to the new normal – and we did it.”
