People

People

Tony Will (right) with Alzbeta Klein, IFA director general.

The International Fertilizer Association (IFA) has announced that Tony Will has been elected as the new Chair of the Association. Will is president and chief executive officer (CEO) of CF Industries, a global manufacturer of hydrogen and nitrogen products for fertilizer, clean energy, emissions abatement and other industrial applications.

“I am honoured to serve as Chair of IFA and help advance this vital organization’s mission to promote the efficient and responsible production, distribution and use of plant nutrients,” Will said. “Our industry is at the forefront of some of the world’s most important challenges, from food security to climate change. I look forward to working with our members and the IFA team to continue our leadership role in addressing these global priorities, collaborating not just within our own industry but with government and other stakeholders as well.”

Jeanne Johns, at the time managing director and CEO of Incitec Pivot Ltd., was elected as the new vice chair of the Association.Both Will and Johns serve on the Executive Board of the Association, which also welcomed two further new appointments: Ahmed El Hoshy, CEO of OCI Global and Fertiglobe and Abdulrahman Shamsaddin, CEO of SABIC Agri-Nutrients. Svein Tore Holsether, president and CEO of Yara, remains on the Executive Board as Immediate Past Chair, along with Raviv Zoller, President and CEO, ICL Group and Alzbeta Klein, Director General, IFA. “Helping to feed the world sustainably is at the core of what we do, and IFA is fortunate to have such seasoned executives on our Board,” Klein said.

Five new Board Directors were also elected by the membership: Robert Wilt, CEO, Ma’aden; Maen Nsour, President and CEO, Arab Potash; Julian Palliam, president and CEO, Foskor; Yasser Alabassi, President, GPIC; and Wang Bei, General Manager, CNAMPGC Holding Ltd Co. IFA members also re-elected to the Board of Directors David Delaney of Itafos and Suresh Krishnan of Adventz.

However, only four days before the appointments were made, Incitec Pivot Ltd (IPL) announced that Jeanne Johns will be stepping down from her role as the company’s managing director and CEO, following investor pressure of the company’s performance. IPL said in a statement that Paul Victor, the company’s Chief Financial Officer, has been appointed as interim CEO while the board undertakes a comprehensive search process for a permanent CEO. Jeanne will continue to work with the board and Paul Victor until 30th June 2023 to facilitate a smooth transition of her responsibilities. IPL’s chief of staff, Liza Somers, has been appointed as interim CFO. Liza has been with IPL for 10 years, holding key leadership positions in the finance team.

IPL chairman Brian Kruger said: “I would like to acknowledge and thank Jeanne for all her efforts and commitment to our company over the past five and a half years. She leaves the company in a very strong financial position and with a solid platform for future growth. Jeanne led the organisation through the very challenging COVID-19 pandemic and has been instrumental in developing our decarbonisation strategy that has received the strong support of our shareholders. Jeanne has also led some significant transactions that will create long-term value for our shareholders, including the urea offtake agreement with Perdaman and the recently announced sale of the Waggaman ammonia manufacturing facility in Lousianna, USA. We wish her all the best in her future endeavours.”