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People

Agropolychim has announced that CEO Philippe Rombaut will become chairman of Agropolychim’s board of directors, with a focus on steering the company’s strategic development. His new appointment will make way for Teodor Petsov to assume the role of head of production operations. Petsov has 22 years of production experience and a management background. In his capacity as the new production director, he will be responsible for orchestrating, overseeing, and coordinating all aspects of the company’s production activities.

Sara Aslam has been appointed as the interim CEO of Pakistan’s National Fertilizer Corporation (NFC) by the federal cabinet following the resignation of the previous CEO. Aslam is a seasoned professional in the fertilizer industry, with over 20 years of experience. She was previously Secretary in the Ministry of Industries & Production. Her appointment is for a period of three months or until the privatisation of NFC, whichever comes first, although the privatization of NFC has been planned by the government since March 2020, and NFC has had no permanent CEO for over four years. In a press statement, NFC said that it “looks forward to a future filled with promise and potential. [Aslam’s] appointment is not just a step towards privatization, but a leap towards a brighter, more prosperous future for the corporation and the fertilizer industry as a whole.” The federal cabinet said that their decision to appoint Aslam reflects their confidence in her ability to navigate the complexities of privatisation, while also maintaining NFC’s strong presence in the Indian market.

Jan Toschka

Sasol and Topsoe have appointed Jan Toschka as CEO of the joint venture established by the two companies to develop, build, own and operate sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) ventures and to market the products. Previously Toschka was president of Global Aviation for Shell, responsible for Shell’s global network of operations, joint ventures and sales of fuels, lubricants and sustainable solutions to the aviation industry. During his tenure at Shell, he has led teams across sales, mergers and acquisitions, trading, and retail businesses globally, spanning various industries including Marine and Retail. Toschka will assume his new role as CEO on 1 March 2024 and the joint venture will be launched during the same month. The new company will be headquartered in The Netherlands.

Fleetwood Grobler, Sasol President and CEO said: “Jan, a distinguished leader in the global aviation fuel industry, enriches our new joint venture with his extensive experience and industry expertise. His strong customer-centric approach reflects a deep understanding of the industry and both the challenges and opportunities faced by the market. I am delighted he is joining us and eagerly anticipate witnessing the venture flourish under his leadership, as we seek to contribute significantly to the decarbonisation of the aviation industry.”

Roeland Baan, CEO at Topsoe, said: “I’m excited, that Jan Toschka has accepted the position as CEO for the joint venture. Jan holds unique competencies from having already been working with the aviation industry, and he has a highly entrepreneurial mindset, which is what we need to get the joint venture off to a great start. There’s no time to waste in boosting production of SAF to decarbonise the aviation industry, and with Jan joining, I am confident that the joint venture will deliver a remarkable contribution to the world’s global ambition of reaching Net Zero.”

Jan Toschka said: “The joint venture is formed by two industry leaders, and their ambition to take on one of society’s biggest challenges, to help reduce carbon footprint of the aviation industry. This industry is close to my heart, and I am very excited to lead the new company.”

On January 24, 2024, the board of directors of PetroVietnam Fertilizer And Chemicals Corporation approved the appointment of Phan Cong Thanh as Chief Executive Officer, following the resignation of Dao Van Ngoc as head of the executive board. The move follows the removal of Hoang Quoc Vuong, CEO of state-run PetroVietnam in December, and a number of Ministry of Industry and Trade officials following allegations of financial impropriety regarding incentives for solar and wind energy, and his replacement with Le Manh Hung for a five year term.