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The International Fertilizer Association (IFA) elected seven new representatives to its Board of Directors at its Annual General Meeting, held in Singapore on 22 May. The AGM took place on the final day of the IFA Annual Conference 2024. The seven new Board Directors elected by the membership are: Bruce Bodine, Mosaic; Soufiyane El Kassi, OCP Nutricrops; Xiaofeng Hou, China BlueChemical; Dmitry Konyaev, Uralchem JSC; Jahangir Piracha, Fauji Fertilizer Company Ltd; Edward Weiner, Trammo, Inc.; and Kelvin Wickham, Ballance Agri-Nutrients.

Alzbeta Klein, CEO and Director General, IFA, said: “I warmly welcome each of our new members to the IFA Board of Directors. I am looking forward to working with them all in support of IFA’s mission to help feed the world sustainably.”

IFA welcomed 34 new members to the Association – five Ordinary Members, 24 Associate Members, two Affiliate Members and three Correspondent Members, and awarded its 2024 Green Leaf Award for outstanding safety, health, and environmental practices to Engro Fertilizers in Pakistan for nitrogen production, and to IMACID (a joint venture of OCP, CFCL Group, and TATA Chemicals) in Morocco for phosphate/potash production. Applicants for the Green Leaf Award undergo an extensive evaluation of performance indicators by an independent panel of experts. IFA runs the award every two years and received a record 47 eligible applications from 27 member companies in 2024.

IFA noted that Engro Fertilizers’ application exemplifies a comprehensive approach to safety, health, and environmental (SHE) management in its fertilizer manufacturing division. Through robust SHE programs and strategic initiatives like the ECO-GREEN project (a 60-day project aimed at enhancing plant energy efficiency, including the inspection and repair of 400 equipment pieces and installation of low NOx burners) Engro Fertilizers demonstrates a commitment to reducing emissions and promoting sustainability.

IMACID holds integrated ISO certifications (Quality 9001, Environment 14001, Health and Safety at work 45001, and Energy 50001), renewed in 2023 after achieving zero non-conformities in 2020. Its pioneering of a proactive safety culture using the Bird pyramid approach (a theory of industrial accident prevention), engages all employees in hazard reporting. By enhancing SHE management among its 200 daily subcontractors through the GEEX standard IMACID ensures strict compliance and impressive performance evaluations.

The Goth Macchi plant of Fauji Fertilizer Company in Pakistan achieved second place in the nitrogen producer category. Judges cited exceptional environmental initiatives including NH3 and H2 recovery, N2 plant replacement and installation of solar power.

Magda Chambriard, new CEO of Petrobas

“It is the right thing to do, and it makes sound business sense to reach for the highest standards of safety and health in the workplace and to protect the environment,” said Alzbeta Klein, CEO and Director General, IFA. “Congratulations to the winners of the IFA Green Leaf Award 2024.”

Brazilian state oil company Petrobras has appointed Magda Chambriard as its new Chief Executive Officer. Chambriard has spent four decades in the industry and is a former head of oil and gas regulator ANP. She was chosen by president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to replace former CEO Jean Paul Prates after he was dismissed on May 14th, the day after the publication of results showing a 38% drop in profits year on year for Petrobras. The results and turbulence at the top of the company led to a sharp drop in Petrobras share price. However, Brazilian Mines and Energy Minister Alexandre Silveira has sought to allay fears about political interference, stating that Chambriard would execute the firm’s existing $102 billion investment plan for the 2024-2028 period. n