8 December 2022

Neste makes appointments in Executive Committee and establishes a new role in Executive Committee

Published in Releases and news under Investors

Neste Corporation, Stock Exchange Release, 8 December 2022 at 10 a.m. (EET)

Neste Corporation has appointed Katja Wodjereck Executive Vice President, Renewable Road Transportation and a member of Neste Executive Committee. She will report to President and CEO Matti Lehmus, and take up the position on 1 April 2023. Katja will transfer to Neste from Dow. She will be following Carl Nyberg in this role as he was appointed EVP, Renewable Platform earlier this year. 

"Neste is aiming to become a global leader in renewable and circular solutions. I warmly welcome Katja to join our Executive Committee and to lead the Renewable Road Transportation business on its growth journey. Katja has a solid track record from the international chemical industry with proven capabilities on delivering transformation and leading successfully commercial operations in a global complex business environment,” says Neste’s President and CEO Matti Lehmus.

In parallel, a new Executive Committee role is established to lead Neste’s Investment Management and Execution and Bart Leenders has been appointed Executive Vice President, Investment Management and Execution and a member of Neste’s Executive Committee. He will report to President and CEO Matti Lehmus, and take up the position on 1 January 2023. Bart Leenders currently holds the position of Vice President, Production at Neste.

“Our continued renewables growth strategy implementation will require the successful execution of our investment project portfolio in the upcoming years. Efficient investment management and execution are core capabilities and critical for value generation, which is why we have established a new Investment Management and Execution role in the Executive Committee,” says Lehmus. 

“I am happy to welcome Bart Leenders to join our Executive Committee and to lead the Investment Management and Execution organization. He is an experienced global operations leader with a solid understanding of the overall business value chain and project execution,” continues Lehmus.

The new Investment Management and Execution function will include Engineering Solutions, and procurement (except feedstock sourcing).

Neste’s Executive Committee as of 1 January 2023:

Matti Lehmus, President and CEO
Martti Ala-Härkönen, Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Strategy and IT
Mercedes Alonso, Executive Vice President, Renewable Polymers and Chemicals
Panu Kopra, Executive Vice President, Marketing & Services
Markku Korvenranta, Executive Vice President, Oil Products
Thorsten Lange, Executive Vice President, Renewable Aviation
Carl Nyberg, Executive Vice President, Renewable Platform
Katja Wodjereck, Executive Vice President, Renewable Road Transportation 
Minna Aila, Executive Vice President, Sustainability and Corporate Affairs
Hannele Jakosuo-Jansson, Executive Vice President, Human Resources and HSSEQ 
Bart Leenders, Executive Vice President, Investment Management and Execution 
Lars Peter Lindfors, Executive Vice President, Innovation
Christian Ståhlberg, General Counsel

All of the members of the Neste Executive Committee report to President and CEO Matti Lehmus. At the same time of these announced appointments and a change in the organization, the titles of the functions’ leaders have been changed to Executive Vice President. The changes in the organizational structure will not affect Neste's reporting segments, which remain: Renewable Products, Oil Products, Marketing & Services, and Others.

CVs and photos of the new appointed persons are attached to this release. 

Neste Corporation

Susanna Sieppi
Vice President, Communications

Further information: Please contact Neste’s media service, tel. +358 800 94025 / media@neste.com (weekdays from 8.30 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. EET).

Neste in brief

Neste (NESTE, Nasdaq Helsinki) creates solutions for combating climate change and accelerating a shift to a circular economy. We refine waste, residues and innovative raw materials into renewable fuels and sustainable feedstock for plastics and other materials. We are the world’s leading producer of sustainable aviation fuel and renewable diesel and developing chemical recycling to combat the plastic waste challenge. We aim at helping customers to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions with our renewable and circular solutions by at least 20 million tons annually by 2030. Our ambition is to make the Porvoo oil refinery in Finland the most sustainable refinery in Europe by 2030. We are introducing renewable and recycled raw materials such as liquefied waste plastic as refinery raw materials. We have committed to reaching carbon-neutral production by 2035, and we will reduce the carbon emission intensity of sold products by 50% by 2040. We also have set high standards for biodiversity, human rights and supply chain. We have consistently been included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices and the Global 100 list of the world’s most sustainable companies. In 2021, Neste's revenue stood at EUR 15.1 billion. Read more: neste.com