Advisory Board

Andrea Guati Rojo is Stakeholder Relations Manager at the Ammonia Energy Association (AEA), responsible for overseeing AEA’s external affairs, safety and the AEA certification scheme. She holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering and Psychology from Cardiff University (UK). Her doctoral research focused on the topic of public perception of green ammonia as an energy vector, performing the first-ever empirical study analyzing green ammonia public acceptance and examining the development of ammonia energy projects in Mexico and the UK.

She also holds a MSc degree in Sustainable Energy and Environment and a BA in Communication and Government Affairs. Andrea has worked for different international companies in Mexico, the UK, Spain and currently in Rotterdam.

Dr. Amarjit Singh Basra is currently the Chief Scientist at OCP North America. With a distinguished academic and professional journey, he has contributed to some of the world’s leading universities, including Punjab Agricultural University in India, Wageningen University in the Netherlands, University of Western Sydney Hawkesbury in Australia, and University of California, Davis. Dr. Basra’s extensive industry experience spans roles at Monsanto, Syngenta, Plant Impact, and the OCP Group.

A recipient of numerous prestigious scientific awards and honors worldwide, Dr. Basra has authored over 100 peer-reviewed research publications. He has also served as Editor-in-Chief for 12 books published across the UK, Europe, and the USA. Additionally, he is the Founding Editor-in-Chief of the “Journal of Crop Improvement,” published by Taylor and Francis, USA.

Richard has held senior positions including, on the management board for the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and Commercial Adviser for the Iraq Britain Business Council.

He achieved a first degree in land management, followed by a Diploma in Farm Business Management at London University before going to the Middle East to set up a property services business, living there for twelve years and establishing five offices across the region. On his return to the UK, he continued to manage Middle East clients while he rose to become managing partner and then senior partner.

On his retirement, Richard was invited to join a UK consortium which had won a free zone concession in Iraq, where he has since worked in various capacities, for the last two years with AAA Holdings.

AAA Holding Group, a British based company, has the advantage of operating a processing plant in Basra, Southern Iraq, close to the Arabian Gulf. The group’s proposed expansion into Utah, USA is strategically aligned with growth plans and commitment to advancing agricultural productivity and Canadian exports help support a major global leading food producer and promote sustainable agriculture. The group’s work is far reaching, impacting communities across the globe and promotes the growth of sustainable fertilizer use producing over one million tons per year.

Mohamed tarek ElTohfa is the of production sector head in Abu Qir plant 3, He has been working in ABU QIR Fertilizers Company Since 2004, responsible for both technical and administrative tasks of 1200 MTPD Ammonia plant. Experienced in managing operational plan with daily follow up the plant performance to achieve production target. Monitoring, evaluation and optimization of operational conditions to ensure that the plant operates at maximum efficiency, define and implement the most optimal production conditions. Managing critical moments to realize the production plans and ensure troubleshooting and perform the required studies of modifications and evaluation potential improvement opportunities, He holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering in ammonia industry.

Senior Director at Plug Power,  responsible for global development of the green chemicals electrolyzer market.

Esben has more than 30 year’s experience with Engineering, R&D and Sales from one of the major licensors (Topsoe) and has hence both a broad and deep understanding of all relevant business aspects of the green chemicals market.

Esben holds a master’s in chemical engineering and a PhD in Process Simulation – both from the Technical University of Denmark.

Mr. Filippi joined Casale in 1985 as Process Engineer, after filling several management positions in the process and in the R&D groups he presently holds the position of CTO of the company.

During his career he has been involved in the activities of research, development and design of reactors and processes related to the ammonia and methanol production.

He has been also involved in the design of the revamping and of new plants for these processes.

Mr. Filippi is author of several technical papers. He was also nominated as inventor of several patents.

Raphael Gaudreault graduated from the Laval University with a degree in Mining Engineering (2004) and a certificate in Business Administration from Mount Saint Vincent University (2005).  Throughout his career, Raphael held operational positions focused primarily on open pit mine development and optimization at ArcelorMittal Mining and IAMGOLD. Raphael is a member of the Order of Quebec Engineers and comes to Arianne with extensive knowledge of the Lac à Paul project having previously worked at Arianne as Mining Director.  Raphael is a qualified person in accordance with NI 43-101 and is Chief Operating Officer for Arianne Phosphate. 

Boris Jansen works as tenured Associate Professor of Soil Chemistry at the  Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics of the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Of the various soil scientific disciplines, soil chemistry holds his particular interest. He is fascinated by biogeochemistry in general and in particular by understanding the fate of Soil Organic Matter (SOM) and anthropogenic substances in terrestrial ecosystems. How does the chemistry of soils and sediments regulate the transport, transformation and preservation/degradation of such compounds? How is this chemistry altered by natural or human-induced change? What are the implications for the functioning of ecosystems, and how can we use this knowledge to optimize the ecosystem services rendered by the soil? These are questions he hopes to help answer through the research of his group.

Michael Machuca is the Director of Chemical Industry Marketing for Emerson’s measurement products. In his current role, Michael focuses on helping customers utilize Emerson’s portfolio of measurement products to improve their operations.  Michael has been with Emerson in various roles for approximately 18 years including O&G industry marketing, product management, and customer support. He has a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Houston.

Thomas Mannheim is a seasoned expert with over 25 years of experience in the fertilizer industry, with extensive knowledge across all fields of fertilizers and fertilization. Holding a Ph.D. in Plant Nutrition from the University of Hohenheim, Germany, Dr. Mannheim has consistently bridged the gap between science, agronomy and commercial interests, driving advancements in sustainable agriculture. He has held leadership positions in several global companies and associations. Since 2022, he has been serving as the Global Head of Agronomy at Fertiglobe, the world’s largest seaborne exporter of urea and ammonia combined, and an early mover in sustainable ammonia. Here he continued to push innovative and sustainable fertilizers.

Marbet is serving as Chief Executive Officer of Grupo Fertinal, Mexico´s largest fertilizer producer, which is owned by Pemex. Since her appointment in March 2023, she has been leading a new strategy focused on making Fertinal more productive, profitable, environmentally conscious and responsible.

In her previous roles, she played a crucial part in the transformation of Fertinal, being partially responsible for the investment program supported by the Government of Mexico and Pemex to refurbish and recover the production capacity at the Company’s production sites. Under her leadership, this investment is focused on making the production chain more sustainable.

In her previous role as Commercial Director, she was focus on restoring Fertinal’s presence and prestige in national and international markets. She also worked to reassure suppliers and customers about the future development of Fertinal, and its commitment to meet all its obligations.

She is also responsible for the strategy, distribution, and operational efforts required to ensure that fertilizers are available throughout Mexico prior their delivery to small farmers by the Ministry of Agriculture, as part of the Mexican Government’s Wellbeing Fertilizer Program.  This program aims to help Mexico achieve food security in basic grains such as corn, beans, and rice, as well as other essential crops, so that small farmers can step out of extreme poverty. In the recent period, Fertinal successfully delivered more than 1 million tons of Fertilizers by truck in less than 5 months, reaching the most remote regions of Mexico.

Avdhesh Mathur is an accomplished result-oriented President & CEO with over three decades of experience in leading multiple diverse teams around the globe. He graduated as an Engineer from the prestigious Rajasthan Technical University in 1990 in India, and found his calling immediately after, in the specialty chemicals industry. After working for around 16 years in industrial water treatment in India, he founded NAQ Global in 2007, with the first plant in Brazil to make Green Technology products for the fertilizer industry. Within a span of 10 years, he expanded the manufacturing operations to more locations in Brazil, India, Morocco, and USA.

He is an avid innovator of sustainable technologies for fertilizer additives and he heads NAQ’s R&D department in different countries. In the last two decades, Avdhesh, along with other members of the team, has presented more than 20 technical papers and lectures on topics ranging from modern fertilizer technology, to the need of sustainable fertilizer, and to the application of green technology in fertilizer production, mining, and other processes.

He is a dignified member of the International Fertilizer Association (IFA) France, The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) USA, Arab Fertilizer Association (AFA) Egypt, Fertilizer Association Of India (FAI), ANDA Brazil, and International Fertilizer Society, Cambridge UK.

His organization today works for more than 200 fertilizer companies across the globe helping them to improve their processes, efficiency, quality and profits, while reducing Carbon footprint and environmental impacts.

Energetic, innovative, resilient and self-motivated African Economic Development professional with hands-on expertise in the use of  science, fieldwork, program implementation, policy and finance.  A holder of a Bachelor of Honour degree in International Relations, a Post Graduate Degree in Development Studies, and a Masters Degree in Business Administration, MBA.

Extensive experience includes  Strategy Development and Implementation,  Program Delivery, Project Design, Portfolio Monitoring, People Management, Resource Mobilization, Marketing and Communications, Investment, Trade and Export Promotion across sectors (Agriculture and Food Security; Regional Integration and Infrastructure; Healthcare, Climate Change and Natural Resources Management.

Has been successful in developing long-term plans that align with organizational and community goals and objectives, working with both public bodies (local governments) international donors, civil society players and the private sector overseeing large-scale initiatives focused on promoting sustainable economic growth.

Sandra’s professional skills and experience,  make her a valuable asset to any organization as her acumen for innovative and strategic thinking along with an in-depth understanding of the agriculture, trade, business and law.

A strong ambassador for women and youth empowerment with a passion and love for wildlife conservation.

African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership (AFAP)

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandrapires/

Chris Polaniecki has been with Honeywell since 2001. Throughout his career at Honeywell, he has served in various roles, including Strategic Marketing, Business Development, Offering Management, Sales Support, and Field Operating Services. Most of his experience involves working with customers in the refining and petrochemical verticals globally.

Chris is currently the Global Marketing Director for Sustainable Fuels and Chemicals within Honeywell Process Solutions (HPS). In this role, he helps petrochemical producers explore ways of lowering their carbon footprint along with new ways to take part in the energy transition for lower carbon emission alternatives. Chris represents Honeywell as a member of the Ammonia Energy Association (AEA).

Chris holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Northwestern University.

Phillip E. Prueter, P.E. is the Senior Vice President of Consulting at The Equity Engineering Group, Inc. in Shaker Heights, Ohio, where his responsibilities include leading Consulting Services with a focus on providing specialized engineering solutions to fertilizer, oil and gas, and chemical producers worldwide. He has supported the fertilizer industry by identifying and qualifying in-service pressure equipment degradation and by mitigating future damage through innovative and technically based engineering recommendations. He specializes in fitness-for-service, design by analysis, explicit dynamics, thermal-mechanical fatigue analysis, elevated temperature creep, seismic and natural frequency analysis, fracture mechanics, root-cause failure analysis, damage mechanism reviews, and high temperature hydrogen attack. He holds a BS and MS in mechanical engineering and is a Registered Professional Engineer in nine states.

Additionally, he has served on ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Committees and is active in industry design and post-construction standards development through the American Petroleum Institute. He is a regular contributor to Inspectioneering Journal where he authors the recurring column Damage Control and has written several technical eBooks on process industry damage mechanisms and mechanical integrity. Furthermore, he has generated numerous technical articles for World Fertilizer Magazine and has authored or co-authored more than 50 technical publications.

Kuide (“Kwey-duh”) Qin  currently serves as the Chief Science Officer at Verdesian Life Sciences, located in Cary, North Carolina. In this capacity, he leads R&D, regulatory, and new product development of novel plant nutrient use efficiency technologies, including novel fertilizers, biologicals, and biostimulants. Prior to his tenure at Verdesian, Kuide held scientific and leadership positions at Dow AgroSciences and Bayer Crop Science. With a career spanning over 20 years, Kuide possesses a profound dedication to the advancement of agricultural technologies that contribute to sustainable farming practices and the modernization of agriculture. Kuide earned his PhD in colloid and surface chemistry from the University of Florida.

Rob Stevens holds an MSc and PhD degree in Chemical Engineering from Delft University of Technology, and joined Topsoe in June 2023 as the Sector Lead for Green Fuels within Power-to-X at Topsoe.

Rob has held various pivotal global roles, focusing on ammonia production management and more recently serving as VP of technology scouting, decarbonization, and shipping fuels. As technology opportunities expert at a green financing start-up, Rob expanded his knowledge in climate technologies.

As a thought leader Rob contributed to international clean ammonia energy position papers and ammonia fuel shipping studies.

Rob is board member to Horisont Energi, a clean ammonia and CO2 storage project developer.

Rob is President Emeritus at the Ammonia Energy Association.

Rob is Director of the Clean Ammonia Platform with the Institute for Sustainable Process technology in the Netherlands.

Hunter serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Phospholutions, Inc., which he founded prior to graduating with his B.S. degree in Plant Sciences from Pennsylvania State University. Phospholutions is a sustainable fertilizer company that Hunter’s leadership has raised over $29 million in venture capital to develop technologies to improve phosphorus fertilizer efficiency. Most recently, Hunter was recognized as Forbes 30 under 30 in the 2023 Social Impact class and is the inventor/co-inventor of six patents issued or pending around the world. He continues to advocate for innovation within the agricultural industry, pushing for sustainable practices and technological advancements to address global food security challenges.

Jacques began his career at Omnia in 2001 as a mechanical engineer in Sasolburg. Over the years, his technical acumen and leadership skills have propelled him into pivotal roles within the company. After his initial work in Sasolburg, he was transferred to Rustenburg, where he became the Technical Manager for the Phosphoric Acid plant, a key facility in Omnia’s operations.

In 2006, Jacques took on a crucial role within the Omnia Group Projects team, serving as Project Manager for the construction of the Nitrates complex at Sasolburg. This project was one of the company’s most significant undertakings at the time, enhancing Omnia’s production capabilities and reinforcing its position as a leader in the fertilizer industry. Jacques’s leadership in overseeing the construction of this complex was instrumental in its successful completion, showcasing his ability to manage complex, large-scale projects.

By 2015, Jacques’s expertise and contributions led to his appointment as General Manager: Supply Chain for Fertilizer. In this capacity, he continues to play a vital role in ensuring the efficient operation and strategic growth of Omnia’s fertilizer division, which is central to the company’s overall success. His work in managing key projects has had a lasting impact on Omnia’s operational strength and market leadership.

Dr. Karl Wyant currently serves as the Director of Agronomy at Nutrien. In this position, Dr. Wyant contributes proven agronomic leadership in growing the Nutrien commodity and premium fertilizer product lines and promotes advanced sustainability initiatives.  Before working at Nutrien, Dr. Wyant served as the Vice President of Ag Science for Heliae Agriculture (2019-2022) and as an agronomist for Helena Agri-Enterprises in California and Arizona (2014-2019). Dr. Wyant earned his advanced degrees at Arizona State University (PhD – 2014) and Colorado State University (MS – 2008).  Dr. Wyant is a Certified Crop Advisor and Certified Professional Agronomist (CPAg) and has his CA and AZ Pest Control Advisor licenses. Karl and his family reside in Tempe, AZ.

Mr Zwart holds a M.Sc. degree in Chemical Engineering from Twente University in The Netherlands. He started his professional career with DSM in 1995 as a plant engineer for fertilizer plants. He joined Stamicarbon in 2000, from which time assignments to fertilizer plant projects had him travel around the globe. He shifted from engineering to sales and joined the Board of Stamicarbon in 2009, where he holds the position of VP Licensing, Sales and Services, in charge of Stamicarbon’s commercial activities, managing an international team of licensing, sales and services professionals working from offices in the Netherlands, China and Russia.

Stamicarbon B.V. (Netherlands, est. 1947) is the world market leader in development and licensing of urea technology, used in more than half (> 250) of all urea plants built worldwide. Urea is the most used industrial fertilizer in agriculture. Stamicarbon is a subsidiary of Maire Tecnimont Group S.p.A. Italy.