Sasol, Topsoe appoint Toschka as new CEO of SAF joint venture
Sasol and Topsoe announced Jan. 22 the appointment of Jan Toschka, a seasoned leader in the aviation fuels industry, as the CEO of the joint venture established to develop, build, own and operate SAF ventures and to market the products.
In June, Sasol and Topsoe announced their intent to form a new joint venture.
The aviation industry alone accounts for 2 percent of global carbon emissions, and the joint venture aims to combine and utilize the two parent companies’ unique innovative technologies, capabilities and industry experience to support the aviation industry in meeting its decarbonization ambitions.
As president of global aviation for Shell, Toschka was 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 March 1 and the joint venture will be launched during the same month.
The new company will be headquartered in the Netherlands.
“Jan, a distinguished leader in the global aviation fuel industry, enriches our new joint venture with his extensive experience and industry expertise,” said Fleetwood Grobler, Sasol president and CEO. “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 decarbonization 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 decarbonize 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.”
Toschka added, “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.”
