Management team

Tom van Aken

Chief Executive Officier

Carmen Portocarero

General Counsel

Management team

Bart Welten

Chief Financial Officer

Zanna McFerson

Managing Director Renewable Chemistries

Gert-Jan Gruter

Chief Technology Officer

Steven Olivier

Managing Director Catalysis

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CAREERS

Carmen Portocarero

General Counsel

Carmen joined Avantium’s in 2012. Prior to this, she held various corporate legal positions, including for over 17 years at US telecommunications company AT&T.

Dutch native, she holds a Master of Law from the Catholic University of Nijmegen and completed various law programs at Harvard University to obtain US qualifications.

Carmen is very excited to be a part of an organization, which is defining the next generation of biobased plastics and chemicals. She believes that everyone’s contribution is important for making a greater impact and is happy for the opportunity to apply this belief on a daily basis.

Bart Welten

Chief Financial Officer

Mr Welten will bring 30 years in finance to Avantium and has extensive experience in the chemical and life-sciences industries. He most recently served as the CFO of Centrient Pharmaceuticals (formerly the joint-venture of DSM and Sinochem) in Singapore. Before he left Centrient, he managed the sale of the company to Bain Capital. Prior to this, Mr Welten held the position of CFO of DSM Resins and DSM Anti-Infectives. He holds a law degree from Leiden University (Netherlands) and an MBA from Boston College (USA).

Zanna McFerson

Managing Director of the Renewable Chemistries

Zanna McFerson is Managing Director of the Renewable Chemistries Business Unit of Avantium.

Prior to this, Zanna held various Director and VP level positions at Cargill for 23 years.

Originally from Finland, Zanna holds a MSc in Economics from the University of Iowa.

Zanna gets energy from thinking about what needs to change in the world to make it a better future for her children and next generations. She loves the outdoors and has always had a healthy respect for nature whether it be the forest or the sea. To be able to work in an environment where we as a company and team of individuals can come together to create the future we want is incredibly satisfying.

Gert-Jan Gruter

Chief Technology Officer

Gert-Jan Gruter is Avantium’s CTO (Chief Technology Officer) since 2004. Before this, he was responsible for setting up the Chemicals Service Business (2000-2004) and was a Group Leader New Catalyst Research at DSM (1993-2000).

Dutch Native, Gert-Jan holds a PhD in Chemistry from the Vrije University of Amsterdam.

Gert-Jan believes that transitioning to a circular society is crucial in times when all elements on the periodic table are in danger of extinction. His personal mission is to help develop large-scale novel sustainable technologies that, at full commercial scale, are superior to fossil technologies by price and performance.

Steven Olivier

Managing Director Catalysis

Steven Olivier is Managing Director of the Catalysis Business Unit of Avantium.

Prior to joining Avantium, Steven was in various general management and commercial roles at AkzoNobel and Albemarle.

Dutch native, Steven holds an MSc in Chemistry from the University of Leiden.

Steven is always motivated news ways of doing things faster, better, and cheaper.

Michelle Jou

Michelle Jou joined the Supervisory Board of the Company in 2020. She has over 20 years of professional experience in the chemical industry in Asia and Europe, where she has served in a variety of positions in sales, marketing and supply chain management. In 2003, Michelle Jou joined Covestro (formerly Bayer MaterialScience) in the company’s central departments in Shanghai. She later took on the role of VP of the Polycarbonates Business Unit in China and Hong Kong. In 2012 Mrs. Jou was named Senior VP of Commercial Operations in the Asia region. In 2016, she became President of Covestro’s global Polycarbonates Segment, headquartered in Shanghai.

Mrs. Michelle B.B. Jou (1969) holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in French from Fu-Jen University (Taiwan) and an MBA from the EMLYON Business School (France).

In line with the Supervisory Board profile, Mrs. Jou adds the following desired specific knowledge and experience:

International Executive Experience, with a specialist knowledge of the Asian region which represents major growth markets for Avantium’s renewable materials and chemicals;
Extensive commercial experience from the chemicals and plastics industries

Mrs. Jou has extensive and relevant experience by education and through the various roles she holds and has held at Covestro, a world-leading supplier of polymer materials.

She is fluent in Mandarin, Cantonese, French and English.

Edwin Moses

Chair

Edwin Moses (chairman) joined the Supervisory Board of the Company in December 2019.

Edwin Moses is a serial entrepreneur and value creator in European life science companies. He has expertise in high value service provision to the pharmaceutical industry and in drug discovery and development. His primary focus is on high growth businesses and change management. Mr. Moses has 25 years of Board level experience in more than 10 companies, mostly as Chairman.

Edwin Moses is Chairman of the Supervisory Board and member of the Audit Committee.

crisis test

Resources

Tom van Aken

Carmen Portocarero

Bart Welten

Zanna McFerson

Gert-Jan Gruter

Steven Olivier

Help us build
a fossil free world.

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Carmen Portocarero

General Counsel

Bart Welten

Chief Financial Officer

Zanna McFerson

Managing Director of the Renewable Chemistries

Gert-Jan Gruter

Chief Technology Officer

Steven Olivier

Managing Director Catalysis

Michelle Jou

Edwin Moses

Chair

crisis test

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Tom van Aken

Carmen Portocarero

Bart Welten

Zanna McFerson

Gert-Jan Gruter

Steven Olivier

Help us build a fossil free world.

Join our mailing list

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Carmen Portocarero

General Counsel

Bart Welten

Chief Financial Officer

Zanna McFerson

Managing Director of the Renewable Chemistries

Gert-Jan Gruter

Chief Technology Officer

Steven Olivier

Managing Director Catalysis

Michelle Jou

Edwin Moses

Chair

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Pin It on Pinterest

Help us build
a fossil free world.