Scottish green chemical manufacturer Celtic Renewables has made two key appointments as it plans to scale-up to meet growing demand.

Bettina Brierley becomes chief commercial officer and Kerry Crawford is the new chief financial officer. 

The pair have been brought in as the company seeks to scale up its bio-acetone, bio-butanol and bio-ethanol production, and take the business from being an innovator in the UK’s green chemical sector to an established supplier in the global industry. 

Ms Brierley brings 35 years of chemical industry expertise to the CCO role, having spent her career working across Europe at companies such as Hoechst AG, Clariant AG, and Caldic UK, where she was responsible for sales, business development and key account development. 

In her most recent role at Caldic, she led both product management and sales teams, expanding the company’s supplier base, and making significant improvements to its margin development.

Ms Crawford has three decades of international finance experience, during which she has led finance, funding, corporate, and investor relations, alongside transformation activities across a range of growing businesses and sectors. 

She spent 20 years of her career in the energy sector, working in senior finance positions within listed companies such as Cairn Energy and Bowleven, where she was involved in multiple equity raises, corporate transactions, and debt/project financings.

Ms Brierley said, “Over the past three decades, commercial demand for green chemicals has done nothing but increase. We now need to scale production to meet it.

“Big name brands are turning their attention to their scope three emissions targets and realising that green chemicals can play a major role in reducing them.

“It’s a huge opportunity that Celtic Renewables is poised to capitalise on, and whilst doing so, will reduce the fossil-based consumption for household brands across the globe.”

Ms Crawford added: “Celtic Renewables has developed a commercially scalable solution with the potential to replicate internationally.

“It is a global imperative that we scale to meet demand for these green chemicals to enable the Just Transition and help ensure a greener, more sustainable future.

“Significant progress has already been made on the path to sanction of our first full-scale biorefinery.

“With our commercial demonstrator plant already operational at Grangemouth, my priority as CFO is to ensure we are optimally positioned for rapid growth and scale-up, are investment and financing ready, and able to deliver green chemicals to the global market to reduce carbon emissions and meet Net Zero goals.”

Commenting on the appointments, Mark Simmers, CEO at Celtic Renewables, said, “This is a pivotal time for Celtic Renewables. We’re making regular shipments to customers and are now looking to scale to meet customer demand for green chemicals. 

“With Bettina and Kerry onboard, the task of scaling becomes much easier. Their expertise in both the chemical and oil and gas sectors is invaluable and will enable unprecedented growth in the business. 

“Every industry from cosmetics to pharmaceuticals is looking to reduce their reliance on petrochemicals and minimise scope three emissions. As a result, a growing number of companies are making the switch to sustainably made chemicals.”