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Leadership changes at NatureWorks

Roger Tambay has been appointed as the new chief growth officer at NatureWorks, a U.S.-based producer of PLA bioplastics, while Roger Kempa has been confirmed as chief financial officer.

October 3, 2024 16:25

roger Tampay Natureworks NatureWorks announced the addition of Roger Tambay as Chief Growth Officer and the confirmation of Roger Kempa as CFO, a role he had held on an interim basis.

“We are pleased to grow the leadership team at NatureWorks with people who can support our ambitious growth and innovation plans,” said Erik Ripple, President and CEO of NatureWorks. “As NatureWorks faces a competitive, yet high-potential market, we need to continue leading with new, highly functional polymers that can deliver transparent and traceable sustainability attributes while meeting the need for performance at scale in applications from compostable, flexible films to 3D printing filament.”

Roger Tambay, with over 30 years of experience in the plastics industry, previously served as Vice President of Business Development and Sustainable Packaging at St. Johns Packaging, a Canadian flexible packaging company. He also founded FilmOrganic, which manufactures proprietary compostable mulch films with predictable lifespans for commercial fruit and vegetable production.
Tambay received a B.Sc. in Chemistry from Université de Montréal, an MBA from Concordia University, and B.C.L. and LL.B law degrees from McGill University.

Roger Kempa, now CFO, had been serving in this position on an interim basis since September of last year. Earlier this year, he successfully secured $350 million in financing from Krungthai Bank to support the construction of a new plant in Thailand.
Before joining NatureWorks, Kempa worked at Cargill for eight years, including roles as global finance director for joint ventures and financial planning manager. He also has extensive experience in biopolymers, having served as a board member and chair of the Finance, Risk, and Audit Committee at Qore, a producer of bio-based 1,4-butanediol (QIRA).
Kempa holds an MBA from Michigan State University and a BBA and MA in Accounting from the University of Michigan, Dearborn.

NatureWorks currently produces PLA bioplastics in Blair, Nebraska, with an annual capacity of 150,000 tonnes. The company is also building a new integrated plant in Thailand, expected to be operational in 2025, with a capacity of 75,000 tonnes per year.