Carsten Poppinga to become Uniper's new Chief Commercial Officer - Michael Lewis to take over as CEO on 1 July
- Carsten Poppinga succeeds Niek den Hollander, who leaves Uniper
- Michael Lewis joins Uniper from E.ON on 1 July
- Tom Blades: "Within a few weeks we have gained a powerful management team for Uniper"
Niek den Hollander will leave Uniper as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at his own request. In his place, Carsten Poppinga will take over the commercial department at Uniper on 1 October. Niek den Hollander, whose contract expires at the end of May, has agreed to continue in his position until 31 July, thus ensuring the best possible transition to Carsten Poppinga. Niek den Hollander has been CCO of Uniper since June 2020 and is thus head of the global energy trading business.
Carsten Poppinga is a mathematician and currently works as Senior Vice President Trading & Origination at the energy trading company Statkraft Markets GmbH in Düsseldorf, a subsidiary of the Norwegian Statkraft AS, where he manages European and US energy trading. Carsten Poppinga also gained international trading experience as Managing Director at the Austrian OMV Trading. A native of Germany, he lives in Düsseldorf with his wife and two sons.
We are delighted to have gained Carsten Poppinga, a proven trading expert, to complete the new management team at Uniper. It is a great gesture by Niek den Hollander to extend his contract until the end of July in order to make the transition to Carsten Poppinga as smooth as possible. Niek has decided to take on new challenges. We thank him for his very successful work in the last three years, especially in the crisis year 2022. Not least thanks to him is the quick procurement of replacement gas after the Russian supply stop last summer.
Taking on the role of CCO at Uniper is something very special for me. The company's relevance to the energy industry, in particular the importance and scope of the global trading business, have long been known in the industry. With these strengths, Uniper will play a significant role in the transformation of the energy market. The task now will be to further diversify the trading business and drive forward the energy transition. I will devote all my energy to ensuring that we succeed in both.
I am leaving on good terms with Uniper and thank Tom Blades and the Supervisory Board for the good cooperation. My time at Uniper is and was an important stage in my career. The challenging, exciting topics and the unique spirit in the team have made my time at Uniper special - I will always have very positive memories of that. I will fulfil my duties with full commitment until the end of July and wish the company and its people nothing but the best for its future.
It is a good sign for the entire workforce that the Supervisory Board has succeeded in putting together a powerful Executive Board team in a short time. The quick clarification of personnel matters allows us to focus exclusively on the central projects and the future of our company.
It was also announced that the company's CEO designate, Michael Lewis, will take office on 1 July. Lewis comes from E.ON, where he is CEO of the company’s UK business. Uniper had already reported on the personnel matter on 1 March. Until Michael Lewis takes office, the responsibilities of the CEO will be assumed by Uniper’s Chief Financial Officer, Jutta Dönges, and Chief Operating Officer, Holger Kreetz.
We have thus succeeded in recruiting a powerful team for the new Uniper board within only ten weeks. We are very happy and proud about this. Michael Lewis as CEO, Jutta Dönges, Holger Kreetz and Carsten Poppinga will bring this company forward with energy and expertise. We are all aware that Uniper is entering a new phase with this team. Together with the Federal Republic of Germany as our largest shareholder by far, the Supervisory Board and the Board of Management are already ensuring that Uniper fulfils its system-critical role in Germany and other countries in a responsible and convincing manner.
About Uniper
Düsseldorf-based Uniper is an international energy company with activities in more than 40 countries. With around 7,000 employees, it makes an important contribution to security of supply in Europe. Uniper’s core businesses are power generation in Europe, global energy trading, and a broad gas portfolio. Uniper procures gas – including liquefied natural gas (LNG) – and other energy sources on global markets. The company owns and operates gas storage facilities with a capacity of more than 7 billion cubic meters. Uniper plans for its 22.5 GW of installed power-generating capacity in Europe to be carbon-neutral by 2035. The company already ranks among Europe’s largest operators of hydroelectric plants and intends to further expand solar and wind energy, which are essential for a more sustainable and autonomous future.
Uniper is a reliable partner for communities, municipal utilities, and industrial enterprises for planning and implementing innovative, lower-carbon solutions on their decarbonization journey. Uniper is a hydrogen pioneer, is active worldwide along the entire hydrogen value chain, and is conducting projects to make hydrogen a mainstay of the energy supply.
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