Atte Virtanen appointed Head of Business Development at Fortum Bio2X
FORTUM CORPORATION PRESS RELEASE 7 May 2020
Mr Atte Virtanen has been appointed Head of Business Development at the Fortum Bio2X bioeconomy programme as of 1 May 2020. Atte will play a key role in establishing Bio2X partnerships, helping partners to advance more sustainable businesses, as well as developing industrial biorefinery operations together with the programme team.
Atte has an excellent background in building sustainable biobased products and biorefining businesses that use lignin, which is one of the three biomass fractions. Furthermore, he has solid experience in biobased industrial operations and a wide network in several sectors where Bio2X can help its partners to become more sustainable.
Before joining Fortum, Atte was working 10 years in the Netherlands for Trespa International B.V and in Italy for Arpa Industriale S.p.A. In both companies, he was leading R&D activities in the areas of cellulose materials and thermosetting resins. In addition, Atte gained experience from production environment during his time at Stora Enso’s Kotka mills, where he worked several years both in paper production and in a paper impregnating plant.
“I am extremely happy to be able to welcome Atte to the Fortum team. I am convinced that his exceptional drive and passion will help us to take the next steps in the Bio2X journey and make our vision come true”, says Heli Antila, VP Biobased Solutions.
Over the years, Fortum Bio2X has built a strong team with a focus on research and development, including piloting different production technologies. The programme is now moving on to the next phase by developing competencies in operations and maintenance. As part of this phase, Atte will help to shift the attention to commercializing the biomass fractions.
The Bio2X programme is part of Fortum’s strategy to build options for significant new businesses that improve resource efficiency and provide smart solutions for a cleaner world. It aims to be the straw refiner with superior material efficiency and a leading supplier of responsible textile fibres. Bio2X focuses on an efficient use of the cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin fractions in order to replace fossil or otherwise detrimental raw materials in numerous end-use applications.
Fortum Corporation
Group Communications
Further information:
Heli Antila, VP, Biobased solutions, tel. +358 40 571 7188, heli.antila@fortum.com
Read more: https://www.fortum.com/products-and-services/bio2x/bio2x-high-value-products-biomass
Fortum
Fortum is a leading clean-energy company that provides its customers with electricity, heating and cooling as well as smart solutions to improve resource efficiency. We want to engage our customers and society to join the change for a cleaner world. We employ some 8,000 professionals in the Nordic and Baltic countries, Russia, Poland and India. In 2019, our sales were EUR 5.4 billion and 59% of our electricity generation was CO2 free. Fortum's share is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki. www.fortum.com
