Enviva Inc. announced that Thomas Meth, Enviva’s President, has been appointed the Company’s CEO and will become a member of Enviva’s Board of Directors, while retaining his title as President.
The Company also announced that John Keppler, Chairman and CEO, is expected to assume the role of Executive Chairman, consistent with the succession plan developed by the Board. Prior to doing so, Mr. Keppler will be stepping down from his responsibilities to pursue medical and surgical treatment to address a cardiac valve issue. The Company expects Mr. Keppler, who co-founded Enviva in 2004 with Mr. Meth, to remain available to the Company, and to return in the active Executive Chairman role early in 2023.
Additionally, the Company announced that Ralph Alexander, who has been a member of the Board since 2013, will fulfill Mr. Keppler’s duties as Chairman of the Board until Mr. Keppler’s return, when Mr. Alexander is expected to become Lead Independent Director.
Mr. Meth is a co-founder of Enviva and, prior to his appointment as CEO, he held the position of President, working closely with Mr. Keppler, with responsibility for the Company’s activities from the forest, through our operations and logistics, and ultimately to our customers’ discharge. Mr. Meth has led Enviva’s business development, sales and commercial customer relations, fiber procurement, and sustainability functions. In addition, he has had oversight over the broader plant and port operations and global public affairs initiatives.
Enviva is the world’s largest producer of industrial wood pellets, a renewable and sustainable energy source produced by aggregating a natural resource, wood fiber, and processing it into a transportable form, wood pellets.
