Biopolymer Producer NatureWorks Names New CEO

NatureWorks, a manufacturer of polylactic acid (PLA) biopolymers, announced the appointment of Erik Ripple as the company’s new president and chief executive officer. Ripple will succeed interim President and CEO, Jill Zullo, who has served in the role since March 2023 when former CEO, Rich Altice, retired from NatureWorks.

Ripple comes to NatureWorks from Nexeon Ltd. in the United Kingdom, a manufacturer of silicon carbide composites for electric vehicle batteries. As chief strategy officer, he led the commercial, engineering and program teams enabling the launch of their first commercial product to battery manufacturers.

Prior to the position at Nexeon, Ripple was the chief growth and innovation officer at Ingevity, where he previously served as the president of Asia Pacific and the senior vice president for performance materials.

Before joining Ingevity in 2010, Ripple spent 18 years with Eastman Chemical Co. where he served in leadership roles in innovation, business management and corporate development, including holding regional responsibilities in Europe.

Ripple earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Tennessee and an MBA from Washington University.

“I am delighted to have been appointed to lead NatureWorks. It is a company that has been at the forefront of the low carbon, biomaterials industry for over 20 years, fueled by a deeply committed, talented team and with an exciting global expansion underway in Thailand,” Ripple says. “I’m looking forward to bringing together my background in developing nimble, creative teams and partnerships with the culture of innovation that has underscored NatureWorks’ growth and ambition in the biomaterials industry.”

Natureworks recently announced the next phase of construction on the new fully integrated Ingeo PLA manufacturing facility in Thailand. The new 75,000-ton/year facility is on track to complete construction with production anticipated in 2025.