DTE appoints new CFO

Metals analysis firm DTE, headquartered in Iceland, has appointed Auður Árnadóttir its chief financial officer (CFO). With a proven track record of guiding startups through complex growth phases, she brings a wealth of expertise in financial strategy, operational efficiency and international business to DTE, which is entering an accelerated expansion stage, according to the company.

Árnadóttir most recently served as CFO at Icelandic plant-based biotech firm ORF Genetics, where she managed EU Horizon 2020 grant funding, led a successful bond issuance and supported ongoing scaling efforts. She previously served as CFO for Avania Data Center, Geysir Green Energy, its subsidiary Enex and skincare brand Bioeffect. DTE says her ability to streamline operations and drive growth in fast-paced industries aligns seamlessly with the company’s mission to transform the aluminum industry.

She is the second woman in the C-Suite, alongside Ásdís Virk Sigtryggsdóttir, who transitioned from chief operating officer to chief commercial officer in 2023. The leadership team also includes Board Chairman Sigríður Olgeirsdóttir and Director of Engineering Iðunn Arnardóttir.

“We’re delighted to welcome Auður Árnadóttir to the executive team,” DTE co-founder and CEO Karl Ágúst Matthíasson says. “With extensive experience in areas ranging from financial leadership and strategic growth to system implementation and governance, Auður is the ideal executive to oversee our next growth phase from an innovative startup into a major aluminum industry player. With Auður on board as CFO, we will be better equipped to handle the challenges that expansion inevitably brings. Her financial experience in international business, overseeing the financial structuring of complex startups, make her the ideal person to ensure that DTE remains financially sound and efficient as it transitions from a startup into a major industry player.”

“It’s a privilege to join a company which is genuinely revolutionizing the aluminum industry,” Árnadóttir says. “With the industry facing new challenges including increased protectionism and supply disruption as well as an urgent need to decarbonize, it needs the kind of innovative solutions that DTE offers if it is to continue meeting the unprecedented demand. I look forward to supporting DTE to further develop its financial foundation as more and more producers and recyclers incorporate our technology into their processes.”

Founded in 2014, DTE says it makes aluminum production safer, more cost-effective and less energy-intensive. Leveraging its proprietary liquid-phase laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LP-LIBS) technology, DTE enables real-time chemical analysis of molten metal. Combined with advanced AI software, this technology identifies impurities or errors, allowing proactive alterations to be made during the production process.