Nova Chemicals adds VP of sustainability

Nova Chemicals Corp., Calgary, Alberta, has promoted Sarah Marshall to the newly created role of vice president, sustainability. She will be responsible for leading the company’s long-term environment, social and governance (ESG) strategy and managing the areas of climate care, corporate environment and ESG reporting.

In her previous role as director of Sustainability, Marshall collaborated with value chain partners, customers, government officials, industry associations and others to advance a circular economy for plastics that resulted in new partnerships and development agreements in mechanical and advanced recycling, the company says. Moving forward, Greg DeKunder, vice president of polyethylene marketing at Nova Chemicals, will lead the company’s work to develop a circular economy for plastics.

“Sarah is a widely recognized and well-respected leader in sustainability,” John Thayer, senior vice president of sales and marketing, says. “Her passion, experience and results-oriented nature will be indispensable as we work to decarbonize our industry, strive for a zero plastic waste future and create value for all our stakeholders. How we care for people and the environment is critical to our long-term success and is the essence of our purpose to shape a world that is better tomorrow than it is today.”

Marshall joined the company in 1997 and has served in a variety of leadership roles, including leader, products and catalysts R&D and director, technical service and application development. She brings more than 20 years of research and development experience within the petrochemicals industry, previously leading teams of scientists, engineers and technologists at Nova Chemicals’ Centre for Applied Research and Centre for Performance Applications, which the company says is the largest private research facility in western Canada.

“Accelerating toward a low-carbon future is critically important for the planet and offers new opportunities for the company,” Marshall says. “I am honored and delighted to lead a talented team of professionals as we develop and implement solutions at Nova Chemicals that benefit our stakeholders, society and our environment."

Marshall has an undergraduate degree in engineering from McGill University in Montreal and is a member of the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada Plastics Division Leadership Council and a former chair of the Canadian Plastics Industry Association.