In occasion of this year’s Chemistry Days in Finland, Niklas von Weymarn, CEO of Metsä Spring Oy, a partner of the GRETE consortium, was awarded the Chemistry Societies Award 2022 for his great contributions related to research and development of industrial biomaterials.
The Chemistry Days (Kemian Päivät in Finnish) is part of the biennial ChemBio Finland, the largest meeting of its kind in the Nordic countries. The Chemistry Societies Award, presented by the Chemistry Days Foundation, is given alternately to representatives of academia and industry; when rewarding industry representatives, special attention is paid to the merit of the awardee in promoting the research achievements of the chemical industry.
Dr. von Weymarn stands out in both the academic and business context, acting as a successful interpreter between research and industry: he achieved his PhD from the Department of Chemical Engineering at the Helsinki University of Technology, majoring in biotechnology. At the beginning of his career, he worked at the university, Cultor Plc, VTT and two startup companies. During the VTT phase, he was actively involved in leading Metsäklusteri Oy’s extensive joint research programs. In 2012, he started as VP of Research at Metsä Fibre Ltd, part of the Metsä Group. The most significant project that he was involved in at the time was the planning and execution of Metsä Group’s bioproduct mill in Äänekoski, Finland. In 2018, he was given the task of building Metsä Group’s own innovation company, Metsä Spring Ltd, and he has been the company’s CEO since the beginning.
Another confirmation of the high profile of the GRETE consortium contributing to the relevance and prospected impact of the project outcomes: congratulations from all the members to Niklas von Weymarn, fantastic to have you on board!
