Velocys appoints new CEO

Velocys has announced that Matthew Viergutz has joined Velocys as chief executive officer. Viergutz will be based out of the company’s Houston, Texas, office and replaces Henrik Wareborn, who departed to pursue new opportunities.
Viergutz has over 25 years of experience in process licencing, holding various sales, business and leadership roles at Monsanto, MECS Inc., DuPont and Sulzer.
He also served as CEO of Butamax Advanced Biofuels, a joint venture between DuPont and BP that successfully commercialized a new biofuels platform.
“I am thrilled to be joining a leading Fischer Tropsch technology company with a rich tradition of innovation and reactor technology scale-up,” said Viergutz.
“Velocys operates in an exciting and growing market space and is supported by world-class investors. I look forward to accelerating the deployment of our technology to our customer base as we work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the globe.”
This key leadership hire is another milestone in Velocys’ new chapter as a private, growth company.
In January of 2024, a consortium of growth and climate investors, including Carbon Direct Capital, GenZero, and Lightrock, took Velocys private and injected fresh growth capital.
Velocys’ patented catalyst and micro-channel reactor platform provides a scalable, flexible solution especially suitable for projects that produce sustainable aviation fuel.
Velocys’ Fischer-Tropsch technology is compatible with multiple project types employing diverse feedstocks, including municipal solid waste, woody biomass, and CO2 & green hydrogen, and has demonstrated performance at commercial scale.
“Matthew brings entrepreneurial drive, industry acumen, and a track record of commercial execution,” commented Josh Dienstag, chief investment officer of Carbon Direct Capital. “We are delighted to welcome Matthew to the company especially at a time when demand for sustainable aviation fuel – and the key technologies that underpin its production – is accelerating.”