Scottish green innovator Celtic Renewables appoints CFO and CCO to drive global growth

Scottish green innovator Celtic Renewables appoints CFO and CCO to drive global growth

Kerry Crawford – CFO of Celtic Renewables

Scottish green chemical manufacturer Celtic Renewables has bolstered its senior leadership team with the appointment of Kerry Crawford as chief financial officer and Bettina Brierley as chief commercial officer.

Ms Brierley and Ms Crawford have been brought on as Celtic Renewables seeks to scale up its bio-acetone, bio-butanol and bio-ethanol production, and take the business from being an innovator in the UK’s green chemical sector to an established supplier in the global industry. 

Ms Crawford has three decades of international finance experience, during which she has led finance, funding, corporate, and investor relations, alongside transformation activities across a range of growing businesses and sectors.



She spent 20 years of her career in the energy sector, working in senior finance positions within listed companies such as Cairn Energy PLC and Bowleven PLC, where she was involved in multiple equity raises, corporate transactions, and debt/project financings.

Ms Crawford said: “After 20 years of working in the international oil and gas industry, I understand the strategy required to finance, develop and scale industrial operations. 

“Celtic Renewables applies the same principles but is focused on one of the most overlooked areas in the Just Transition, which is replacing fossil-derived chemicals with green alternatives.”

“Celtic Renewables has developed a commercially scalable solution with the potential to replicate internationally. It is a global imperative that we scale to meet demand for these green chemicals to enable the Just Transition and help ensure a greener, more sustainable future.”

New CCO Ms Brierley brings 35 years of chemical industry expertise to the CCO role, having spent her career working across Europe at the likes of Hoechst AG, Clariant AG, and Caldic UK, where she was responsible for sales, business development and key account development. 

In her most recent role at Caldic, Bettina led both product management and sales teams, successfully expanding the company’s supplier base, and making significant improvements to its margin development.

Ms Brierley said: “Over the past three decades, commercial demand for green chemicals has done nothing but increase. We now need to scale production to meet it.

“Big name brands are turning their attention to their scope three emissions targets and realising that green chemicals can play a major role in reducing them.

“It’s a huge opportunity that Celtic Renewables is poised to capitalise on, and whilst doing so, will reduce the fossil-based consumption for household brands across the globe.”

“Significant progress has already been made on the path to sanction of our first full-scale biorefinery. With our commercial demonstrator plant already operational at Grangemouth, my priority as CFO is to ensure we are optimally positioned for rapid growth and scale-up, are investment and financing ready, and able to deliver green chemicals to the global market to reduce carbon emissions and meet Net Zero goals.”

Mark Simmers, CEO at Celtic Renewables, said: “This is a pivotal time for Celtic Renewables. We’re making regular shipments to customers and are now looking to scale to meet customer demand for green chemicals. 

“With Bettina and Kerry onboard, the task of scaling becomes much easier. Their expertise in both the chemical and oil and gas sectors is invaluable and will enable unprecedented growth in the business. 

“Every industry from cosmetics to pharmaceuticals is looking to reduce their reliance on petrochemicals and minimise scope three emissions. As a result, a growing number of companies are making the switch to sustainably made chemicals.”

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