Wood Products Specialist Koppers Names Chief Sustainability Officer: 5 Things to Know

Koppers Holdings, a developer of treated wood products, has named Stephanie Apostolou as chief legal and sustainability officer and secretary.

Apostolou essentially succeeds two Koppers executives, who are set to retire in 2025. They include:

• Leslie Hyde, senior VP and CSO, will retire effective March 31, 2025.
• Joseph Dowd, global VP of zero harm, will retire effective February 28, 2025. 

Here are five things to know about the Koppers business and sustainability strategy, and Apostolou's executive experience.

1. Business Scope and Scale: Koppers, founded in 1988, has business roots that expend back to the early 1900s. The business, based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has roughly 2,200 employees.

2. Aligning Products with Circular Economy Efforts: Koppers business model is circular by nature, structured on the reuse of waste and scrap materials, the company asserts. The recycling of these materials drives production of wood preservatives for railroad crossties, utility poles, and outdoor wooden structures, as well as the manufacturing of aluminum, steel, and other essential products, the Koppers website states.

3. Sustainability Strategy and Milestones: According to the Koppers 2023 Sustainability Report, the company achieved its goal of a 50% reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions seven years ahead of schedule. The overall strategy aligns with the Koppers Zero Harm Commitment -- which places the "care and protection of our people, environment, and communities first." As a result, "successful performance will undoubtedly follow," the business asserts.

4. Executive Experience: Apostolou joined Koppers in 2011 as corporate sounsel and subsequently served as deputy general counsel and assistant secretary before being named general counsel and Secretary in 2020, the company notes. 

5. Executive Perspectives: In a prepared statement about Apostolou's new role, Koppers CEO Leroy Ball said, "In Stephanie's thirteen years at Koppers, she has grown tremendously as a leader and met every challenge along the way. Stephanie possesses a valuable blend of curiosity and caring that makes her the perfect successor for leading Sustainability and Zero Harm at Koppers. In addition, she has been heavily involved in every major decision made at Koppers in the past five years and knows our businesses like few others, which makes her uniquely qualified to also oversee our Risk Management and Strategic Planning processes. I have every confidence Stephanie will excel in her expanded responsibilities and carry on the proud tradition established by her predecessors."

Chief Sustainability Officers: Why Technology Partners Should Care

By 2027, 25% of Global 2000 companies will have assigned a chief sustainability officer (CSO) responsible for meeting their organization’s ESG goals and making ESG-related IT purchasing decisions, according to IDC.

The bottom line: Technology partners need to extend their sales, marketing, engagement and support strategies to successfully fulfill those CSO customer needs, Sustainable Tech Partner believes.