Yara has today (Wednesday, April 30) confirmed that Maren Franke has been appointed as vice president for the UK and Ireland.
She joined the global fertiliser business in Germany almost nine years ago as a key account manager for the northern regions of Schleswig-Holstein, where she hails from, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
Maren has a background in international trade and a degree in business and economics.
In 2019, she transitioned to an international role as commercial manager for Benelux within Yara.
As part of her role, she was responsible for all commercial fertiliser activities.
Yara
As she takes the helm of Yara’s operations in the UK and Ireland, Maren said that she aims to steer the business in today’s increasingly volatile markets.
“We must stay true to our mission: ensuring fair conditions for farmers, contributing to a nature-positive food future, and accelerating the transition toward decarbonised agriculture.
“To make this happen, we need the right policy and financial frameworks – ones that empower farmers and the industry with the right products, tools, innovation, and incentives needed to succeed,” she said.
Maren, who has completed her first 99 days in the role, praised the level of expertise within Yara’s UK and Ireland team.
“That spirit is both humbling and energising. The business is literally blooming thanks to the UK’s sunniest Q1 in years – with Ireland quickly catching up. Yet this season also reminds us how unpredictable weather patterns have become,” she said.
Yara recently reported that revenue and other income stood at over $3.6 billion in the first quarter (Q1) of 2025, up from €3.3 billion in the same period last year.
The Norwegian company’s earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, amortisation (EBITDA), excluding special items, was $634 million, up 47% on Q1 2024 ($435 million).
The increase was due to increased deliveries, better margins and reduced fixed costs.
Total deliveries were 7% higher than for the same quarter a year ago, mainly driven by Europe and Brazil.
Yara said that net income in Q1 2025 was $295 million compared with $16 million a year earlier.
Operating income rose from $166 million to $308 million for the first three months of 2025.
