Ralf has been part of Geminor since its early years, joining the board in 2005 and becoming a shareholder in 2008. Over the past two decades, he has held several senior roles, including Chief Operating Officer and Chief Sales Officer, contributing significantly to the company’s expansion across nine European countries. His work has been central to establishing Geminor’s commercial footprint in key markets such as the United Kingdom, Germany and Scandinavia.
Most recently, Ralf has been involved in strategic market development and cooperation initiatives within plastics recycling, with a particular focus on Germany, the Netherlands and other growth markets. In his new role as CCO, he will assume executive responsibility for Geminor’s commercial operations across all markets, overseeing country managers on sales matters and the company’s innovation and market development functions.
The appointment comes at a time of continued development in European waste markets, with increasing treatment capacity in Germany and evolving market structures in the United Kingdom creating new commercial opportunities for cross-border waste streams and resource recovery.
Kjetil Vikingstad, founder of Geminor and, most recently, Chief Commercial Officer, will transition to a strategic owner role within the group. He will remain available to the organisation in a mentoring and advisory capacity on a project basis.
“Ralf has been a driving force behind Geminor’s European expansion from the very beginning,” said Håvard Framnes, CEO of Geminor. “His market knowledge, commercial understanding and long-standing industry relationships make him well-suited to lead our commercial organisation going forward.”
“I have spent a significant part of my career developing Geminor’s position in European markets,” said Ralf Schöpwinkel. “Taking on the role of Chief Commercial Officer allows me to further build on this foundation and pursue new opportunities in a market that continues to evolve.”
“Ralf knows the business and the markets in depth,” said Kjetil Vikingstad. “I am confident in his leadership and look forward to following Geminor’s continued development.”