LanzaTech Global Inc., a carbon capture and transformation company with U.S. offices in Skokie, Illinois, has appointed Dorri McWhorter, Barbara Moakler Byrne and Nimesh Patel to its board of directors following its recent listing on the Nasdaq.
According to a news release from Lanza, the three join directors Jim Messina, Gary Rieschel, Nigel Gormly and Jennifer Holmgren. The company says the new directors’ diversified backgrounds and a broad range of experiences that span sustainable development, social impact and strategic finance will sharpen LanzaTech’s vision for a post pollution future and support the company in addressing the complex challenges involved in advancing society toward a circular carbon economy.
“Dorri, Barbara and Nimesh are outstanding additions to our board of directors,” LanzaTech CEO Jennifer Holmgren says. “Their unique perspectives, honed over decades of experience in their respective fields, will be invaluable as we enter this new chapter as a company. I look forward to working with each of them to drive sustainable solutions for carbon reduction and build a more diverse and inclusive culture within our company and industry.”
Dorri McWhorter is president and CEO of YMCA Metropolitan Chicago. Before that, she spent eight years as CEO of YWCA Metropolitan Chicago, implementing a new business model for enduring impact and sustainability. McWhorter also brings extensive auditing and consulting experience as a former partner of Crowe LLP (formerly Crowe Horwath) and director of internal audit, controls and compliance at Snap-On Incorporated. She sat on the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ board of directors from 2013-2016.
A 2019 Inductee into the Chicago Innovation Hall of Fame and an anchor in the global business community, the company says McWhorter is a seasoned corporate director who brings decades of experience from across the private and social change sectors. Her time in accounting and management consulting shaped her belief that value creation and social impact are not mutually exclusive. In addition to serving as a director of the LanzaTech Board of Directors, McWhorter will serve as chairperson of LanzaTech’s Audit Committee and will sit on LanzaTech’s Nominating and Governance Committee.
“I am honored to join the LanzaTech Board of Directors,” McWhorter says. “I believe in the company’s mission to drive an equitable and sustainable future for society, and I am excited to contribute to both creating long-term value for all stakeholders and strengthening the company’s efforts to build a more diverse and inclusive culture to advance innovation.”
Barbara Moakler Byrne is a corporate finance industry veteran with decades of experience in senior executive roles. She is the former vice chairperson of investment banking at both Barclays and Lehman Brothers and is notably the first woman to serve in that position at both firms. She was named one of the top five of America’s “25 Most Powerful Women in Finance” for eight consecutive years and a recipient of the American Banker’s Lifetime Achievement Award in Finance. The company says Byrne has earned her reputation for skillfully devising and leading unique corporate, nongovernmental organization and government partnerships to expedite economic and sustainable development.
Byrne is a director and chairperson of the Audit Committee of both Paramount Global and PowerSchool, and a director at Carta. She is a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a supporter of diverse content creation for film and television, and an active investor in women-owned and scalable social impact businesses. Byrne will serve as a director for LanzaTech and sit on LanzaTech’s Audit Committee and Compensation Committees.
“Joining LanzaTech’s board of directors is a meaningful opportunity to help scale solutions for our changing climate,” Byrne says. “I look forward to working with the talented team at LanzaTech as they reimagine the carbon economy and supporting the company’s growth and success during such a critical time.”
Nimesh Patel is a managing director with the AMCI Group. Patel has helped the AMCI Group invest nearly $2 billion of its own capital and co-investor capital across numerous sectors including natural resources and logistics. Patel was instrumental in leading AMCI Acquisition Corp. II’s business combination with LanzaTech NZ Inc., which resulted in LanzaTech Global’s public listing on Nasdaq. Patel brings extensive financial and operational experience to the LanzaTech board of directors.
“As a pioneer in carbon recycling, LanzaTech has endeavored for nearly two decades to build and scale long-lasting, impactful technology,” Patel says. “I am honored to join LanzaTech’s board of directors as it enters a new chapter in its history and help guide the company toward a future in which there is no such thing as pollution or waste.”
LanzaTech sees building an inclusive team with diversified skillsets as a critical focus as it strives to deliver well-rounded solutions for the planet. The appointment of these new board members reflects LanzaTech’s continued efforts to strengthen its team and broaden its perspectives to deliver the most innovative and impactful solutions for a sustainable future.