Veolia has announced a series of senior management changes across key regions, including new leadership for the Northern Europe and Asia Pacific zones and its Germany business unit.
Richard Kirkman, formerly managing director of Veolia Australia & New Zealand, took up the role of CEO for Northern Europe on 2 April 2026. He now oversees operations across the UK, Ireland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Finland and the Netherlands. He has also been appointed Chief Growth Officer and joined Veolia's executive committee.
He succeeds Gavin Graveson, former senior vice-president for Northern Europe and UK chief executive, who has become chief executive of Veolia’s Asia Pacific zone. He will remain a member of the group executive committee.
Prior to his appointment in Australia and New Zealand in 2020, Mr Kirkman's experience includes 26 years with Veolia in the UK, where he led the building and operation of key infrastructure including waste to energy (wte) and recycling plants, water treatment assets, plastic recycling and composting activities. In his new role, he takes on responsibility for Veolia's Northern European water, waste and energy activities, which together generate £4bn (€4.6bn) in annual revenues and employ 7,000 people.
CFO Emmanuelle Menning takes the helm at German business unit
In a separate statement, Veolia announced that group CFO Emmanuelle Menning would take over as head of its German operations as of 2 April. She succeeds Stefan Grützmacher, who had held the role on an interim basis following the departure of Matthias Harms.
Ms Menning will retain her existing responsibilities as chief financial officer and deputy chief executive at group level, a dual role the company said reflects both her strong operational background in Germany and her current position within the group. According to Veolia, the appointment is intended to strengthen alignment between the German business and the group’s central management, support the delivery of the strategic roadmap and ensure continuity in operations.
Ms Menning joined Veolia in Germany in 2014, became CFO for Veolia's German operations in 2016. She transferred to the group's headquarters in 2020, where she is currently responsible for global finance and procurement strategy. Prior to joining Veolia, she worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young and the investment bank Natixis.
According to Veolia, the appointments are designed to support the next stage of its GreenUp programme, with a focus on strengthening growth, expanding international activities and accelerating innovation, while maintaining operational performance.
Mr Kirkman said he was looking forward to "building on the excellence that Gavin and the team have delivered across Northern Europe and supporting my colleagues as we drive to complete our GreenUp ambitions."
