Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: RedSea, the sustainable AgTech business whose pioneering technology enables commercial farming in hot climates globally, announces the appointment of John Keppler to its Board of Directors, with immediate effect.

John is Executive Chairman of Enviva Inc. (NYSE: EVA) the world’s largest producer of sustainable wood pellets - a reliable, renewable alternative to coal and other fossil fuels. As a co-founder and former CEO of Enviva, he led the company’s growth from a start-up to become a global, industry-leading enterprise - including its successful 2015 IPO on the New York Stock Exchange, making it the first publicly traded company in its industry.

John has vast experience within the sustainability and fossil fuel alternatives sectors. He serves on the Board of the Sustainable Biomass Program (SBP), a unique certification scheme for wood biomass used in industrial, large-scale energy production. He was also named as an Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2021 National Award winner by Ernst & Young LLP (EY US).

John has also been a Senior Adviser to RedSea. Today’s announcement is further evidence of RedSea’s growth and ambition, and follows the recent senior Board appointments of Larkin Martin and Steve Dauphin.

Ryan Lefers, CEO and co-founder of RedSea, said:

“We are honored to have John Keppler join our Board. He is a successful founder of a market-leading sustainable business himself, which he has grown from a start-up all the way through to a New York Stock Exchange listing. At RedSea, we are excited to learn from his vast experience and knowledge. You can judge a company by the quality of its people, and with the recent Board additions of John, Larkin Martin and Steve Dauphin - all world class in their fields - we are appointing the very best. We look forward to RedSea’s future with great confidence.”

John Keppler commented:

“I am very excited to join the board of RedSea and provide support and guidance to help the company fulfill its enormous potential. I look forward to working with Ryan and the wider RedSea team as they continue to provide innovative and sustainable solutions to the growing global food crisis.”

RedSea offers pioneering sustainable agriculture technologies for hot climates. RedSea’s platform of proprietary technologies includes: heat, salt and drought resilient plant genetics; sustainable active and passive cooling systems; and a low cost, climate adapted farm monitoring and alerting system.

RedSea was recently awarded the esteemed Davidson Prize for its iyris SecondSky transparent heat-blocking roofing materials, reinforcing its reputation and pedigree as a world leader in sustainable agriculture technology. In recent tests in Saudi Arabia, the iyris SecondSky roof was proven to reduce energy usage by over 40%.

RedSea’s technologies are now deployed and being used by growers in four continents. The company also has a growing portfolio of high-profile partnerships, including providing sustainable agriculture technologies for greenhouse facilities at leading developers such as Red Sea Global, Saudi Downtown Company, and Abu Dhabi’s leading fresh produce and AgTech company - Silal.