How Will OMV’s New CEO Navigate Market Volatility?

BP executive Emma Delaney has been nominated as OMV’s newest Chairman and CEO, succeeding Alfred Stern. If confirmed, she would become the company’s first ever female CEO.

OMV says the appointment needs to be confirmed at the company’s next supervisory board meeting, but the intention is for Emma’s role to take effect from 1 September 2026.

The term of the mandate will be three years with an option to extend by two additional years by mutual agreement.

Alfred announced plans to leave the leadership role in May 2025, citing a personal decision to not stand for reappointment. He will assist in the leadership transition until the end of his term on 31 August 2026.

In a company statement, OMV highlights the extent of her experience, saying: “Emma Delaney brings profound knowledge in Upstream and Downstream as well as LNG businesses. 

“Drawing on this experience, she emerged as the most suitable candidate from the international search process.”

In addition to Emma’s nomination, the company has also announced plans to extend Reinhard Florey’s mandate as CFO by two years, which will be enacted at the same meeting.

Decades of industry tenure

Emma has been a long-time member of BP’s top executive team with more than three decades of relevant industry experience.

In her current position as the company’s Executive Vice President for Customers and Products, she is responsible for overseeing more than 50,000 employees across 50 countries, spanning fuels and biofuels, industrial and automotive lubricant production, as well as aviation fuels and e-mobility.

OMV states that based on Emma’s experience she emerged as “the most suitable candidate” during the company’s international search process.

Reflecting on Emma’s nomination, Lutz Feldmann, Chairman of the Supervisory Board and the Presidential and Nomination Committee, says: “Emma Delaney is an outstanding and highly qualified CEO candidate. 

“She meets all prerequisites to lead OMV successfully, building on her extensive industry and management experience.”

Leadership amid market challenges

OMV’s nomination of Emma as CEO coincides with several company-wide strategy moves this year.

In March, OMV and its Abu Dhabi partner ADNOC finalised the creation of Borogue Group International (BGI), a new global polyolefins group combining Borogue, Borealis and OMV’s recent acquisition of Nova Chemicals.

The joint venture, equally shared by OMV and ADNOC, was financed with loans totalling US$15.4bn. A planned IPO for BGI has been pushed back to 2027 due to market volatility brought about by conflict in the Middle East.

Emma faces other immediate challenges as the new CEO, such as alleviating stakeholder concerns amid sector concerns, including pressures to transition away from fossil fuel dependence, geopolitical uncertainty and capital allocation from potential investors despite an unpredictable market.

In a 2025 interview with the Heidrick & Struggles Leadership podcast, Emma spoke about her approach to leadership within the energy sector, saying leaders need to be “adaptable but resilient at the same time.”

She also discussed the importance of companies investing in traditional energy sources like oil and gas production, as well as growing alternative methods such as EV charging and biofuels.

Despite concerns around market pressures, Edith Hlawati, Deputy Chairwoman, expresses her confidence in Emma’s leadership of the company: “This proposal is precisely on the spot. The Executive Board nomination of Emma Delaney will give OMV an even stronger international visibility. 

“With her appointment Emma Delaney would become the first female CEO in the history of OMV.”