Our Leadership Team

Omar Hoek

Group CEO

Omar joined Vita in 2023. He is a highly experienced B2B Business Leader, who has managed P&Ls for a range of listed global materials companies. Omar has a strong background in business growth and organisational transformation, strategy development, (end-user) marketing, supply chain & operations, customer excellence, mergers & acquisitions, and driving innovation.

Shadi Iskandar

CFO

Shadi joined Vita in 2024. He comes to us from Johnson Matthey, where he served as the Finance Director for their Clean Air business. Shadi brings a wealth of experience from his tenure at BAT and the National Bank of Abu Dhabi. Shadi’s experience will bring strong financial support to the business unit structures.

Bridget Groarke, General Counsel & Company Secretary

Bridget Groarke

General Counsel & Company Secretary

Bridget joined Vita in 2017 and has over 20 years’ Post Qualification Experience. In addition to her legal qualifications she has an MBA and is a qualified Data Protection Practitioner. Bridget has extensive in-house corporate and commercial experience gained with Manchester Airport Group, the Co-operative Group and Intervoice Brite.

Dr. Mike Murray

Chief Technical Officer

Mike joined Vita in April 2020, having spent 25 years with Morgan Advanced Materials in a number of global technology leadership roles, including the last 6 years as Group CTO. He holds a Bachelor’s and Ph.D. in Materials Science from the University of Birmingham.

Linda Meade

Chief Human Resources Officer

Linda brings a wealth of experience and expertise to our organisation, having previously worked with private equity firms and publicly listed companies including a successful tenure at Dreams. Linda being in skills and insights in HR management, talent acquisition, and employee development.

Markus Westerkamp

Chief Operating Officer

Markus joined us from Ahlstom-Munksjo, where he held the position of COO. Markus’s experience is in managing large, complex global operations with a strong focus on efficiency, technology, health and safety and investments and being a strong operations support to business strategy and results.

Lionel Bonte

Chief Commercial Officer

Lionel Bonte is a seasoned global leader with over two decades of diverse industry experience and a proven track record in international business. For more than 10 years, he has successfully managed P&L responsibilities across various regions. Lionel is joining Vita from Mativ, where he served as President of Healthcare and Wellness. Prior to Mativ, he led the Medical Business unit at Ahlstrom and held key leadership roles at HAVI Global Solutions and Tetra Pak. His professional journey has taken him across the USA, Asia, and Europe. Lionel holds a master’s degree in International Business and Economics from ISCID Business School.

Cyril Wasem

Chief Procurement Officer

Cyril Wasem brings a wealth of knowledge and experience. He spent his early career within chocolate manufacturing before moving into chemicals (Tier 1 automotive partner) and more recently specialty chemicals manufacturing, operating within large multi-site operations and dispersed global teams. In his most recent role as Chief Procurement Officer at Archroma, Cyril oversaw a spend of $1.4bn across directs and indirects with 100 FTEs across 34 sites globally.