Blending science and strategy, Mikala Grubb shares why chemistry and collaboration are key to a low-carbon future
Throughout my 18-year career at Topsoe, my role has evolved significantly, from a deep technical understanding of our catalysts towards more commercial and customer-facing roles,” opens Mikala Grubb, Senior Vice President of Clean Fuels and Chemicals Technologies at Topsoe. “My background provides a strong technical foundation and holistic understanding of Topsoe, enabling me to educate customers and engage with our R&D teams to find the best solutions for a low-carbon future.”
At the helm of an innovative team dedicated to delivering sustainable solutions to the global market, Mikala’s passion for the industry is clear to see even from an introduction. With an impressive 18-year tenure at Topsoe, Mikala boasts extensive experience from across the business, spanning research and development (R&D), business development, licensing, and commercial excellence, as well as an MSc and PhD from the Technical University of Denmark. Mikala prioritizes collaboration as a key driver of developing innovative technologies that will shape the future of energy production.
Elaborating on her educational and professional background, Mikala continues: “By training, I’m a chemical engineer, and although it’s cliché, I’ve always been driven by the idea of changing the world. After my PhD, I applied for three roles, and as though it was a fairytale, I got the one I wanted as a research engineer at Topsoe. The fact that Topsoe was a company based on science aligned with my passions, and I also loved the people here straight away.
“Upon returning from my second maternity leave, I moved into business development, where I scaled our HydroFlex technology from a marketing and commercial perspective. I then became responsible for several projects including upgrading unconventional feedstocks, or in other words, any non-fossil-based feedstock, which we grew from a small project into an entire business line. Following that period, I became head of our hydro-processing technologies, and as of January this year, I’m now Senior Vice President of Clean Fuels and Chemicals Technology.
“My role today truly combines my technical roots and commercial experience, providing me with a strategic mindset to continuously drive the company in the right direction and enable customers to build transformative energy plants. I love my job and where I work; not only am I working within a meaningful company that moves the needle towards creating a more sustainable future, but I’m also working with talented individuals who inspire me every day. In fact, one of my favorite parts of my role is when I’m able to sit back and let my colleagues shine.”
The power of innovation
Turning to Topsoe, Mikala reveals details about the company’s history and evolution that have characterized its mission and vision. “Haldor Topsøe was a true visionary, having talked about a future issue with global warming as early as the 1980s,” she shares. “One of my favorite quotes of his is that ‘the business itself doesn’t mean anything unless it improves the lives of people and society,’ and this ethos remains deeply rooted in our operations today. Our technical R&D focuses on the energy trilemma between sustainability, affordability, and reliability, concentrating on how we can improve our catalysts and increase energy security while lowering emissions.
“Another of my favorite Topsøe quotes is that ‘if it’s not scientifically proven that it can’t be improved, then we believe it can’ and this idea shapes our R&D efforts as we constantly strive to improve our products and technologies. We’re a team of genuinely passionate people, and when we sell our technologies, we take pride in their ability to improve the lives of others. It’s extremely rewarding to watch the energy transition take place and see the shift in mindset and perceptions across several industries.”
Where chemistry and innovation meet market requirements
At its core, Topsoe’s vision is to meet current and future energy needs with a diverse range of technologies and solutions, converting energy from one form to another using the smallest amount of energy to gain the highest yield. “While we want to maintain our market-leading position in conventional fuels, we’ve invested heavily in R&D to investigate compatibility, not only for renewable fuels but also for low-carbon feedstocks where emitted carbon is captured and safely stored,” Mikala explains. “However, our uniqueness lies in the fact that the technologies and catalysts we’ve developed over the years can facilitate renewable feedstocks with just a few relatively small, but significant changes. We see our role as a technology provider as ensuring our products are compatible with all the commercially available feedstocks in the market.
“On a personal level, like many individuals across the company, I’m fascinated by carbon chemistry and how we can use and refine the different feedstocks available to us to create energy. I recently heard someone talk about moving from a value chain to a value circle, and this concept has stuck with me ever since. We must view and talk about waste as valuable resources that can be utilized and converted from one form to another.
“The energy transition is a gradual process, and we want to be prepared with solutions for all of the steps to reaching transition,” she states. “That’s why Topsoe is investing across the board, such as its significant investment in a solid oxide electrolyzer cell (SOEC) facility for power-to-X (PtX) technology. In 2024, we also launched Zaffra, a joint venture with our longstanding partner, Sasol, which focuses on developing, building, owning, and operating SAF production plants.”
Breaking barriers 
Although there are several exciting developments in the renewables space, it’s important to also discuss the obstacles challenging such progress. “The biggest barrier is cost, and the primary driver that can impact this is legislation, but certain rules are better than others,” Mikala argues. “Think of the carrot and stick approach; people will be more likely to adopt clean fuels and renewables if there’s an incentive. Everyone talks about the speed of energy transition, but to make it quicker, it needs to be easier for companies to assess why clean energy is better than conventional fossil-based energy. The most effective legislation incentivizes companies or individuals and enables them to secure funding to make sustainable changes.
“We are constantly communicating with policymakers to better understand evolving legislation and how it will impact our customers. Technology developers can play an important role in educating and assisting policymakers, and we also use this education to future-proof our customers’ businesses. For instance, when one of our customers wanted to build a renewable diesel plant a few years ago, we educated them about the emerging SAF market, and they made the strategic decision to build a dual plant that can produce both renewable diesel and SAF.
“We treat our customers as partners, maintaining close relationships and helping them make the correct investment decisions for both their business and the wider industry,” she adds. “In an industry where funding and investment can be tight, the flexibility of our systems poses a unique advantage as they can be used or adjusted to serve emerging markets or meet new demands. That’s why we’re a market-leading solutions provider; we have a significant market share for low-carbon fuel projects and more than 30 percent of SAF production plants are using Topsoe technology.”
Fuel for thought
Testament to Mikala’s passion for educating others about the impact of clean energy, it’s no surprise that she plays a key role in Topsoe’s Fuel for Thought podcast. “The Fuel for Thought podcast was born in 2019 as a vehicle for us to address customer questions and concerns,” she shares. “Instead of becoming a sales conversation, we decided the episodes would follow a format where we invited a guest speaker, after which me and Sylvain Verdier, the podcast host and Topsoe’s Senior Strategy Manager, discuss the teachings and add our view to the topic. The podcast is a great way to facilitate debate, discussion, and knowledge sharing, providing a form that tackles everything from legislation and pre-treatment to SAF production and biorefining.
“Although we’re highly technical and passionate people, we take great care in identifying the most interesting topics for our listeners at that time to ensure we remain relevant. The podcast was originally intended to target refineries and inspire them to view the energy transition as an opportunity rather than a threat. We know that there are around 700 refineries in the world, so our initial target was to have listeners from at least half of these. I’m pleased to say that today, Fuel for Thought has wildly overtaken our estimations, with 2.5 million overall downloads and more than 70,000 downloads on our top-performing episodes.”
Speaking about some of her favorite episodes, Mikala adds: “One of the most mind-blowing episodes was one of our SAF specials, where we were joined by Anders Fagernæs, Vice President of Sustainability at Norwegian Air Shuttle, because Anders provided a holistic view on the future of aviation. I also enjoyed the episode featuring Preem, Sweden’s largest refinery, as it was great to explore their roadmap to becoming a renewable refinery.”
Shaping tomorrow’s energy landscape
Mikala’s dedication to the industry is admirable; not only is she securing Topsoe’s leading position in low-carbon and renewable fuels, but she’s also sharing her perspectives far and wide, encouraging conversations and ultimately educating others. “Topsoe is ready for whatever the energy transition brings next,” she states. “We’re constantly developing new catalysts and processes, and we’re committed to transforming the value chain into a value circle. The next step is securing clear, understandable legislation to support widespread adoption of renewables.
“Transition requires collaboration across the industry and among customers; only by understanding the goals and challenges can we develop solutions that offer improvements,” Mikala concludes. “We must remember that a global sense of community is needed, as the answer to energy transition does not lie in a single solution, but rather in a unique combination of technologies and innovations from around the world.”