Alcoa Corporation, alumina and aluminium producer has confirmed that Emily Olson will be the Executive Vice President and Chief External Affairs Officer of the company from April 6, 2026.

In her new role, Olson will oversee the organisation’s external affairs and communications activities worldwide, including government affairs, corporate communications, stakeholder relations and stewardship of the Alcoa Foundation. Working alongside fellow executives, she will help ensure that engagement with policymakers, communities and partners supports the company’s broader commercial and long-term objectives.

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President and Chief Executive Officer William F. Oplinger said this appointment brings to Alcoa an executive well versed in operating within demanding and highly regulated industries. He pointed to her experience in cultivating constructive relationships with governments and key stakeholders across multiple jurisdictions, adding that her strategic judgement and international perspective would reinforce the alignment between corporate priorities and external outreach.

Olson joins with more than 20 years of leadership experience spanning the Americas, Europe and Asia, primarily in capital-intensive sectors. She most recently served as Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer at Vale Base Metals. There, she directed a global function uniting government relations, communications, sustainability and licensing. As principal interface with governments around the world, she engaged with national and regional authorities while advising the chief executive and board on geopolitical developments and other strategic non-technical risks. Her remit also included oversight of the company’s major interests in Indonesia, where she chaired PT Vale.

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Before that, Olson was Vice President, Global Strategic Relations at Freeport-McMoRan. In that position, she consolidated government affairs, communications and community relations into a coordinated structure and guided senior leadership on country-specific geopolitical exposure.

A substantial portion of her career was spent at BP plc, where she held a series of senior posts across Washington, D.C., Houston and London over nearly 15 years. As Senior Vice President for Europe and Russia, she led geopolitical risk management activities covering 15 countries and shaped government affairs strategies extending from Brussels and Berlin to Moscow and the Caspian region. She also served as Vice President for the Southern Gas Corridor, directing government advocacy in six countries and helping guide an eleven-member consortium in delivering a USD 40 billion pipeline development.

Earlier in her professional life, Olson worked on legislative matters in the U.S. House of Representatives and later occupied senior public policy roles within the agricultural sector.

Her academic background includes a bachelor’s degree in political science from Loyola University Chicago and a master’s degree in international strategy and diplomacy from the London School of Economics.

Headquartered in the United States and listed in New York and Australia, Alcoa Corporation is a leading global alumina and aluminium producer committed to integrity, innovation, sustainability and community progress.

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