Certa appoints Stevens as new managing director

Fuel supplier, Certa, which is part of DCC plc, has appointed Orla Stevens as its new managing director.

Stevens takes up the position just two and a half years after joining the company as its commercial director, having previously held senior positions at SSE Airtricity, Bank of Ireland, Vodafone, O2 and Car Trawler.

She succeeds Andrew Graham who has been appointed as managing director of Mobility at DCC Energy.

Certa is the official country partner across Ireland and Northern Ireland for leading lubricants brand Castrol, distributing its products across automotive, industrial, marine and energy sectors.

The company also operates in the fuel, home, business, and renewables space with a network of 49 unmanned, pay@pump forecourts and 29 home heating depots. Its pay@pump forecourt network is the largest of its kind in Ireland.

Headquartered in Portlaoise, Certa formed in September 2022 when Emo Oil, Campus Oil and Jones Oil, all owned by DCC plc, rebranded under one name. Orla Stevens is said by the firm to have been instrumental in this process.

Last October, Certa became the first fuel operator in Ireland to open a fully-fledged Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) fuel station and to make the renewable alternative to diesel more widely available to motorists. It is currently upgrading its forecourt network to offer HVO at all sites alongside other fuels.

Certa has also helped a growing number of businesses and events to lower their emissions and to transition to HVO as a renewable fuel, including Amazon Web Services (AWS), John Sisk & Son Ltd., Dublin Airport, Dublin Port, The National Ploughing Championship, the Irish Open, Electric Picnic and Bloom.

The company says it is currently rolling out a plan that will enable its entire network of 49 forecourts to generate their own power from solar energy following its acquisition of renewable energy specialists Alternative Energy Ireland (AEI).

Commenting on her appointment as MD, Stevens said: “Certa’s vision is to become Ireland’s most exciting energy company. I’m delighted to be appointed Managing Director and to lead the company as we continue to work together to connect people and businesses to the most progressive energy solutions available.

“Certa are leaders in delivering HVO and solar solutions and I look forward to leveraging our relationship with other companies within the wider DCC Group, such as Flogas, to extend our customer offering to also include BioCNG which is a renewable form of natural gas made from organic waste.”