Alcoa has appointed a new Executive Vice President and Chief External Affairs Officer
Emily Olson will join Alcoa in this new role on 6 April 2026.
Ms Olson will lead Alcoa’s global external affairs and communications organisation, including government affairs, communications, stakeholder engagement and the Alcoa Foundation.
She will serve as a member of the company’s executive team and will work closely with senior leadership to advance Alcoa’s strategic priorities and strengthen engagement with key external stakeholders worldwide.
“Emily is a proven leader with deep experience navigating complex, highly regulated environments and building trusted relationships with governments, communities and stakeholders,” said Alcoa President and CEO William F. Oplinger.
“Her global perspective, strategic mindset and strong track record in external affairs make her an excellent addition to our executive team. I am confident she will further align our external engagement with Alcoa’s business priorities and long-term strategy.”
Ms Olson brings more than 20 years of leadership experience across capital intensive industries in the Americas, Europe and Asia.
Most recently, Ms Olson served as Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer at Vale Base Metals, where she led an integrated global team spanning government relations, communications, sustainability and licensing.
In that role she served as the company’s chief liaison with governments globally — working directly with federal and regional leaders as well as key stakeholders and partners — while advising the CEO and board on geopolitical risk and strategic nontechnical risks.
Ms Olson led Vale’s major business interests in Indonesia and served as Chairman of PT Vale.
Prior to Vale, Ms Olson served as Vice President, Global Strategic Relations at Freeport-McMoRan, where she led the integration of government affairs, communications and community affairs, and advised the CEO and board on country-level geopolitical risks.
She spent nearly 15 years at BP plc in progressively senior government affairs and business leadership roles across Washington, D.C., Houston and London.
As Senior Vice President for Europe and Russia, she led geopolitical risk management across 15 countries and directed government affairs strategy spanning Brussels, Moscow, Berlin and the Caspian region.
She also served as Vice President for the Southern Gas Corridor, where she led government advocacy across six countries and guided a consortium of eleven partners to deliver a $40 billion pipeline project.
Before joining the private sector, Ms Olson served as legislative staff in the US House of Representatives and held senior public policy roles in the agricultural sector.
She holds a Bachelor’s degree in political science from Loyola University of Chicago and a Master’s degree in international strategy and diplomacy from the London School of Economics.
