Vanguard Renewables Appoints Michael O’Laughlin as Chief Executive Officer

By: Vanguard Renewables via Business Wire

December 17, 2024 at 07:00 AM EST

Vanguard Renewables^®, a leading environmental services company that converts organics to renewable natural gas, announced today the appointment of Michael O’Laughlin as Chief Executive Officer.

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Michael O'Laughlin, CEO, Vanguard Renewables, Photo by John Maciel

Mr. O’Laughlin brings 20 years of proven leadership in the clean energy, aerospace, defense, medical, automotive, and industrial industries to the Vanguard Renewables team. He most recently served as Kymera International’s President of Engineered Materials where he led a global team across numerous facilities focused on enabling innovation with advanced material and cutting-edge technological solutions.

Kymera International experienced rapid growth while being recognized as an industry leader in ESG, during Mr. O’Laughlin’s tenure. His operational tenacity drove significant process improvements while his strategic commercial approach fueled organic and inorganic expansion. Prior to Kymera, Mr. O’Laughlin held senior leadership roles at Lydall, Raytheon, and General Electric.

“We are thrilled to welcome Mike to the Vanguard Renewables team,” said Doug Vaccari, Managing Director of Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), a part of BlackRock, and Lead Director of Vanguard Renewables’ Board. “His extensive experience leading global organizations and driving growth, coupled with his passion for sustainability, elegantly aligns with Vanguard’s growth strategy and our mission to create a more sustainable future.”

Under Mr. O’Laughlin’s leadership, the Company will expand its Farm Powered® anaerobic digester platform nationally. Mr. O’Laughlin’s deep experience in operations management, lean manufacturing, and Six Sigma will be invaluable to driving continuous improvement throughout Vanguard Renewables while scaling rapidly.

“I am excited to join Vanguard Renewables to help catalyze the nationwide expansion of its environmental services platform and drive the organics to Farm Powered renewable natural gas production platform,” stated Michael O’Laughlin, Chief Executive Officer, Vanguard Renewables. “The Company not only offers its partners a circular solution for materials recycling and renewable energy procurement, but we are also using innovative technology to advance anaerobic digestion outputs and to explore the production of other advanced renewable fuel sources to support market needs. I am proud to be a part of this remarkable journey.”

Mr. O’Laughlin received an MBA from Boston University and a BS in Interdisciplinary Engineering and Management from Clarkson University. His customer-centric and continuous improvement team leadership style will further strengthen Vanguard Renewables’ position as a global leader in the renewable natural gas industry.

About Vanguard Renewables

Vanguard Renewables, based in Weston, Massachusetts, is a national leader in environmental services and the development of food and dairy waste-to-renewable energy projects. The Company builds, owns, and operates on-farm anaerobic digestion facilities and is continuing to scale through an extensive national expansion of its Farm Powered^® platform. It is committed to advancing decarbonization by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from farms and food waste, generating renewable energy, and supporting regenerative agriculture on partner farms. Vanguard Renewables is a portfolio company of Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), a part of BlackRock. To learn more visit: www.vanguardrenewables.com.