PEOPLE
Macleod to retire
Robert MacLeod is to retire as CEO of Johnson Matthey after eight years . He will step down and leave the board with effect from 1 March but will stay on to support the transition process until the AGM on 21 July . His successor is Liam Condon , currently president of Bayer ’ s Crop Science division and formerly with Schering and Bayer HealthCare .
Gelest names president
Gelest has named CTO Dr Jonathan Goff as president . Goff has been with the company for 13 years , focusing on technology , new product development , market introductions , and growing customer relationships . Founder Dr Barry Arkles stepped down as CEO at the end of 2021 in order to take up an appointment as distinguished adjunct professor at Temple University .
Brenntag ’ s new CFO
Brenntag is appointing Dr Kristin Neumann to be its new CFO as of 31 March . She succeeds Georg Müller , who has chosen not to extend his mandate beyond his current term after ten years in the role . Neumann comes from seven years as CFP at LFG Lufthansa Service Holding and was previously with Thomas Cook .
New focus at Umicore
Frank Daufenbach has join Umicore ’ s management board from Tier One automotive supplier Faurecia as chief strategy officer , supporting them in their strategic choices within and across business groups . He reports to CEO Mathias Miedreich who joined last October . Both have strong experience in ‘ clean mobility ’, which is an increasing focus for the company .
Vanikar to Rossari
Mumbai-based Rossari Biotech has appointed Debashish Vanikar as the CEO of its Surfactants & Silicone business . In this role , he will lead the integration of Rossari with its new acquisitions and drive the accelerated growth of the group through these new businesses . Vanikar has over 20 years of experience in the fields of strategy , integration , scaling new businesses and brand transition in chemicals and other industries .
Bachm promotes two New CEO at SynTech
Bachem has elevated chief marketing officer Anne-Kathrin Stoller to the new role of COO for its operation in the Americas as of 1 March . Stoller has been with the firm since 2006 and has held various different roles in Europe . She will be succeeded as CMO by Torsten Wöhr . Both will report direct to CEO Thomas Meier .
Wilkes to Biesterfeld board
The supervisory board of Hamburg-based distributor Biesterfeld has appointed Peter Wilkes to the executive board . Wilkes will continue to serve as spokesperson for the management of Biesterfeld Spezialchemie . He has over 30 years of experience in the speciality chemicals industry , having held roles at Dow Chemicals , Air Products & Chemicals and Kolb .
SynTech Research Group has named Yvonnick Jambon , previously regional director EMEA , as its new CEO . This follows Dr Khosro Khodayari stepping down at the end of 2021 , though he will remain a director . Jambon had worked for many companies in the agro field and was CEO of Acceres , which merged with SynTech in 2017 .
66 SPECIALITY CHEMICALS MAGAZINE ESTABLISHED 1981