Advice from the top
There is still a bright future for smaller chemical distributors , according to the former CEO of the world ’ s largest distributor , Brenntag
Steven Holland began his career in the 1970s at Allied Colloids , which , like so many small chemical companies , has long since been swept up in the M & A process and is now part of BASF . Later in his career , he was the founder and owner of Albion Chemicals . Brenntag acquired Albion in 2006 and persuaded him to stay on . Next year , he was appointed CEO of Brenntag Europe and , after the company floated , he became COO and finally CEO for nine years . During this time , he presided over its globalisation , particularly in the Asia-Pacific region . After leaving with the intention of retiring , he returned to the industry because his consulting services were much in demand – and because he retained his passion for chemical distribution . In a recent podcast , he discussed his views on the current market situation and its effects on the chemical distribution sector with Matt Dixon , managing partner at CCD Partners , a consultancy development consultancy specialised in corporate transformations in small and midmarket chemicals and life sciences businesses .
Matt Dixon : You have written about small companies and how they relate to the wider chemical distribution market . What is your take on the current situation ? Steven Holland : We are in a strange time at the moment , the markets are very turbulent and the crisis created by COVID has led to a new dynamic in the market . Almost all chemical distributors are benefitting from this , in so far as their business models are very resilient and adaptive to circumstances . Whilst it is great to see that resilience and the numbers coming from the publicly owned companies , it is very important not to
42 SPECIALITY CHEMICALS MAGAZINE ESTABLISHED 1981