PEOPLE
New CEO at Lubrizol
Rebecca Liebert has been named president and CEO of Lubrizol . She joins from PPG Industries , where she was EVO with responsibilities for the global industrial segment businesses , the Asia-Pacific region , global procurement , and resin and industrial segment manufacturing . Interim president and CEO Mary Rhinehart will continue as board chair
Rettig relocates
Evonik is sending a board member to Asia for the first time to lead the entire Asian business as regional president with general power of attorney . In this role , the firm said , Claus Rettig , currently head of the Smart Materials division , will “ be responsible for driving the company ’ s growth plan in Asia and making sure that Evonik is present on the ground with modern production and a strong R & D footprint ”.
FIS reorganises
Fabbrica Italiana Sintetici ( FIS ) has completed the reorganisation of its commercial department by creating two new divisions , each with new sales directors . Luca Parlanti ( pictured ) has arrived from Siegfried , where he was head of business development for custom synthesis , to take on the role in the Custom business ; Gianluca Schiavoni will have the same role in Generics .
Norrett to Codexis
Enzyme engineering company Codexis has announced the appointment of Kevin Norrett as COO , charged with driving its corporate growth strategy , business development and operational activities . Norrett has over 20 years of experience in the field , with previous roles at ZS Pharma , Aimmune , Angion Biomedica and most recently Sierra Oncology .
Olon appoints Pachera
Italy ’ s Olon has appointed Roberta Pachera , hitherto VP and global head of custom synthesis at PharmaZell Group , as its VP of CDMO operations for small molecules and the Global Key Account division . Her stated mission is to lead “ continuous expansion and growth of the Group , pursuing new business opportunities in the CDMO pharma space ”.
Kneipp heads Spectrum
Spectrum Chemical has named Russell Kneipp as its new president and CEO . Kneipp had been COO since 2018 , instituting lean methodology and other process improvement initiatives to scale the company and drive revenue growth . His predecessor , Randy Burg , will become cochairman along with founder Paul Burg , and is expected to transition to chairman in June 2023 .
Medley takes over at Valtris
Valtris Specialty Chemicals , a newly established supplier of additives and precursors and a portfolio company of SK Capital , has named Simon Medley as its new CEO , replacing Paul Angus . Medley has over 30 years of chemical industry experience , most recently serving as CEO of release liner maker Loparex and before that at Chemtura .
62 SPECIALITY CHEMICALS MAGAZINE ESTABLISHED 1981