Archroma, a supplier of colour and specialty chemicals solutions, has announced Heike van de Kerkhof as the company’s new CEO, effective January 6, 2020.
van de Kerkhof succeeds Alexander Wessels, who has held the CEO position at Archroma since the company was established in October 2013. Wessels will be appointed as vice-chairman of the company’s board of directors. He will also take on a senior advisory role within SK Capital working across its portfolio of investments, which includes Archroma.
“I feel privileged to have been given the opportunity to work with SK Capital and the Archroma team over the past six and a half years, which has really been an incredible journey,” says Wessels. “We are coming off another record year in terms of profitability and the business is uniquely positioned to capitalize on its significant momentum moving forward.”
van de Kerkhof joins Archroma from Castrol, the branded lubricant division of BP plc where she held the role of vice-president, western hemisphere, and was responsible for a business generating over US $2 billion in annual revenues and having approximately 2,000 employees. Prior to BP, she held a variety of business leadership, commercial and operations roles at DuPont and The Chemours Company in a career spanning almost 30 years. She also served as a non-executive director at Neste Oil.
“I have a true passion for innovation and sustainability, and I am thrilled to join Archroma as its next CEO,” says van de Kerkhof. “The investments made into research and technology during the first stage of SK Capital’s ownership have positioned Archroma to reach new levels of growth and success.”
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