People: Solvay names Ilham Kadri as new CEO

Brussels - Solvay’s board of directors has appointed Ilham Kadri as the chairman of the executive committee, member of the board of directors and CEO of the group, with effect from 1 March 2019.

Kadri will join Solvay at the beginning of the year and spend two months transitioning with current CEO Jean-Pierre Clamadieu, the Belgian materials supplier announced 9 Oct.

Kadri is currently the CEO and president of US hygiene technology and services company Diversey, where she led the company’s turnaround, carve-out and divestment to a private equity fund.

She has also previously worked for multinational companies such as Shell-Basell, UCB-Cytec, Huntsman and Dow Chemical at various global locations.

"Her knowledge of our strategic markets, strongly customer-focused mindset and her capacities to build a galvanising vision make her the leader that the group needs,” said Nicolas Boël, chairman of the board of directors of Solvay.

Kadri is expected to spearhead Solvay’s major restructuring plans, which it unveiled in March and involves simplification of processes at the company.

Outlining her plans at Solvay, Kadri said she intended to increase value creation based on innovation, collaboration, a customer-centric culture at the Brussels-based chemicals company.

Kadri is a dual citizen of Morocco and France and holds an engineering degree from the European school of chemistry, polymers and materials science in Strasbourg, France, and a PhD in macromolecular physico-chemistry from Louis Pasteur university in Strasbourg.