Arlanxeo announces Donald Chen as new CEO

Maastricht, The Netherlands – Synthetic rubber major Arlanxeo has announced the appointment of Donald Chen as its new chief executive officer with effect from 1 May.

Chen will succeed Jorge Nogueira who is retiring from the company, said a 10 April announcement from Arlanxeo, which is now wholly owned by Saudi Aramco.

Chen joins the Maastricht-based company from Archer Daniels Midland Co. (ADM), where he led operations in the Asia-Pacific region since January 2016.

He was previously VP at Sadara Chemical Co., the joint venture between Saudi Aramco and Dow Chemical Co.

His career also includes roles as regional VP for hydrocarbon & energy at Dow Chemical and VP for major projects in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East region.

He also held positions at Royal Dutch Shell in R&D, commercial & marketing, strategy & planning and operations & business development in China, Europe, the Middle East and Pacific for almost 20 years.

Chen has a master's degree in engineering and a doctorate from Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands.

“With Donald Chen we have an experienced leader and industry expert joining the company,” said Abdulaziz M. Al-Judaimi, Arlanxeo chairman and Saudi Aramco’s senior VP Downstream,

“He joins Arlanxeo in a critical market environment and we are confident he will lead the company through the current transition and drive growth,” added Al-Judaimi.

The chairman went on to note how Nogueira “had built and positioned Arlanxeo as the leading rubber producer and he was key to its smooth transition.”