Company Leadership
Company Leadership
Prior to joining Nouryon at the creation and spin off from AkzoNobel in 2018, Mr. Shaver served as Chairman and CEO of Axalta Coating Systems (NYSE:AXTA) from its inception in 2013. While at Axalta, his team led the company’s transformation into a premier global coatings supplier, with the leading global automotive refinish business. Prior to Axalta, Mr. Shaver served as the CEO and President of the TPC Group in Houston, Texas, from 2004 to 2011. He began his career with The Dow Chemical Company, where he held a series of operational, engineering and business positions from 1980 to 1996.
Mr. Shaver is the current Chairman of the Board of Directors of Nobian, an industrial chemicals business headquartered in Europe. He has served as past Chairman and Board member for a number of public companies, including Taminco (NYSE: TAM), US Silica (NYSE: SLCA), and Atotech (NYSE: ATC). He also serves as a mentor to veterans under a Nouryon partnership program with American Corporate Partners. Mr. Shaver has also served on the boards of several industry and philanthropic organizations, including the American Chemistry Council and is a past Chairman of the American Coatings Association Board of Directors.
Mr. Shaver has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M University.
Larry Ryan is President of Nouryon. He is responsible for managing the business segments and all commercial and customer-facing activities.
Mr. Ryan joined Nouryon in 2019 as Executive Vice President of Performance Formulations and President of the Americas. He came to Nouryon from The Dow Chemical Company where he was most recently Business President, North America and Growth Platforms & Technologies. At Dow, he previously held the positions of Business President - Transportation, Business President of Energy and Water Solutions, and Global Director of Oil, Gas and Mining. Prior to Dow, he worked at Halliburton as its Global Manager for Water Treatment. Mr. Ryan also served as CEO of SulphCo Inc. and, before that, spent eight years with General Electric, where he held a variety of technical and commercial leadership positions in the Silicones business.
Mr. Ryan is a board member of the American Chemistry Council and is active in several civic leadership positions.
Mr. Ryan received his bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Delaware.
Sean Lannon is the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Nouryon. He has executive oversight of the Company’s Finance function and plays a critical role in shaping Nouryon’s financial strategy in support of its commitment to delivering innovative and sustainable solutions to customers.
Mr. Lannon has an established track record of driving financial and operational excellence. He joined Nouryon from Copeland, a leader in HVAC and refrigeration, where he served as Chief Financial Officer. Prior to Copeland, Mr. Lannon held several senior positions in Finance at Axalta Coating Systems, including five years as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Prior to his tenure at Axalta, Mr. Lannon served in various senior finance roles at Styron LLC (Trinseo), Endo Pharmaceuticals, and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Mr. Lannon is a Certified Public Accountant in Pennsylvania and holds a B.S. in Accounting from Philadelphia University, where he graduated summa cum laude.
Michael Finn is Executive Vice President, Business Affairs, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Nouryon. He oversees Legal, Compliance, Cybersecurity, Executive Compensation, Communications, Sustainability, and Government Affairs.
Mr. Finn joined Nouryon in 2018 and has more than 30 years of legal experience. Prior to Nouryon, he spent six years as General Counsel, Corporate Secretary and Chief Compliance Officer at Axalta Coatings Systems, and 11 years at General Dynamics, where he held a number of positions, including as General Counsel for Advanced Information Systems, Senior Counsel at GD’s corporate headquarters, and General Counsel and Director of Ethics and Export Compliance at GD’s European subsidiary in London, England. He also held a variety of other legal positions, including an associate at Willkie Farr & Gallagher, and an attorney in the Office of the General Counsel at the Federal Communications Commission.
Mr. Finn is a member of the board of directors of Nobian, a privately held industrial chemicals business headquartered in Europe. He was recognized with the 2018 General Counsel Impact Award by The Legal Intelligencer and has led legal departments that have received numerous awards and commendations. He provides pro bono legal services to several groups, helping writers, artists and creators in need of legal aid and assistance. He also serves as a mentor to veterans under a Nouryon partnership program with American Corporate Partners.
Mr. Finn graduated with honors with a B.S. in Finance from Indiana University and graduated cum laude from New York University’s School of Law.
Paresh Bhakta is Senior Vice President, Chief Integrated Supply Chain Officer at Nouryon. In his role, he is responsible for the company’s Health and Safety, Procurement and Corporate Supply Chain functions and global manufacturing network that includes approximately 60 sites worldwide.
Mr. Bhakta joined Nouryon in 2020 from Henkel, where he was the Senior Vice President of Operations. He has also held a variety of senior operational leadership roles at DSM and Celanese. Through his career at DSM and Celanese, he has lived and worked in the Netherlands and China in addition to the US. Mr. Bhakta has more than two decades of experience in operations with a focus on global manufacturing management, process engineering, and supply chain. Additionally, he has mentored young engineers entering the workforce for nearly 10 years.
Mr. Bhakta has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and is a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.
Suzanne Carroll is Senior Vice President of Nouryon’s Consumer and Life Sciences segment. The Consumer and Life Sciences segment focuses on developing ingredient solutions to customize formulations that serve customer needs in important end markets including personal care, cleaning goods, agriculture and food, as well as pharma.
Ms. Carroll joined Nouryon in 2019 from DuPont, where she was Corporate Innovation Strategy Director and previously Global Business Director, Performance Solutions. Prior to DuPont, she spent nine years at the Dow Chemical Company, where she led multiple businesses, including Dow Microbial Control and Dow Food, Pharma and Medical. She started her career at specialty chemicals manufacturer Rohm and Haas, where she worked for 19 years in research and development and a variety of commercial leadership roles.
Ms. Carroll serves as the Vice Chair of the American Cleaning Institute Board of Directors. She holds a B.S. Honors degree in Chemistry from Saint Joseph's University in Pennsylvania, US.
Egbert Henstra is Senior Vice President, Global Transformation and President Netherlands at Nouryon. He is responsible for leading Global Transformation initiatives and oversees Nouryon’s activities in the Netherlands.
Mr. Henstra started his career at Akzo before it became part of Nouryon’s predecessor company. He worked as a market research consultant in the carpet fibers business, then held a variety of financial and general management positions before taking on a leadership role as Managing Director of the Global Ethylene and Sulfur Derivatives business headquartered in Shanghai, China. He also acted as Country Director China.
Mr. Henstra has been a board member of the Royal Association of the Dutch Chemical Industry (VNCI) since 2019.
Mr. Henstra studied Business Economics at Erasmus University in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and has a postgraduate Controllers qualification from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
Johan Landfors is Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President, Strategy & Asset Planning and President of Europe at Nouryon. He is responsible for the company’s global technology and innovation strategies in alignment with the company’s sustainability and growth targets, including the Company’s carbon management strategies, initiatives, and goals. He is also responsible for the implementation of the company's strategy and asset planning and oversees Nouryon’s activities in Europe.
Mr. Landfors started his career in R&D and manufacturing at Eka Chemicals in Sundsvall, Sweden, before it became part of Nouryon’s predecessor. Prior to taking on the role of Managing Director of Polymer Chemistry, he was the general manager of the company’s surfactants business in EMEIA (Europe, the Middle East, India, and Africa) and in the Americas, and held senior executive positions in the Pulp and Performance Chemicals business unit. In his most recent role, Mr. Landfors led Nouryon’s Technology Solutions business segment as the Executive Vice President and President, Technology Solutions and Europe.
Mr. Landfors is Chairman of the Program Council for Innovation at CEFIC, the European Chemical Industry Council, and a member of its Executive Committee. He is also a member of the Swedish Royal Academy of Engineering Sciences.
Mr. Landfors holds an MSc degree in Chemical Engineering from KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden, and a Ph.D. degree in Electrochemical Engineering, partially completed at Texas A&M University.
Rajeev Rao is Senior Vice President, Corporate Development at Nouryon. He is responsible for Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) across Nouryon and works closely with our businesses to develop and execute our M&A and inorganic growth strategies.
Mr. Rao joined Nouryon in 2019 with an extensive industrial and consulting background in the chemicals sector. Before joining Nouryon, he spent several years at Axalta Coating Systems, most recently as Vice President of Global Powder Coatings. Prior to that, he led Axalta’s Strategy and Business Development group and was responsible for driving an ambitious acquisition program which enabled entry into several attractive end markets. Prior to Axalta, Mr. Rao held senior roles at Halliburton Company and McKinsey & Company. He started his career in research and development at AkzoNobel.
Mr. Rao has a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Pennsylvania State University and an MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business.
Alain Rynwalt is Senior Vice President of Nouryon’s Performance Materials segment. The Performance Materials segment serves customers in polymers, paints and coatings, and related end markets, by focusing on developing solutions for customers to produce, modify, and/or tailor performance and mechanical properties of their products.
Mr. Rynwalt started his professional career at Nouryon’s predecessor company more than thirty years ago and has held successive leadership roles in Information Technology, Finance, Marketing, and Sales, based in Europe and Asia. His most recent role was as Senior Vice President of Polymer Specialties.
Mr. Rynwalt holds a master’s degree in economics at the University of Ghent and an executive master’s degree in information technology at the University of Brussels. He has also completed Executive Education at Duke University in the US, INSEAD in France, and at IMD Business School in Switzerland.
Sobers Sethi is Senior Vice President, Emerging Markets and China at Nouryon. He is responsible for accelerating the growth of the company’s businesses in emerging markets (Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa) and China.
Mr. Sethi joined Nouryon in 2020 from Axalta Coatings System and its predecessor company. He was instrumental in the carve-out of Axalta from its former owner. Prior to that, he also managed his family's automotive businesses.
Mr. Sethi studied Economics at Clark University and has an MBA from Cass Business School in London, England.
Tift Shepherd is Senior Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer at Nouryon. She is responsible for Nouryon’s overall human capital efforts and related policies and practices to support the Company’s organizational needs and global workforce. These practices include talent acquisition and development, leadership capability development, compensation and benefits, employer branding and experience, as well as HR operations and technology.
Ms. Shepherd joined Nouryon’s predecessor company in 2007 as a senior legal counsel and has held successive leadership roles in the Legal function in Sweden, the Netherlands, and the US. She served as General Counsel and Regional Compliance Officer in the Americas, and as General Counsel for the Performance Formulations business segment prior to her current role. Before joining Nouryon, Ms. Shepherd spent nearly 10 years in private practice as an associate and partner with Troutman Pepper LLP in its Corporate and Securities practice group.
Ms. Shepherd received her bachelor’s degree in business administration and her law degree from the University of Georgia. She also completed the Chief Human Resources Officer program at Aresty Institute of Executive Education at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
Sandeep Singh is Senior Vice President, Chief Digital and Information Officer at Nouryon. He is responsible for the implementation and execution of Nouryon’s global digital and information technology strategy in support of the company’s business and financial goals.
Mr. Singh joined Nouryon from Hunter Douglas where he was the Global Chief Information Officer and led the transformation of the company’s digital and information technology landscape. Prior to this role, he was Vice President of Information Technology, Campbell Snacks and Enterprise Functions at the Campbell Soup Company. Mr. Singh has also previously held leadership positions at Ernst & Young, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, and Procter & Gamble Company.
Mr. Singh has a B.S. in agricultural engineering from the College of Agricultural Engineering & Technology (CAET) in Ludhiana, India, and an MBA from Bowling Green State University in Ohio, US.
Joppe Smit is the Senior Vice President of Nouryon’s Resource Solutions segment. The Resource Solutions segment focuses on developing products, process aids, and intermediates used in the conversion of extracted materials into high-value products for end markets including pulp processing, mining, hydrocarbon processing, and lubes and fuels.
Mr. Smit joined Nouryon’s predecessor company more than 25 years ago and has held numerous successive business and functional leadership roles, most recently as Senior Vice President, Natural Resources, Intermediates, Paints and Coatings, and Inorganic Specialties. Throughout his career he has lived and worked in the US, Singapore, China, Sweden in addition to the Netherlands.
Mr. Smit holds a Master of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands, where he graduated cum laude. He completed Executive Education at INSEAD in Paris and at IMD Business School in Lausanne.
Vivi Hollertt is Vice President, Chief Sustainability and Communications Officer at Nouryon. She is responsible for developing and overseeing Nouryon’s Global Sustainability agenda, including chairing its Global Sustainability Network. She also leads the company’s Global Communications function, which includes overseeing the company brand, internal communications, media relations, crisis communications, and digital communications.
Ms. Hollertt joined Nouryon’s predecessor company in 2014. Prior to that, she worked for FleishmanHillard, a global communications agency, where she was a Director for international accounts at several multinationals, including Royal Philips N.V. She was also a spokesperson for Heineken International.
Ms. Hollertt serves on the Executive Steering Committee of the Nouryon Women’s Network. She is also co-chair of Arthur W. Page Society in the Netherlands, the premier global professional association for senior strategic communication leaders.
Ms. Hollertt graduated cum laude with a master’s degree in International Communication Management from The Hague University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands, and a bachelor’s degree in Integrated Communication Management from the University of Applied Sciences in Utrecht, the Netherlands.
For Sustainability or Communications related enquiries you can reach out to Ms. Hollertt.
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