Crompton unifies polymer, chemicals leadership

BBy Patrick Raleigh UT On-line/news editor

Middlebury, Connecticut-Crompton Corp. has appointed Myles Odaniell as executive vice president, Specialty Chemicals, a newly created position that encompasses the group's entire portfolio of chemical businesses. He was formerly in charge of Crompton's Plastics and Petroleum Additives division.

Odaniell's responsibilities will include those previously held by Mary Gum, as executive vice president, Performance Chemicals and Elastomers Group. Gum is to retire at the end of the year, and will work on special projects until then, Crompton announced 20 May.

Crompton's Specialty Chemicals businesses includes its Polymer Additives unit, which supplies the plastics, rubber and polyurethanes industries, as well as its Polymers unit, a supplier of EPDM rubber and urethane prepolymers. Together with Refined Products, these three units have combined annual sales of around $1700 million.

Commenting on the changes, Bob Wood, chairman, president and CEO of Crompton, said: “This is another important step in a series of strategic actions designed to streamline decision making, improve efficiency and optimise resource management across our portfolio of global businesses.”

Odaniell, who joined Crompton in June 2003, previously spent over 20 years at Cytec Industries Inc./American Cyanamid Co., where he led its global speciality chemicals business.