With effect from 1 May 2019, Donald Chen succeeds Jorge Nogueira as CEO of synthetic rubber producer Arlanxeo. Nogueira is retiring after a career spanning nearly 40 years in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry.

Professor Christian Hopmann, institute director of the IKV Institute for Plastics Processing in Industry and Craft at RWTH Aachen University, has been honoured as the newest "Fellows of SPE" at Antec 2019, the largest international technology conference. He was nominated by SPE’s Injection Moulding Division (IMD) and received the prestigious award by Dr. Brian Grady, president of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) on 17 March 2019 at Renaissance Center in Detroit, Michigan, USA.

Effective from 1 April 2019, Dr. Michael J. Ruf will take up the position of Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the KraussMaffei Group. The COO is a newly created role within the Executive Committee, strengthening the company’s management team. The Executive Committee currently consists of CEO Frank Stieler, CFO Harald Nippel and the heads of the four business segments Injection Molding Machinery (IMM), Extrusion Technology (EXT), Reaction Process Machinery (RPM), and Digital Service Solutions (DSS).

Karin Gunnarsson has decided to leave her position as Chief Financial Officer and Investor Relations Manager in the Hexpol Group for new challenges, including commitments in new and existing board assignments. The group announced that Gunnarsson will remain in her position during the notice period and possibly longer, until a successor is in place which is estimated to be during the fall 2019.

Magnus Berglund has been promoted to Senior Vice President VP Strategy, M&A and member of Group Management as of 1 February 2019. The company said that the change is a further step in its focus on acquisitions and to enhance strategic growth in attractive segments.

David Baker, RPC Group Industry Affairs Director, is new Chairman of the Polyolefin Circular Economy Platform (PCEP). He succeeds Eugenio Longo, Borealis Head of Sustainability and EU Affairs, who had been the Chairman of PCEP since its inception.

Frank A. Bozich has been appointed as new President and CEO of Trinseo, effective from 4 March 2019. He will succeed Christopher D. Pappas, who recently announced his plans to retire following his tenure as President and CEO of Trinseo since 2010. Pappas will transition to the role of Special Adviser to the CEO in support of a smooth transition.

Walter Ripple has been appointed to serve as Vice President, Sustainability, of PolyOne Corporation. An industry veteran with 27 years of experience, Ripple joined PolyOne in 2008 through the acquisition of GLS. Prior to PolyOne he served in several strategy, commercial and general management positions at Shell Chemical Company.

Borealis has announced the appointment of Lucrèce Foufopoulos-De Ridder to the Borealis Executive Board as Executive Vice President Polyolefins and Innovation & Technology, effective from 1 January 2019. In this capacity, she succeeds Alfred Stern, who previously held this position and was appointed Borealis CEO in July 2018.

Dieter Thewes has been appointed as new Chief Operating Officer (COO) at KraussMaffei Berstorff. In this capacity, Thewes is in charge of controlling and organising all business operations at the Hanover and Munich sites of the KraussMaffei Berstorff brand. Being a member of the management, Thewes reports directly to the KraussMaffei Chief Executive Officer Matthias Sieverding.