Orion Engineered Carbons’ CEO, Jack L Clem, 65, is to retire from the role, which he has fulfilled since 2011. He will be nominated to join the board of directors and during a transition period will act as an advisor to the company.
Corning F Painter, 55, will succeed Clem as the new CEO and will also be nominated to join the board of directors. Painter was selected during a broad executive search process and stood out due to his track record in the international chemical industry.
“It has been my sincere pleasure to work with Jack Clem over the last several years,” said Dan F Smith, chairman of Orion’s board of directors.
“Under Jack’s leadership, Orion has firmly strengthened its position as a world leader in carbon black, establishing a standard for excellence and delivering industry-leading performance.
“On behalf of Orion’s board of directors and all of its employees, I want to thank Jack for his immeasurable contributions and look forward to a continuing, mutually fruitful relationship as we welcome him to the board of Orion.
“At the same time, we are delighted to welcome Corning Painter to the Orion family. He brings decades of international experience managing financial and operational performance, delivering shareholder value, and inspiring teams.”
Said Clem (left), “It is with complete confidence that I transition the role of chief executive to Corning Painter. With his deep technical experience in the chemical industry and his outstanding functional competence in global businesses, OEC will be well-positioned to continue its growth as we further penetrate emerging markets and build on the success of our technical and specialty capabilities.”
Painter (right) commented, “I am excited to join the Orion team. Orion has consistently delivered financially, and successfully advanced their strategy of focusing on more differentiated carbon blacks. I look forward to building upon this momentum and the strategy that the Orion team has put in place to deliver results for our shareholders and employees.”
