ANGUS CHEMICAL COMPANY - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Managing Director With Ardian 's Buyout
Christopher Sand is a Managing Director with Ardian's Buyout team, which invests in high-quality mid- and large-cap companies in both Western Europe and North America, applying transformational strategies to develop global leaders in their niche markets. Based in New York, Sand focuses on the food and beverage, healthcare, and specialty chemical sectors. The New York team seeks to identify transatlantic opportunities, North American businesses that the team can support as they expand internationally, and compelling acquisitions for European portfolio companies. Previously, Sand was responsible for investments in the food & beverage, financial services, and industrial sectors at Centre Partners Management. He began his career in leveraged finance at RBS. Sand received an honors degree in economics, politics, and philosophy from the University of Pennsylvania.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director of Golden Gate Capital
Dave Thomas is a Managing Director of Golden Gate Capital, which he joined in 2006. Thomas focuses on investments in industrials, and basic materials sector in particular. Prior to joining Golden Gate Capital, Thomas worked as a Senior Associate Consultant in both the Chicago and London offices of Bain & Company. Thomas has a bachelor's degree in business administration and finance from the University of Notre Dame (summa cum laude).
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- President
David Neuberger joined ANGUS Chemical Company as Chief Executive Officer in January 2018. Neuberger, a chemical industry veteran, has 20 years of experience in a variety of leadership roles in executive management, finance, corporate development, marketing and investor relations.
David Neuberger joined ANGUS Chemical Company as President and Chief Executive Officer in January 2018. Neuberger, a chemical industry veteran, has more than 20 years of experience in a variety of leadership roles in executive management, finance, corporate development, marketing and investor relations.
Prior to joining ANGUS, Neuberger most recently served as Group Vice President for the Pharmaceutical, Agriculture and Nutrition Specialties business for Ashland Global Holdings Inc., a leading, global specialty chemical company. In this role, he was responsible for managing Ashland's most profitable P&L, as well as a global pipeline of new product introductions. Neuberger previously served as Vice President for Ashland's North American Industrial Specialties business, with leadership responsibility for all commercial, technical service and supply chain functions.
His previous experience includes senior management roles in research and development, operations, marketing and finance while at WR Grace. Neuberger holds a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from Johns Hopkins University and an M.B.A. from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania where he was named a Palmer Scholar.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President, Research and Development
Dr. Kathleen Havelka joined ANGUS Chemical Company in April 2021 and has overall responsibility for leading the Company's global Research and Development (R&D) group and innovation pipeline. She is a chemical industry veteran with more than 25 years' experience in numerous leadership roles in global specialty chemical and industrial products organizations.
Dr. Havelka joined ANGUS from Fuchs Lubricants Company (FLC) where she most recently served as Senior Director of R&D and Quality Control, leading FLC's technical team in the development and launch of a broad portfolio of high performing fluid and grease technologies. Prior to FLC, she held significant leadership roles in R&D as well as sales and marketing at Elevance Renewable Sciences, Diversey (Johnson-Diversey) and Lubrizol Corporation. She is the inventor on six patents, co-edited three books, authored five book chapters, 35 articles, and presented over 30 invited talks. She has been a member of Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE) and American Chemical Society (ACS) boards and has received numerous awards. She was recently recognized by STLE with the Frontiers Award for Advances in Wind Turbine Lubrication. She is an ACS Fellow for her outstanding achievements in and contributions to science, the profession, and the Society (a recognition for up to 1% of the ACS membership).
Dr. Havelka holds a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Elmhurst College and a doctorate in chemistry from Northern Illinois University. She also is a Certified Quality Management Lead Auditor for ISO 9001:2015 and IATF 16949:2016.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President, Regulatory, Product Stewardship and Quality
Dr. Pamela Spencer joined ANGUS Chemical Company in October 2016 and is responsible for leading the Company's global Regulatory Affairs, Quality and Product Stewardship functions. Prior to this role, she worked for the Dow Chemical Company for 30 years, retiring as the Scientific Director of Dow's Toxicology Environmental Research & Consulting function.
Dr. Spencer received her doctorate from the Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health at the University of Michigan and holds a master's degree in biology and an Honorary Doctor of Science from Central Michigan University. She has extensive experience in regulatory toxicity testing and research to define human health risks, with numerous publications to date in the areas of neurotoxicology, genetic toxicology, carcinogenicity and green chemistry.
Dr. Spencer is an advocate at every level, working to promote the concepts of safer product design with regulatory agencies, industry, academia and nongovernmental organizations. Her scientific service activities include: appointment to Chair of National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), Scientific Advisory Committee on Alternative Toxicological Methods, appointment to the Board of Trustees for the Health and Environmental Sciences Institute (HESI), Vice President, Society of Toxicology In Vitro and Alternative Methods Specialty section. She has been invited to give briefings to U.S. Congress and OECD and to contribute to scientific sessions to advance next generation educational and training needs. As a recipient of INSIGHT Into Diversity Inspiring Women in Stem National Award Recipient, Dr. Spencer is committed to the development of young women leaders in technical fields.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President, Manufacturing & Engineering
Ernest Green joined ANGUS in 1986, progressing through a wide variety of roles including electrical and instrumentation maintenance, electrical and instrumentation engineering, site maintenance leader, production leader and site leader. Prior to joining ANGUS, Green was a field service engineer for General Electric Field Services.
An active and engaged community leader, Green serves on a wide variety of professional organizations and community affairs including the Boards of Directors of the Louisiana Chemical Industry Alliance, United Way of Northeast Louisiana and the Louisiana Purchase Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He is also on the Process Technology Advisory Board for the Louisiana Delta Community College in Monroe, the Louisiana Community & Technical College System Foundation Board and the Louisiana Tech College of Engineering Foundation Board.
Green holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering technology from Louisiana Tech University and received their Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2014.
Job Titles:
- Vice President With Ardian 's Buyout
Giorgio Cicala is a Vice President with Ardian's Buyout team, which he joined in 2015 in Milan, Italy. Currently based in New York, Cicala focuses mostly on healthcare, food & beverage and specialty chemical sectors across North America and Europe. Prior to joining Ardian, Cicala started his career with UBS within the Investment Banking Division. Cicala has a master's degree in finance from the Stockholm School of Economics, where he graduated top of the class, and a bachelor's degree in business administration (cum laude) from the University of Padua.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President, Asia Pacific
James Huang joined ANGUS Chemical Company in February 2019 and leads the company's Customer Application Centers in Shanghai and Singapore, including the Asia Pacific sales, technical service and marketing teams.
Prior to joining ANGUS, Huang most recently served as the Greater China Sales Director for paints and coatings for Ashland Global Holdings Inc. In this role, he was responsible for leading solid growth for the business by implementing a customer-centric market approach and optimizing the company's regional distribution model. Previously, he held the role of China Sales Manager for Ashland's personal care business, as well as a number of commercial leadership, sales and marketing and technical roles at GE and National Starch, among others.
Huang holds a bachelor's degree in polymer chemistry from Tianjin University, and an executive M.B.A. from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota.
Job Titles:
- Principal of Golden Gate Capital
Javier Puig is a Principal of Golden Gate Capital, which he joined in 2009. Prior to joining Golden Gate Capital, Puig worked as an Associate in the San Francisco office of the Boston Consulting Group. From 2013 through 2015 he worked at Alloy Investments, a public equities hedge fund which he co-founded. Puig has an M.B.A. from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business and a bachelor's degree in ethics, politics, and economics from Yale University (cum laude).
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Chief Financial, Operating and Administrative Officer
John Sills joined ANGUS Chemical Company as Chief Financial Officer in July 2017, and expanded his role in 2018 to include Chief Operating and Administrative Officer.
Sills has more than 35 years of international finance and operations experience, including 18 years of working in senior operating roles at Bain Capital and Golden Gate Capital private equity portfolio companies. Prior to joining ANGUS, Sills served as CFO for Phillips-Medisize Corporation from February 2015, and was responsible for all finance, credit, insurance, legal and IT functions, including management of banking and credit rating relationships. From August 2007 to October 2014, Sills served as CFO and Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) at Unisource Worldwide, Inc., where he successfully led the company's merger with Xpedx in July 2014 to form Veritiv Corp. (NYSE:VRTV), a leading North American business-to-business distributor and a provider of logistics and supply chain management solutions. Sills previously held the roles of President and CEO of Medical Specialties Distributors, Inc. from 1997 to 2003, and CFO and CAO at Robertson-Ceco Corporation (NYSE:HHR) from 1992 to 1997. Sills is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and worked in Boston at PricewaterhouseCoopers for 10 years.
Sills holds bachelor's degrees in accounting and finance from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and an M.B.A. from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts.
Jonathan Arnold joined the ANGUS Board of Directors in October 2021 and is a seasoned commercial and operations executive with more than 25 years of international leadership experience with life sciences and pharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing (CDMO) companies. He currently serves as President, Oral & Special Delivery, for Catalent Pharma Solutions, one of the world's leading life sciences CDMOs. Prior to Catalent, Arnold most recently held the role of Chief Procurement Officer and Vice President of Global Supply Chain at Patheon, a global life sciences CDMO. He began his career in the life sciences CDMO sector in 1995 at RP Scherer, a specialist in softgel technologies and now part of Catalent, where he served in a variety of international business development and strategic customer account roles. Arnold earned his bachelor's degree in agricultural, biochemistry and nutrition from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, U.K.
Julie O'Neill joined the ANGUS Board of Directors in October 2021. A results-driven biopharmaceutical executive with more than two decades of experience in senior leadership roles, O'Neill was formerly Executive Vice President, Global Operations at Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Prior to Alexion, she was Vice President of Operations at Gilead Sciences. Throughout her career, O'Neill has held several senior roles at the Board and Committee level. She currently serves as a board member for Achilles Therapeutics Limited, ILC Dover LP, ICON plc, Hookipa Pharma and DBV Technologies. She also serves as board member and Audit and Risk Committee Chair for the National Institute for Bioprocessing Research & Training (NIBRT) in Ireland. She received her master's degree in business administration from University College Dublin and her bachelor's degree in pharmacy from Trinity College Dublin.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President, Product Management and Pricing
Kumar Ramanathan joined ANGUS Chemical Company in October 2018 and is responsible for the core strategic elements of the company's product portfolio, including global pricing and basic chemical strategy. Prior to ANGUS, he most recently served as Director, Global Marketing and Product Management for Ashland Global Holdings' Industrial Specialties business, covering coatings, adhesives, construction, and energy, encompassing more than 20 product lines and $1 billion in annual revenue. In this capacity, he played a critical leadership role in strategy development, price management, product portfolio optimization, asset management and new product introductions. Prior to Ashland, Ramanathan held several roles in engineering, production and commercial/industry management at Ciba Specialty Chemicals.
Ramanathan holds a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (Bombay, India), as well as a master's degree and Ph.D. in chemical engineering, both from State University of New York.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President, Europe, Middle East, Africa & India
Liam Doherty leads the Europe, Middle East, Africa and India Customer Application Centers, including the regional sales, technical service and marketing teams. A 20-year veteran of ANGUS, Doherty joined the company in 1999 and has led a career spanning roles in sales and marketing, product management and regional commercial leadership with a particular focus in the personal care industry. Prior to ANGUS, he served as a process research engineer for Dow.
Doherty holds a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the University of Bradford in England.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President, United States and Canada
Michael Lewis leads the North American Customer Application Center, including the North American sales, technical service and marketing teams. He has more than 25 years of experience in specialty and commodity chemical sales, commercial leadership and business leadership roles in chemical manufacturing and distribution businesses. Prior to joining ANGUS, Lewis served as General Manager at Univar Solutions, a chemical distribution company, where he led business teams in sales, customer service, operations, and commercial functions. His previous experience includes commercial and distribution management positions at Dow and ANGUS.
Lewis holds a bachelor's degree in business administration and marketing from the University of Massachusetts.
Job Titles:
- Operating Partner With Golden Gate Capital
Robert Kirby is an Operating Partner with Golden Gate Capital. Kirby was previously CEO of Atrium. He was also the CEO of Vi-Jon, a leading private label manufacturer in the personal care market. Prior to this, Kirby was CEO of Accellent, a leading contract manufacturer in the medical device market. Earlier in Kirby's career, he was a General Manager and led Research & Development, and Global Manufacturing & Supply Chain at large cap companies, including Johnson & Johnson, Kimberly Clark and Fort James. Kirby has broad-based experience in Consumer Personal Care, Over-the-Counter (OTC) and Medical Devices. During his 30-year career, he has led large-scale and complex integrations of acquisitions, implemented lean processes, and driven rapid, positive change.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications
Scott Johnson joined ANGUS Chemical Company in October 2016 and is responsible for leading the company's internal and external brand and positioning strategies, as well as the integrated marketing communications, public relations and employee engagement programs that support the company's sustainable growth.
Johnson has more than 20 years of global communications, marketing, brand development and public relations experience in the business process outsourcing, and chemical manufacturing and distribution industries. In addition to his communications role, Johnson serves as the Global Market Segment Leader for the company's Paints and Coatings business. Prior to joining ANGUS, he previously served as Director, Global Marketing and Corporate Communications, at Univar Solutions. His experience also includes global and regional marketing and corporate communications leadership positions at Ashland Global Holdings Inc.
Johnson holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from San Francisco University and has completed the Executive Marketing Program at the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management.
Thibault Basquin joined Ardian in 2001 and is the Head of Americas Investments for Ardian Buyout & Managing Director, and Executive Board Member of Ardian U.S. LLC. He has developed significant expertise in the Food Value Chain and Healthcare. In 2010, Basquin contributed strongly to the launch of the Ardian Foundation and handed over related responsibilities to other employees in 2015. He began his career in 2000 at Arthur Andersen as an auditor. Basquin graduated from ESCP Europe with a master's degree in finance. He is based in New York since 2018.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President, Corporate Development and Strategy
Vince Stoyanov joined ANGUS Chemical Company in May 2021 and is responsible for leading the Company's corporate development activities including mergers and acquisitions (M&A), integrations and strategic partnerships. Prior to ANGUS, he served as Head of Global Business Development for the Life Sciences sector of MilliporeSigma. He led the global business development function for the $9 billion Life Sciences business of Merck KGaA (MilliporeSigma in U.S. and Canada), including the full spectrum of M&A growth opportunities. Prior to Merck, Stoyanov spent nine years at Agilent Technologies, Inc. where he helped lead their long-range biopharma enterprise strategy spanning cell biology, bioprocessing, contract manufacturing and enterprise lab services.
Stoyanov holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics and economics from Colgate University and a master's in business administration, marketing and entrepreneurial management from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.