Moroccan Ilham Kadri Becomes CEO of Belgian Solvay’s Group

The Board of Directors of Solvay, a Belgian chemical company, has appointed Ilham Kadri CEO of the Group. Ilham Kadri, who will replace Jean‐Pierre Clamadieu, is assigned the mission to continue Solvay’s transformation strategy.

Ilham Kadri is CEO and President of U.S. hygiene technology and services company Diversey and has led, since 2013, its turnaround, carve‐out and divestment to a private equity fund.

She brings to Solvay her vast international experience as she worked for top multinationals like Shell‐Basell, UCB‐Cytec, Huntsman and Dow Chemical across the United States, Europe, the Middle East and in Asia.

“Solvay’s Board of Directors unanimously approved the selection of Ilham Kadri as head of the Solvay Group. Her knowledge of our strategic markets, strongly customer‐focused mindset and her capacities to build a galvanizing vision make her the leader that the Group needs to accelerate its cultural transformation and unleash its growth potential. She can count on a solid and experienced Solvay management team to fulfill this mission,” said Nicolas Boël, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Solvay.

“I wish to thank the Board of Directors for its confidence in me. I’m looking forward to joining the Group whose passion for science, its values and transformation echo my own personal and professional journey. Early next year, I will work alongside Solvay’s teams to accelerate value creation based on innovation, collaboration, a customer centric culture and a clear sense of purpose,” Ilham Kadri said. “These fundamentals will guide my actions at Solvay”.

Holder of Moroccan and French nationalities, Ilham Kadri has an engineering degree from the European School of Chemistry, Polymers and Materials Science in Strasbourg, France, and a PhD in macromolecular physico‐chemistry from Louis Pasteur University in Strasbourg.

Solvay’s products are used in planes, cars, batteries, smart and medical devices, as well as in mineral and oil and gas extraction, enhancing efficiency and sustainability. Its light weighting materials promote cleaner mobility, its formulations optimize the use of resources and its performance and chemicals improve air and water quality.

Headquartered in Brussels, Solvay employs around 26,800 persons in 61 countries. Its net sales were €10.1 billion in 2017.