EuroWire November 2022

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Davis-Standard appoints chief financial officer Raje Dwaraka has been appointed chief financial officer (CFO) at Davis-Standard. In her new role, she will lead the company’s finance team and partner with business unit leaders. She will also be instrumental in designing and executing the company strategy.

employees in 80 countries. Prior to that role, she was CFO of the $2bn food services business unit within Pactiv, where she oversaw finance and strategic planning and played a key role in listing the company on NASDAQ.

She also held the positions of head of SEC reporting and controller during her time with the company. Ms Dwaraka obtained her CPA licence from the Illinois Board of Public Accountants and also holds a Chartered Accounting (CA) degree from India. Davis-Standard www.davis-standard.com

“Raje is a talented financial leader, and we are thrilled to have her as part of our executive leadership team,” said Giovanni Spitale, Davis-Standard’s chief executive officer. “She brings a proven track record of leading global teams, delivering sound financial strategy, and close partnership with business leadership – all of which will be key to continuing the growth trajectory that we are on.” Ms Dwaraka comes to Davis-Standard from NielsenIQ, where she was chief accounting officer, leading a global team of 900

Raje Dwaraka

New sales and solutions director at Emtelle Emtelle, a UK-based manufacturer of blown fibre and ducted solutions, has appointed Mark Bakker as its new sales and solutions director for Benelux (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg).

Switzerland, Austria and Italy for global corporation Chemtura, focused on providing speciality chemicals to sectors including transport, energy and electronics (merged into Lanxess in 2017). A qualified electrical and electronics engineer, Mr Bakker also studied business studies at the Amsterdam University of Applied Science. Commenting on his new appointment, he said, “I am delighted to have joined Emtelle and [at] a very exciting time for the company, as it further consolidates its position as a market leader for solutions in Europe. I aim to share the knowledge and experience that I have gained over the years to drive forward new business, expand Emtelle’s portfolio in the region, and bring sustainable solutions to Emtelle’s customers.” Tony Rodgers, CEO of Emtelle, said, “I am looking forward to Mark guiding us to even greater success, thanks to his undoubted experience and expertise.” Emtelle UK Ltd www.emtelle.com a period of more than 20 years and has thus played an essential role in helping to shape Altana’s sustained success,” said Martin Babilas, CEO of Altana AG. Mr Kumar has worked in the chemical industry for 26 years. In the first 15 years of his career, the chemical engineer held sales and marketing positions at Asian Paints, BASF and Huntsman in India. In 2012, he moved to Brussels within the Huntsman Group before joining the Altana Group as managing director of Elantas Beck India in January 2014. Since 2019, he has been managing director of Elantas PDG in St Louis. Mr Kumar’s successor as managing director of Elantas PDG, Jan Behnke, is currently responsible for sales and technology in the US company, and has a degree in business administration and more than 30 years of experience in the chemical industry. Altana AG Elantas www.altana.com www.elantas.com

Based in Amsterdam, Mr Bakker brings experience to the role, following a career in business development and solutions spanning more than 25 years. He previously worked for 16

years with Pipelife, a supplier of plastic piping systems and solutions. Recruited as product manager in 2006, he rose to the position of business manager in-house solutions Netherlands and Germany, responsible for all commercial activities in both countries, and managing account teams and product development. Other managerial positions include working as sales manager Benelux,

Mark Bakker

Leadership change in Altana’s Elantas division Speciality chemicals group Altana has announced a change in leadership at Elantas, its division specialising in insulating and protective coatings.

Dr Guido Forstbachwill retire at the end of this year and hand over the presidency of the Elantas division to Ravindra Kumar, who will also become a member of Altana’s executive management team as of 1 January 2023. Mr Kumar is currently managing director of Elantas PDG in St Louis, USA. Dr Forstbach joined the Altana Group in 2000 as managing director of what is now Actega Rhenania, and became president of the Actega division in 2001. He previously held various international technical and sales positions at Akzo Nobel and Sun Chemical. As part of the rotation of all four of Altana’s division presidents, Dr Forstbach, who holds a doctorate in chemistry, became head of Elantas in November 2012.

“Guido Forstbach has successfully managed two divisions over

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November 2022

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