Archroma, a global leader in color and specialty chemicals towards sustainable solutions, announced its transition plan for the function of chief executive officer. The Board of Directors of Archroma has appointed Heike van de Kerkhof to succeed current CEO Alexander Wessels effective January 6, 2020. Wessels has held the CEO position at Archroma since the company was established in October 2013 and will be appointed as vice chairman of the company’s Board of Directors. He will also take on a senior advisory role within SK Capital working across its portfolio of investments, which includes Archroma.

Wessels comments, “I feel privileged to have been given the opportunity to work with SK Capital and the Archroma team over the past six and a half years, which has really been an incredible journey. We are coming off another record year in terms of profitability and the business is uniquely positioned to capitalize on its significant momentum moving forward. For me personally, this is the ideal moment to take on my next challenge and in Heike we have found the ideal person to pass the baton to. We look forward to a seamless transition and I am excited to continue to support the company as a member of the Board of Directors.”

Barry Siadat, co-founder and managing director at SK Capital comments, “I would personally like to thank Xander for his leadership in the successful transformation of Archroma into a market leader in innovative and sustainable products and services and welcome him to a broader leadership role at SK Capital. We are excited to welcome Heike, a rare talent, to Archroma and SK Capital. We believe she is the ideal person to lead the next chapter of the company’s history.”

Van de Kerkhof joins Archroma from Castrol, the leading branded lubricant division of BP plc where she held the role of vice president, Western Hemisphere, and was responsible for a business generating USD $2+ billion in annual revenues and having approximately 2000 employees. Prior to BP, she held a variety of business leadership, commercial and operations roles at DuPont and The Chemours Company in a career spanning almost 30 years. She also served as a non-executive director at Neste Oil.

“I have a true passion for innovation and sustainability, and I am thrilled to join Archroma as its next CEO,” van de Kerkhof comments. “The company has established itself as a leader in sustainable chemistry based on its strong technology-driven product portfolio with a solid foundation to further build upon. I believe Archroma is uniquely positioned to support its customers’ manufacturing processes in a cost effective and sustainable manner. The investments made into research and technology during the first stage of SK Capital’s ownership have positioned Archroma to reach new levels of growth and success.”