New Chief Technology Officer at Dow

R &D MANAGEMENT

William F. Banholzer, 48, has been named vice president and chief technology officer at Dow Chemical, effective July 14.

In this role, Banholzer will join Dow’s Office of the Chief Executive and report to Dow’s chief executive officer, Andrew N. Liveris. Banholzer will lead global R&D efforts as well as oversee Dow’s four-member R&D council. That council was set up last year upon the retirement of previous Dow R&D head Richard M. Gross, who held the slightly different title of vice president of R&D.

Banholzer was previously vice president of global technology at GE Advanced Materials, a position where, since 1999, he was responsible for the global technology and engineering of that business, which includes GE Plastics. He joined GE in 1983 as a staff chemical engineer at GE’s Corporate R&D Laboratory in Schenectady, N.Y. He received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Marquette University and a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Illinois.

“Innovation is the lifeblood of our industry,” Liveris said upon announcing the appointment. “It is Dow’s heritage, and it remains at the very heart of the company’s growth strategy. In Bill, we have a leader whose passion for innovation, sharp market focus, and ability to energize global teams can raise the R&D game for Dow, taking us to a new level of performance in the science and technology arena.”