New leaders head chemical makers

New leaders are taking their places at the head of three chemical concerns over the next 4 months. At Celanese, Lori Ryerkerk will succeed Mark Rohr as CEO on May 1. Ryerkerk joins Celanese from Shell, where she was executive vice president of global manufacturing with responsibility for the firm’s chemical and refining assets. A chemical engineer with a BS from Iowa State University, she worked at ExxonMobil between 1986 and 2010. Rohr will remain as executive chairman. At Shell Chemicals, Thomas Casparie will succeed Graham van’t Hoff as executive vice president on July 1. Casparie has been in charge of Shell Chemicals’ Americas region business since 2017. Van’t Hoff has led Shell Chemicals since 2013 and will become a special adviser for Shell downstream projects. And at specialty chemical firm Dixie Chemical, William H. Doherty is the CEO, effective immediately. He fills a spot that has been vacant since Charles E. Bennett retired in 2015. Doherty was previously at the chlorovinyls maker Axiall.