Nov. 11, 2009, Cincinnati, Ohio – The Cognis Group, a global leader in specialty chemicals and nutritional ingredients, has appointed Gregory E. Pflum as Vice President of its Nutrition & Health business unit in North America replacing David M. Eckert. Mr. Eckert is pursuing a career outside of Cognis and will be working closely with Mr. Pflum until year-end to guarantee a seamless transition.
Mr. Pflum brings 20 years of Cognis experience from manufacturing operations through SBU positions, including his most recent position as Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) and Vice President of Supply Chain operations. In his position as CAO, he was responsible for all functions supporting Cognis’ businesses in North America, including legal services, finance, human resources, corporate operations, information technology and communications.
“Greg has the vision and outstanding business skills to lead Cognis as we create innovative opportunities for our customers and help them navigate during these challenging times,” said Stephane Baseden, Executive Vice-President, Cognis Nutrition & Health. “Our business partners will enjoy working with Greg and he will be reaching out to them in the coming months to share ideas on mutually achieving profitable growth.” He pointed out that this leadership change reinforces Cognis’ ongoing commitment to delivering innovative nutritional solutions, and will have no impact on its superior customer service and global chain management.
Mr. Pflum holds a Masters Degree in Operations Management from the University of Cincinnati and a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University.
About Cognis:
Cognis (www.cognis.com) is a worldwide supplier of innovative specialty chemicals and nutritional ingredients, with a particular focus on the areas of wellness and sustainability. The company employs about 5,600 people, and it operates production sites and service centers in 30 countries. Cognis has dedicated its activities to a high level of sustainability and delivers natural source raw materials and ingredients for food, nutrition and healthcare markets, and the cosmetics, detergents and cleaners industries. Another main focus is on products for a number of other industries, such as coatings and inks, lubricants, as well as agriculture and mining.
Cognis is owned by private equity funds advised by Permira, GS Capital Partners, and SV Life Sciences. In 2008, Cognis recorded sales of about 3 billion euros and an Adjusted EBITDA (operating result) of 351 million euros.
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