Emery Oleochemicals appoints Ramesh Kana as new global chief executive officer
Kuala Lumpur, 08 January 2015 - Emery Oleochemicals today announced that its board of directors named Ramesh Kana as the company’s new Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) effective immediately. Ramesh Kana succeeds Dr. Kongkrapan Intarajang, who has taken a new role with PTT Global Chemicals but will remain a member of the board of directors.
“Ramesh’s deep understanding and experience of the company’s business, culture, people, partners and industry makes him the right leader to drive Emery Oleochemicals’ strategy and growth moving forward,” said Datuk Franki Anthony Dass, Chairman of the Board of Directors.
Since joining Emery Oleochemicals in 2009 as Senior Vice President and Group Chief Financial Officer, Ramesh has led and managed Emery Oleochemicals’ transition from a pre-dominantly commodity chemical player to a natural-based specialty chemical producer. With a proven track record in delivering value to the company’s stakeholders, Ramesh took on additional roles and was named Senior Vice President, Global Chief Finance & Strategy Officer and Regional Managing Director ‾ Asia Pacific in May 2014.
Commenting on his appointment, Ramesh offered, “I’m honored to have this opportunity to lead Emery Oleochemicals through its next chapter as a leading sustainable specialty chemical player. I look forward to working closely with all employees, partners, regulators and customers, capitalizing on recent efforts, our sustainable portfolio and leveraging 175 years of heritage and expertise under the Emery brand.”
Over the past five years, Emery Oleochemicals made significant investments in research and development and operations, successfully launching five specialty chemicals business platforms Agro Green, Bio-Lubricants, Eco-Friendly Polyols, Green Polymer Additives, Home & Personal Wellness, in addition to its mainstay OleoBasics business. As a result, Emery Oleochemicals diversified its customer portfolio to serve a wider range of industries across the globe and is well positioned to capture a higher growth margin demand.
Dr. Kongkrapan Intarajang stated: “It’s been an honor to serve as Emery Oleochemicals’ GCEO throughout its transformation and I would like to thank all employees and partners for their hard work and dedication. I can’t think of a better choice than Ramesh to take the company to the next level. Together, we have established the right strategy to enable Emery Oleochemicals to grow and capture market opportunities where the company has clear competitive advantage.”