CENTER VALLEY, PA--(Marketwired - May 6, 2014) - Avantor™ Performance Materials, a global manufacturer and supplier of high-performance chemistries, announces the appointment of Michael Stubblefield as chief executive officer (CEO).
Stubblefield assumes the role of CEO from Richard White, who had been serving as the company's chief operating officer and interim CEO since September 2013.
Stubblefield brings more than 20 years of global chemical industry leadership experience to his new role at Avantor. Most recently, Stubblefield served as a senior expert for the Chemicals Practice of McKinsey & Company. Prior to that time, he had a long tenure with Celanese, a global technology and specialty materials company. At Celanese, Stubblefield held various global leadership positions over the years, including vice president and general manager - advanced engineered materials, chief marketing officer, vice president and general manager - EVA performance polymers, global supply chain director - acetyl intermediates, and Asia commercial director - emulsion polymers.
He holds an MBA from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, and a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from the University of Utah.
"We are happy to welcome Michael to Avantor," said Raj Gupta, executive chairman of Avantor. "Michael has extensive global leadership experience in the chemicals field, and his proven record of driving excellence across global commercial and operations functions will serve Avantor well."
"We have made tremendous progress through an aggressive business-building strategy, including geographic expansion, investment in the core business, support of quality systems and enhancements to the product portfolio," said Matt Holt, managing director of New Mountain Capital, which owns Avantor. "Given these investments to date, the company is very well set up for execution from here, and we are excited to support Michael Stubblefield as our CEO. We are confident in Michael's ability to lead the company to great success. Given the abundance of opportunities that we see for Avantor, the future is very bright for all stakeholders."
"Avantor is an established leader in performance materials and chemistries, with a more than 100-year legacy of helping customers meet their unique business objectives," Stubblefield said. "I am excited about this opportunity, and I look forward to working closely with our global employees, customers and communities in the years to come."
In his role as CEO, Stubblefield will oversee all aspects of Avantor's global operations in its four business areas: Laboratory Products, Pharmaceuticals, Electronic Materials and Diagnostics. He will be based at Avantor's global corporate headquarters in Center Valley, PA.
Visit www.avantormaterials.com for more information.
About Avantor™ Performance Materials
Based in Center Valley, PA (USA), Avantor Performance Materials manufactures and markets high-performance chemistries and materials around the world under several respected brand names, including the J.T.Baker®, Macron Fine Chemicals™, Rankem™, BeneSphera™, and POCH™ brands.
Avantor products are used in a wide range of industries. Our biomedical and life science solutions are used in pharmaceutical production, laboratory research for academic, industry and quality control, and in medical lab testing. Our electronics solutions are used in the manufacturing of semiconductors. For additional information please visit www.avantormaterials.com or follow www.twitter.com/avantor_news.
About New Mountain Capital
New Mountain Capital is a New York‐based private equity firm that emphasizes business building and growth, rather than debt, as it pursues long‐term capital appreciation. The firm currently manages private and public equity funds with approximately $12 billion in aggregate capital commitments. New Mountain seeks out what it believes to be the highest-quality growth leaders in carefully selected industry sectors and then works intensively with management to build the value of these companies. For more information on New Mountain Capital, please visit www.newmountaincapital.com.
Trademarks are owned by Avantor Performance Materials, Inc., or its affiliates unless otherwise noted.
© 2014 Avantor Performance Materials, Inc.
