New York, NY, Sept. 10, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) will celebrate women in engineering — and recognize companies that encourage and benefit from women’s leadership and technical contributions — at the 2018 AIChE gala, to be held on December 11 at the Grand Hyatt New York in New York City. Organizations to be honored at the gala include Pfizer Inc and Covestro LLC — two global companies lauded for championing women engineers in their corporate ranks.
The gala will also feature the presentation of the AIChE Foundation’s “Doing a World of Good” Medal to Nance Dicciani, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of RTM Vital Signs LLC. The award recognizes the achievements of an individual who has advanced societal contributions of engineers. Dicciani will be honored for her leadership, technical contributions, and for her personal commitment to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education.
Pfizer Inc is being recognized for advancing women in the biopharmaceutical sector. Pfizer Inc has been ranked among the top 50 companies for women executives by the U.S. National Association of Female Executives, and recently received the “Most Women Friendly Employer of the Year" award at the Women in Leadership Middle East and Africa Forum. Covestro — a leading supplier of high-tech polymer materials — will be honored for its promotion of women in manufacturing and corporate leadership. Covestro is also being recognized for its commitment to STEM education programs including greenlight for girls, which aims to introduce more girls and women of all ages to STEM subjects, careers, and role models through fun, interactive events.
Ian C. Read, Pfizer Inc’s Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, will be accepting the award on behalf of Pfizer Inc. Covestro LLC will be represented by Jerry MacCleary, the company’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
In announcing the gala honorees, AIChE Executive Director June Wispelwey added, “AIChE applauds the efforts of these exemplary organizations and leaders — all of whom are pioneers of diversity and inclusion, and working to raise the profile of women in engineering and corporate leadership. The achievements of our honored companies are tied to the contributions of the women scientists and executives who have made their mark in the field of engineering and corporate leadership, and these successes highlight the value and importance of a fully diverse and inclusive workforce.”
The gala is organized by the AIChE Foundation, and will raise funds to underwrite the expansion of women’s leadership programs, improve pre-college STEM education, and advance retention programs for women engineering undergraduates, graduate students, and young professionals. Such projects are part of the AIChE Foundation’s “Doing a World of Good” campaign, which supports initiatives that bring chemical engineering expertise to bear for the benefit of society.
The 2018 Gala dinner chairs are (as of September 7): Christine Bryant, Senior Vice President, Polyurethanes–North America, Covestro LLC; Karen S. Carter, Chief Inclusion Officer, The Dow Chemical Company; Bruce Chinn, President, Chevron Oronite Company LLC; Susan Ellerbusch, Chief Executive Officer, Air Liquide USA LLC; Erin N. Kane, President and Chief Executive Officer, AdvanSix Inc.; Kirsten Lund-Jurgensen, PhD, Executive Vice President and President, Pfizer Global Supply; and John Y. Televantos, Partner, Arsenal Capital Partners.
For more information about the AIChE Gala, visit www.aiche.org/gala.
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About AIChE
AIChE is a professional society of more than 60,000 chemical engineers in 110 countries. Its members work in corporations, universities and government using their knowledge of chemical processes to develop safe and useful products for the benefit of society. Through its varied programs, AIChE continues to be a focal point for information exchange on the frontiers of chemical engineering research in such areas as energy, sustainability, biological and environmental engineering, nanotechnology and chemical plant safety and security. More information about AIChE is available at http://www.aiche.org.
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