Baton Rouge, Louisiana - Luther Kissam becomes chief executive officer of flame-retardants producer Albemarle Corp., with effect from 1 Sept 2011.
Kissam joined Albemarle in September 2003 as vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary and served as senior vice president, Manufacturing and Law. He became corporate secretary in January 2008 and then was promoted to president in March 2010.
Before joining Albemarle, Kissam was at Merisant Co., having previously been associate general counsel of Monsanto Co.
Albemarle chairman and ceo Mark Rohr said in the company's announcement, "Luke has demonstrated broad leadership capability in his various roles at Albemarle. He led Albemarle's restructuring efforts during the recent recession, positioning the company to recover faster than most while also expanding margins. He has been a driving force in our efforts to establish strategic commercial initiatives, and has been instrumental in our overall efforts to merge commercial opportunities and innovative chemistry."
Rohr will continue as executive chairman of the Albemarle Board.
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