OMNOVA
Solutions (NYSE:OMN) today announced that Anne Noonan will join the Company as
President of the Performance Chemicals business segment, effective September
22, 2014. She succeeds James Hohman, who will retire from OMNOVA on
October 24, 2014. To ensure an orderly transition, Mr. Hohman will assume
the role of special advisor to Ms. Noonan until his retirement date.
"We
are excited to welcome Anne Noonan to OMNOVA Solutions," said Kevin
McMullen, OMNOVA's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "She has an
impressive background in the specialty chemicals industry, from strategic
marketing to product development and innovation, to mergers and acquisitions,
to general management. Anne has a strong history of transforming
businesses through strategic actions, teamwork and alignment, and an intense
focus on initiatives that will drive profitable growth. She has been
particularly effective in developing clear insights into customer needs, and
utilizing technology to meet those needs and create a clear and compelling
value proposition for the customer. She will be an excellent addition to
our senior leadership team and our Company.
"Jim
Hohman has overseen a significant transformation of OMNOVA's chemicals
business," said McMullen. "Primarily a North American paper and
carpet latex business when he arrived 18 years ago, Performance Chemicals has
since grown to become a global enterprise with more than 65% of sales in
diverse, value-added specialty applications. We appreciate his many
contributions to our Company and wish him well in his retirement."
Anne
Noonan, 51, joins OMNOVA from Chemtura Corporation, a $2.2 billion global
developer and manufacturer of specialty chemicals. Chemtura was formed in
the 2005 merger of Great Lakes Chemical Corporation and Crompton
Corporation. Ms. Noonan held several leadership positions, first at Great
Lakes Chemical and then the combined company, most recently serving as Senior
Vice President and President of Chemtura's Industrial Engineered Products
business, which includes flame retardants, brominated performance products and
organometallic specialties. These products go into numerous applications
and end markets, many of which overlap with OMNOVA's. Previously, she
held a dual role as Vice President of Strategic Business Development for
Chemtura and President of the Great Lakes Solutions business. Her career
at Great Lakes Chemical and Chemtura has spanned 27 years.
Ms.
Noonan earned her M.S. in organometallic chemistry and her B.S. Honors degree
in chemistry from University College in Dublin, Ireland.
James
Hohman joined OMNOVA Solutions in 1996 as Director of Strategic Business
Development for the Performance Chemicals business segment. He was named
president of Performance Chemicals in 2005 and was elected a senior vice
president of the Company in 2011. During his tenure, he led negotiations for
the acquisitions of the Goodyear/Calhoun, Georgia latex facility and the U.S.
specialty chemicals businesses of Sequa Chemicals and PolymerLatex. Under
Mr. Hohman's leadership, OMNOVA acquired ELIOKEM in 2010, which added a broader
range of chemistries and applications, and extended OMNOVA's reach into new
global specialty chemical markets.
OMNOVA
Solutions Inc. is a technology-based company with sales for the twelve months
ending May 31, 2014 of $1.0 billion and a global workforce of approximately
2,300. OMNOVA is an innovator of emulsion polymers, specialty chemicals,
and functional and decorative surfaces for a variety of commercial, industrial
and residential end uses. Visit OMNOVA Solutions on the internet at www.omnova.com.