ICIS Top 40 Power Players 2016 chemical executive ranking revealed

NEW YORK, LONDON, (ICIS)–The ICIS Top 40 Power Players, a global ranking of the leading senior executives making the greatest positive impact on their companies and the industry through investments, shifts in business models, mergers and acquisitions, and innovation, has been published by ICIS Chemical Business magazine.

Taking the top spot in 2016 is Matthias Zachert, chairman of Germany-based LANXESS (pictured right), followed by INEOS chairman Jim Ratcliffe at number 2, and Dow chairman and CEO Andrew Liveris taking third place.

“Transformation is the key theme for senior executives in the fast-changing chemical sector. Leaders must adapt quickly, defining a vision and positioning their companies’ portfolio and culture for success,” said Joseph Chang, global editor of ICIS Chemical Business.

“2016 was both a very intense and very successful year for LANXESS. We made great progress at a fast pace in transforming our company. LANXESS is on its way to become a much more profitable and resilient company than it was in the past with a clear focus on specialty chemicals,” said Zachert.

“These achievements should certainly be attributed to the entire LANXESS team around the world who has done tremendous work to bring our company back on track. It is therefore a great pleasure to receive this award in the name of the entire organisation,” he added.

“When Zachert took over as leader of LANXESS in April 2014 he inherited a company which was underperforming financially, having expanded capacities too ambitiously at a time of emerging global overcapacity and price pressure in rubber chemicals.

“He quickly developed and executed a clear strategy to steer the company away from this core product area to expand in other, less cyclical, specialty chemicals businesses,” said Will Beacham, deputy editor of ICIS Chemical Business.

The ICIS Top 40 Power Players ranking is based on selections from the global ICIS senior editorial staff.

This year’s ICIS Top 40 Power Players is sponsored by executive recruitment and talent management firm Korn Ferry.

Click here to download the ICIS Top 40 Power Players (registration required).