Albemarle taps John Steitz as president

Baton Rouge, La., U.S.A.-based Albemarle Corp. announced the appointment of John Steitz as president and chief operating officer (COO) effective March 1. “John is a recognized leader in the specialty chemicals arena and has served Albemarle with incredible leadership and dedication. With a deep knowledge of both our businesses and the chemical industry and a true passion for executing our strategies, he is the ideal fit for this position,” said Luke Kissam, chief executive officer of Albemarle. An industry veteran with nearly 30 years of experience in business management and administration activities, Steitz joined Albemarle in July 2000 and has served in various roles of increasing responsibility during his tenure with the company. Most recently, he served as executive vice president and COO. From October 2002 to April 2007, he was senior vice president, Business Operations, and from July 2000 until October 2002, he was vice president of the Fine Chemistry segment. Prior to joining Albemarle, Steitz was vice president and general manager of Pharmaceutical Chemicals for Mallinckrodt, Inc., in St. Louis, Mo., U.S.A. Albemarle is a leading global developer, manufacturer, and marketer of highly engineered specialty chemicals for consumer electronics, petroleum refining, utilities, packaging, construction, automotive/transportation, pharmaceuticals, crop protection, food-safety and custom chemistry services. (February 27, 2012)