Kraton appoints van Breevoort as president of pine chemicals segment
Kraton Corporation, a leading global sustainable producer of specialty polymers and high-value biobased products derived from pine wood pulping co-products, has appointed Minco van Breevoort as president of the Pine Chemicals Segment, and Torsten Schmidt as president of the Polymers Segment, effective immediately. Schmidt most recently served as vice president of Commercial for Pine Chemicals, and van Breevoort as the vice president of Pine Chemicals Procurement and Supply Chain.
“I am pleased to announce the appointments of Torsten and Minco,” said Marcello Boldrini, chief executive officer, Kraton. “Their combined expertise in strategy, operations, finance, and engineering, coupled with their deep understanding of our business and industry knowledge, make them invaluable assets to lead our Pine Chemical and Polymer business segments. With their exceptional leadership, I am confident in their ability to drive growth, innovation, and customer success, further solidifying Kraton’s position as a global leader in specialty chemicals.”
Van Breevoort joined Kraton in 2011 as director of Finance and held several leadership positions in finance, corporate development, pine chemical procurement, and product management. In 2022, he was appointed vice president of Procurement and Supply Chain of Pine Chemicals. Before joining Kraton, van Breevoort held several roles in strategy, procurement, and finance at Shell and Unilever and served on several joint venture boards. He holds an MBA in Economics and Accounting from Maastricht University in the Netherlands.
Schmidt brings more than 30 years of extensive industry experience, having served various senior-level roles in Kraton’s polymer and chemical business segments for the past decade. His roles included manager of Kraton’s Cariflex business, VP of Performance Chemical Sales, VP of Marketing, and most recently, VP of Commercial for Pine Chemicals. Before Kraton, Schmidt held operations, strategy, and engineering leadership positions at Hoechst AG, Hoechst Celanese, KoSa and Invista. He has a Master’s in Chemical Engineering from Martin-Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg in Germany.
“It is truly a privilege to be selected as president of Pine Chemicals at Kraton,” said van Breevoort. “Our legacy of sustainable innovations and relentless pursuit of excellence in our pine chemicals business form a solid foundation for future growth. I am eager to collaborate with our dedicated team to strengthen our market position further, drive innovation, and meet customer expectations. I look forward to helping lead the charge in enhancing sustainability and creating value for our customers and communities.”
“I am honored to be appointed as Kraton Polymers president, and with the support and expertise of our global team, I’m excited to take the polymer business to new heights,” said Schmidt. “With a deep commitment to our customers, operational excellence, and accelerating growth, we will work together to address potential challenges, explore new opportunities, and continue shaping the future of polymer technology.”
Kraton’s polymers are used in a wide range of applications, including adhesives, coatings, consumer and personal care products, sealants, and lubricants, and medical, packaging, automotive, paving and roofing products. As the largest global provider in the pine chemicals industry, the company’s pine-based specialty products are sold into adhesive, road and construction and tire markets, and it produces and sells a broad range of performance chemicals into markets that include fuel additives, oilfield chemicals, coatings, metalworking fluids and lubricants, inks, and mining. Based in Houston, Texas, U.S.A., Kraton offers its products to a diverse customer base in more than 70 countries worldwide.
