Stephen Kirk to retire from Valvoline’s board on June 30

Valvoline Inc. announced that Stephen (Steve) Kirk will retire as a member of the board, effective June 30. Kirk was president of Lubrizol Additives from 2004 to 2008 and was chief operating officer of Lubrizol Corporation from 2008 to 2011. He joined the directors of Ashland Inc., the former parent of Valvoline Inc., in 2013. Ashland completed the separation of Valvoline in May 2017.

Kirk has been a director of Valvoline since September 2016 and served as chairman of the board from October 2017 through January 2022.

Jennifer Slater will join Valvoline as an independent director to the company’s board of directors, effective July 1. With more than 25 years of global multifunctional leadership experience, Slater, who is currently the group vice president and general manager, Global Original Equipment and Products at Clarios, joins the Valvoline board with extensive knowledge in the automotive industry – most recently focused on energy storage solutions to meet evolving vehicle electrification needs.

“On behalf of Valvoline’s board of directors, I am thrilled to welcome Jennifer to the board at this exciting time for the company,” said Richard J. Freeland, chairman of the board. “Her expertise with automotive OEMs and advanced vehicle market trends will support Valvoline’s positioning in the evolving transportation landscape. There is little doubt that Jennifer will be a great asset for our management team and will provide keen insights for our strategic goals. We look forward to having her diverse perspectives as we continue our transformation.

“On behalf of the board of directors, I would also like to express our sincere gratitude and thanks to Steve Kirk who, as our former chairman of the board, has been instrumental in leading the company’s strategic transformation to a more services-driven business model. Valvoline has greatly benefited from Steve’s dedication, strategic thinking and leadership throughout his term on Valvoline’s Board of Directors. We will miss Steve’s collaboration on the board and wish him all the best in his retirement,” said Freeland.

Valvoline says it continues to make substantial progress on the previously announced separation of its Global Products and Retail Services business segments and expects to announce further updates when available.