Kraton Corporation (Houston, Texas, USA), a leading global sustainable producer of specialty polymers and high-value biobased products, has appointed Torsten Schmidt as president of the polymers segment and Minco van Breevoort as president of the pine chemicals segment, effective immediately. Most recently, Schmidt served as vice president (VP) of commercial for pine chemicals and van Breevoort as the VP of pine chemicals procurement and supply chain.
“I am pleased to announce the appointments of Torsten and Minco,” says Marcello Boldrini, chief executive officer for 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.”
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, he held operations, strategy, and engineering leadership positions at Hoechst AG, Hoechst Celanese, KoSa, and Invista. Schmidt holds a Master’s in chemical engineering from Martin-Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg in Germany.
“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,” says 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.”
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 VP of procurement and supply chain of pine chemicals. Before joining Kraton, van Brevoort 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.
“It is truly a privilege to be selected as president of pine chemicals at Kraton,” says 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.”
Source: Kraton Corporation, https://kraton.com.