Avantor Performance Materials has new CEO

PHILLIPBURG, USA: Avantor Performance Materials (formerly Mallinckrodt Baker) has named Jean-Marc Gilson as chief executive officer, responsible for the strategic development and global direction for the performance chemistries and materials company. Gilson was previously executive vice president and general manager of Dow Corning’s Specialty Chemicals business.

As CEO, Gilson will work with the executive chairman, Raj Gupta, and will oversee the company’s core leadership team.

Avantor manufactures and markets high-performance chemistries and materials around the world under two well-known and respected brand names, J.T.Baker and Macron Chemicals (formerly Mallinckrodt Chemicals). These products are widely used in microelectronics and photovoltaic manufacturing; biotechnology and pharmaceutical production; and in research, academic and quality control laboratories.

“Jean-Marc’s strong and diverse background in engineering, technology and general management uniquely suits him for the chief executive officer role,” said Gupta. “In particular, he’s been extraordinarily successful in driving silicon technology business initiatives on a global scale, and will be instrumental in leveraging our success into new business opportunities throughout the world.”

“I’m excited with the opportunity to lead such an innovative and dynamic company during this time of accelerated growth,” said Gilson. “I embrace Raj’s vision for Avantor to become a global leader in performance materials, and I hope to utilize my experience in the international specialty chemicals market to realize and achieve that goal.”

Gilson began his career with Dow Corning in 1989 as a process engineer in Belgium, where he was in charge of polymer process and product development. He earned a series of rapid promotions and served in a number of engineering, financial, manufacturing and leadership management roles in Europe and Asia, and at the company’s headquarters in the United States.

Gilson has focused his career on specialty chemicals and performance materials since 1999, when he was a director of science and technology for Dow Corning’s Specialty Chemicals unit. Under his leadership, the company patented several key new products. In 2003, he was named vice president and general manager for the Advanced Technologies and Venture Business, where he was responsible for a portfolio of activities that included products for the solar, electronics, opto-electronics and semiconductor industries. Gilson relocated to Japan in 2005 as vice president and general manager and Asian area president to oversee the company’s multi-billion dollar global Specialty Chemicals business. He was later named executive vice president of Dow Corning in 2009.

Gilson received a master of chemical engineering degree in 1988 from the University of Liege (Belgium). He earned a master of business administration degree in 1999 from the Institute for Management Development (Switzerland).