2015. Prior to this position, from 2011 to 2014, he served as Senior Vice President, President Performance Materials & Ashland Supply Chain, and prior to that, Vice President, President Performance Materials & Ashland Supply Chain. Mr. Harris broad managerial, international, operational and sales experience, as well as his proven track record of developing and implementing strategies for delivering sustainable, profitable growth, make him a valuable member of our Board of Directors. Mr. Harris is also a member of the board of directors of Pentair plc (NYSE), a diversified industrial manufacturing company.
Matthew D. Wineinger,
age 52, a Class 1 director whose current term expires in 2019, has been a director of the Company since September 2015. Since June 2015, Mr. Wineinger has been the President and Chief Executive Officer of United Sugars Corporation, a privately held, leading marketer of sugar. Mr. Wineinger served as President of Bulk Ingredients from June 2010 to November 2014, and as President, Food and Industrial Ingredients of Tate & Lyle PLC (LSE) from March 2008 to June 2010. Mr. Wineingers thirty-one years of extensive global, operational and strategic industry experience, together with his previous knowledge of manufacturing operations involving many of the Companys current raw materials, make him a valuable member of our Board of Directors, particularly as the Company focuses on development and supply of products to human food and nutrition industries.
UPON RECOMMENDATION BY THE CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND NOMINATING COMMITTEE, THE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE COMPANY RECOMMENDS A VOTE ‘FOR THE ELECTION OF THE
ABOVE NOMINEES AS DIRECTORS.
Directors Not Standing for Election
David B. Fischer
, age 56, a Class 3 director whose current term expires in 2020, was appointed as a director
of the Company in September 2010. Mr. Fischer is retired and prior to his retirement, he was a director and
President and Chief Executive Officer of Greif, Inc. (NYSE), a supplier of industrial packing systems from
November 2011 to October 2015. From 2007 to 2011, Mr. Fischer was the President and Chief Operating
Officer of Greif, and from 2004 to 2007, Mr. Fischer served as Greif’s Senior Vice President and Divisional
President, Industrial Packaging & Services - Americas. He is currently a member of the Boards of Directors of
Ingredion Incorporated (NYSE) and DOmedia LLC, a privately held company.
Mr. Fischer is also a co-founder
and chairman of the board of directors of 10x Materials, a privately-held clean tech materials science company
located in Wabash, Indiana
. Mr. Fischer holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Purdue University.
Mr. Fischer’s management and leadership skills, developed over years of responsibility for complex, global
manufacturing operations, and his intimate knowledge of mergers and acquisitions, position him as a critical
component of our Board of Directors, as we look to grow both organically and by acquisition.
Perry W. Premdas
, age 66, a Class 3 director whose current term expires in 2020, was appointed as a director of the Company in January 2008. He is currently retired. From 1999 to 2004, Mr. Premdas was Chief Financial Officer of Celanese AG, a chemical and plastics business spun-off by Hoechst AG and listed on the Frankfurt stock exchange and the NYSE. He was Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Centeon LLC from 1997 to 1998. Over his career, he has led treasury, finance, audit and investor relations functions of US and international companies and had general manager, executive and director roles in various wholly-owned and joint venture operations. Mr. Premdas holds a BA from Brown University and an MBA from the Harvard University Graduate School of Business. He served as a member of the Board of Directors of Compass Minerals International, Inc. (NYSE) until May 2015. Mr. Premdas was our Audit Committee Chairman and the Board of Directors audit committee financial expert from 2008 to 2018. Mr. Premdas combination of financial and international business management experience in the chemical industry makes him a valuable member of our Board of Directors.
Dr. John Y. Televantos,
age 66, a Class 3 director whose current term expires in 2020, has been a director since February 2005, and lead director since August 2010. Dr. Televantos is a Senior Partner at Arsenal Capital Partners, Inc., a private equity investment firm, where he leads the Chemicals and Materials practice of the firm. Dr. Televantos was formerly with Hercules, Inc., a chemical manufacturing company, as President of the Aqualon Division and as Vice President of Hercules, Inc. from April 2002 through February 2005. Dr. Televantos holds B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Chemical Engineering from the University of London, United Kingdom. In addition to Dr. Televantos experience in the chemical manufacturing industry and management of publicly