Big leadership changes coming at Covestro

Chemical supplier Covestro LLC has announced that, effective Feb. 1, 2018, Jerry MacCleary, currently president and managing director and head of the polyurethanes business unit in North America, will be appointed as CEO and chairman of the board.

MacCleary will be succeeded in his role as head of the polyurethanes business unit by Christine Bryant, currently head of coatings, adhesives, and specialties.

Dr. Erik Haakan Jonsson, currently chief operating officer, will succeed MacCleary as president and managing director.

Pictured above (l. to r.): Jerry MacCleary, named chief executive officer of Covestro LLC; Dr. Erik Haakan Jonsson, successor to MacCleary as president and managing director of Covestro LLC; and Christine Bryant, successor to MacCleary as head of the Polyurethanes business unit in North America.

MacCleary joined Pittsburgh, Pa.-based Covestro (then part of Bayer) in 1979 as an accountant, before taking positions in sales, marketing, and strategic management. In 2004, he was named head of the North American polyurethanes business unit, a role he maintained after becoming president of Covestro in 2012. He led Covestro’s North American business through its separation from Bayer AG and establishment as an independent company in 2015.

In addition to his roles at Covestro, MacCleary serves as vice chairman of the board, a member of the executive committee, and an officer at the American Chemistry Council; and also serves on the board of directors of the National Association of Manufacturers, the International Isocyanate Institute, and the Center for the Polyurethanes Industry.