John Steitz to become president and CEO of Albemarle

Albemarle Corp. (Baton Rouge, La.; www.albemarle.com) has announced that John Steitz has been elected president and CEO of the company, effective March 1, 2012. In this role, Steitz will oversee all aspects of the company’s operations, including global responsibility for manufacturing, supply chain, sales and health, safety and environmental. "John is a recognized leader in the specialty chemicals arena and has served Albemarle with incredible leadership and dedication. With a deep knowledge of both our businesses and the chemical industry and a true passion for executing our strategies, he is the ideal fit for this position," said Luke Kissam, chief executive officer of Albemarle. "I look forward to continuing to work with John to deliver on our future growth strategy." An industry veteran with nearly thirty years of experience in business management and administration activities, Steitz joined Albemarle in July 2000 and has served in various roles of increasing responsibility during his tenure with the company. Most recently, Mr. Steitz served as executive vice president and chief operating officer.  From October 2002 to April 2007, he served as senior vice president, Business Operations, and from July 2000 until October 2002, he was vice president of the company’s Fine Chemistry segment. Prior to joining Albemarle,  Steitz served as vice president and general manager of Pharmaceutical Chemicals for Mallinckrodt, Inc.