Evonik Strengthens Management Team in North America
- Guido Skudlarek named President North America
- Bonnie Tully becomes Chief Operations Officer North America
- North America is key growth region for Evonik
Evonik, one of the world’s leading specialty chemicals companies, has named Guido Skudlarek President of the North America region effective June 1, 2024, adding top-level management expertise to its local leadership team. Bonnie Tully, who led the region since 2020, becomes Chief Operations Officer for North America, focusing on the region’s broad footprint of production sites and new business developments.
“North America has become a crucial growth region for Evonik,” says Chief Financial Officer Maike Schuh, the Evonik management board member responsible for the Americas. “I am excited that Guido and Bonnie will contribute their unique skill sets to the next phase of our growth trajectory in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.”
Skudlarek most recently served as Head of Operations Excellence at the company’s headquarters in Essen, Germany, designing and implementing global transformation programs in production and supply chain management. He previously headed specialties within Evonik’s silica business and advanced its overall growth strategy. This included managing the antitrust review process for the acquisition of U.S.-based J.M. Huber Corp.’s silica business.
Skudlarek studied business administration and engineering in Germany and the U.K. and holds a doctorate from the University of Bayreuth, Germany. He began his professional career in 2001 at the consulting firm McKinsey & Company before joining Evonik in 2013. “I am looking forward to working with the region’s excellent team to expand Evonik’s business in North America,” says Skudlarek.
Tully, who studied mechanical engineering at Texas A&M, has more than 30 years of experience at Evonik and its predecessors. She will oversee the expanding operations in a region that recorded €3.8 billion in revenue in fiscal 2023, a quarter of the Group’s total. “I am an engineer at heart, and I can’t wait to again dive into the operational details of our great company.” Tully is also the Executive Sponsor of groW Americas, the women’s Employee Resource Group at Evonik.
Evonik operates more than 30 production sites in North America. In 2023, Evonik broke ground on a global-scale production facility for pharmaceutical lipids in Lafayette, Indiana, which enable the development of cutting-edge medicines for cancer and other diseases. At its site in Mobile, Alabama, Evonik is building a plant to produce methyl mercaptan, an important intermediate in the production of methionine, an amino acid used in livestock farming. In Charleston, South Carolina, Evonik is adding 50 percent capacity to its production plant for precipitated silica, an important ingredient for more sustainable tires. In Weston, Michigan, Evonik just started production of ultra-high purity colloidal silica, a crucial element for semiconductor production, at a new facility. Evonik’s production sites in North America are supported by the new Innovation Hub in Allentown, Pennsylvania, consisting of more than 60 state-of-the art testing and processing labs as well as a pilot plant. Together, these projects represent investments of close to half a billion dollars.
Company information
Evonik is one of the world leaders in specialty chemicals. The company is active in more than 100 countries around the world and generated sales of €15.3 billion and an operating profit (adjusted EBITDA) of €1.66 billion in 2023. Evonik goes far beyond chemistry to create innovative, profitable, and sustainable solutions for customers. More than 33,000 employees work together for a common purpose: We want to improve life today and tomorrow.
Disclaimer
In so far as forecasts or expectations are expressed in this press release or where our statements concern the future, these forecasts, expectations or statements may involve known or unknown risks and uncertainties. Actual results or developments may vary, depending on changes in the operating environment. Neither Evonik Industries AG nor its group companies assume an obligation to update the forecasts, expectations or statements contained in this release.