Mike Smith to Retire from Ingevity

Ingevity Corporation announced that effective March 1, 2022, Mike Smith has elected to retire as EVP and president, Performance Chemicals, strategy and business development. Beginning January 1, 2022, Rich White, VP, Industrial Specialties, and Steve Hulme, VP, Engineered Polymers, at Ingevity will co-lead the company’s Performance Chemicals segment.

At that time, White will become SVP, Performance Chemicals, and president, Industrial Specialties and Pavement Technologies, and Hulme will be SVP, Performance Chemicals, and president, Engineered Polymers.

“Mike has been an integral member of our executive team and instrumental to the success of our Performance Chemicals segment throughout his tenure here,” said John Fortson, CEO at Ingevity. “His leadership helped us smoothly integrate our acquisitions of Georgia-Pacific’s pine chemicals business and the caprolactone division of Perstorp Holding AB. Our Performance Chemicals segment is well positioned for continued growth because of Mike’s dedication and we wish him the best in retirement.”

Smith joined Ingevity in 2016 after 23 years at FMC Corporation, where he served as VP and global business director for FMC’s health and nutrition business at the time of his departure and had held management roles of increasing responsibility across FMC’s opera-tions in the US and UK.

White joined Ingevity in 2019 from DuPont Nutrition and Health in Copenhagen, Denmark, where he was VP of global accounts. Prior to DuPont, White spent 18 years at FMC Corporation serving as GM of the health and nutrition business for the Europe, Middle East and Africa region; global sales director for health and nutrition; global procurement director; and marketing and sales director of the specialty alkali and lithium division.

In 2020, Hulme joined Ingevity from Maysta Chemical, where he was VP of commercial operations. With more than 30 years of experience in the polyurethanes industry managing complex international businesses, he spent 27 years at Air Products and Chemicals in various sales, marketing and business management roles in Germany and China. Hulme was VP and GM for the polyurethane additives business at Air Products prior to its sale to Evonik Industries AG.