Breene, who is currently president of health care and crop care, will take over the position on January 1st 2016, when Gallagher draws to an end a career that has lasted almost four decades at Croda.
Gallagher, who is based out of the company’s US headquarters in Edison, New Jersey, will be passing control of the business unit to UK-based Breene, although the scope of the business will remain very much global.
From chemist to global head
Gallagher started with Croda as an applications chemist in 1978, and worked his way through a number of departments in the business before reaching a general management position in 1989, and has been president of Croda North America since 1999.
Since then he has also served on the company’s executive committee since 2007, has chaired the company’s steering committee since 2004 and was made head of personal care and actives in 2014, when the company’s new business structure was introduced.
On top of that, Gallagher has also stayed true to his chemist and research and development roots, having co-invented seven Croda patents as well as remaining a driving force behind the company’s innovation pipeline.
Breene also began as a chemist
Breene also started her career in Croda as a chemist, having started in the research and development for a number of the company’s business units at the Rawcliffe Bridge manufacturing plant, in East Yorkshire, England.
In 1993 she moved into the commercial side of the business and was eventually promoted to become manager of the company’s European sales for personal care and health care markets.
Breene has also headed up the company’s sales operations for Asia, where she was based in Singapore, before returning to the UK in 2006 to eventually take on the role of VP of sales and marketing for the company’s European personal care operations.
Sustainable innovation for personal care
Additionally, she has also taken on executive committee responsibilities as president of consumer care Europe, before being appointed to the position of president of crop and health care in 2014, following the business restructuring.
“It is an honour to be chosen to succeed Kevin in this position. He leaves a legacy of innovation within Croda’s Personal Care business and the industry itself,” said Breene.
“I look forward to the opportunity of delivering and developing our strategy as the leader in sustainable innovation for the Personal Care market, further building on the excellent positioning that Kevin has nurtured for Croda.”