Waters named president Ashland Distribution
Covington, Ky.- Frank L. "Hank" Waters, 40, has been named vice president, Ashland Inc., and president, Ashland Distribution Company according to Paul W. Chellgren, Ashland Inc. chairman and chief executive officer. The promotion is effective immediately.
"Hank's broad experience, and bottom-line operating successes, made him the logical choice for this important position," said James J. O'Brien, Ashland Inc. senior vice president and group operating officer, Ashland Chemical Group. "We are among the leaders in both the North American chemicals and plastics, and the European plastic distribution markets," O"Brien said. " Under Hank's leadership, we expect to continuously increase the value that we bring to our customers and our suppliers, and strengthen our position in these important markets," he concluded.
Since Jan. 1999, Waters has served as vice president and general manager of the Ashland plastics division of Ashland Distribution Company. . He was located in Brussels, Belgium, and is credited with returning that operating unit to profitability in a difficult business climate. The Ashland plastics division is the largest distributor of thermoplastics in Europe, marketing a broad range of commodity and specialty materials to customers in Austria, Belgium, The Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Waters joined Ashland Inc. in 1991 as a business development specialist in Ashland Chemical's planning and development department in Dublin, Ohio. He served as a district manager and as a regional director of sales for Ashland Chemical's industrial chemicals and solvents (IC&S) division from Aug. 1994 until Oct. 1996.
At that time, he relocated to Ashland, Ky., and was named executive assistant to Ashland Inc. CEO Paul W. Chellgren. In that role, he assisted Chellgren with a variety of administrative responsibilities, undertook special projects, and helped manage activities for the Ashland Inc. executive committee, reporting to Chellgren.
In June 1998, he returned to the Ashland Chemicals group, serving as the director of sales for the fine ingredients division, in Dublin, Ohio.
Waters' previous experience also includes positions with General Electric Company's plastics division, and Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
A native of Utica, Ohio, he received a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from Ohio University, Athens, in 1983. He is also a graduate of the Harvard Business School General Manager Program. Waters will relocate from Brussels, Belgium to the Dublin, Ohio area.
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