10 Albemarle IT leaders
Richard Caronna, VP, Global Network & Infrastructure, opens this list of Albemarle IT leaders, whose vice president and director titles span enterprise business systems, digital strategy and IT governance, network engineering, regional support and HR technologies. A reader can learn how IT leaders work at Albemarle from people who have held the role.
Professionals to explore
Blake Hodges
LinkedInExperience: IT Security Director · Albemarle Corporation
Blake Hodges was IT Security Director at Albemarle Corporation from December 2022 to May 2025 and has been Deputy Chief Information Security Officer there since May 2025, based in Charlotte, North Carolina. At Albemarle Corporation, Blake Hodges was also IT Security Manager (2020 to 2022) and worked in Cyber Threat Intelligence & Forensics (2019 to 2020).
Chuck Holley
LinkedInExperience: Director, Global Network Engineering · Albemarle Corporation
Chuck Holley has been Director, Global Network Engineering at Albemarle Corporation since April 2023, based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Chuck Holley was Global IT Network Manager at Albemarle (2017 to 2023), and at Babcock & Wilcox was Manager, Global IT Networks (2015 to 2017) and Sr. Network Engineer and Architect (2012 to 2015).
Dr. Jürgen Overfeld
LinkedInExperience: Director Business Relationship Management · Albemarle Corporation
Dr. Jürgen Overfeld has been Director Business Relationship Management at Albemarle Corporation since November 2015, based in the Frankfurt Rhine-Main area. Jürgen Overfeld was CIO at Chemetall (2005 to 2015) and CIO at Linde Kältetechnik (2002 to 2005).
Gerhard Nel
LinkedInExperience: Vice President, Digital Strategy & IT Governance · Albemarle Corporation
Gerhard Nel has been Vice President, Digital Strategy & IT Governance at Albemarle Corporation since January 2025, a role listed in Charlotte, North Carolina, and a highlight lists risk and compliance, PMO and enterprise architecture within the role. Gerhard Nel's other Albemarle rows are Senior IT Director Global Support Services (2021 to 2025) and Regional Information Technology Manager (2017 to 2021).
Guillermo Santos
LinkedInExperience: IT Sr Director · Albemarle Corporation
Guillermo Santos has been IT Sr Director at Albemarle Corporation since May 2018, based in Belgium. Guillermo Santos's other Albemarle rows are IT Director - Enterprise Business Systems (2017 to 2018), Global Business Process Management (BPM) Director (2011 to 2017) and customer service and sales support management roles in EMEA from 2002.
Jim Richard
LinkedInExperience: VP, Enterprise Business Systems · Albemarle Corporation
Jim Richard has been VP, Enterprise Business Systems at Albemarle Corporation since January 2020, based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and also lists Interim Chief Information Officer at Albemarle from October 2023 to April 2024. Jim Richard's other Albemarle rows are Senior Director, Enterprise Business Systems (2015 to 2020), Manager, Global IT Operations (2011 to 2015) and Manager, Global SAP (2007 to 2011).
Laszlo Dellar
LinkedInExperience: IT Director of Global HR Technologies · Albemarle Corporation
Laszlo Dellar has been IT Director of Global HR Technologies at Albemarle Corporation since May 2026, based in Hungary. Laszlo Dellar was HR Global Technology Leader at IBM (2021 to 2026) and held HR benefits product and process roles at IBM from 2014 to 2021.
Lee Toups
LinkedInExperience: Former IT Director for Automation and Workflow Collaboration · Albemarle Corporation
Lee Toups is a former IT Director for Automation and Workflow Collaboration at Albemarle Corporation, a role held from January 2018 to January 2020, based in Geismar, Louisiana. Lee Toups's other Albemarle rows are Director End User Computing (2015 to 2020), Director of Site IT Support and Services (2014 to 2015) and Program Manager for Global IT Desktop Transformation (2013 to 2014).
Richard Caronna, PMP®
LinkedInExperience: VP, Global Network & Infrastructure · Albemarle Corporation
Richard Caronna has been VP, Global Network & Infrastructure at Albemarle Corporation since March 2021, based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Richard Caronna was Global IT Director of Network & Infrastructure at Albemarle (2019 to 2021), and at Sparkhound was Director of Core Infrastructure (2012 to 2019) and Manager of PMO (2010 to 2012).
Wade Grimes
LinkedInExperience: North America IT Director - Global Support and Services · Albemarle Corporation
Wade Grimes has been North America IT Director - Global Support and Services at Albemarle Corporation since November 2024, based in Matthews, North Carolina. Wade Grimes's other Albemarle rows are Director of Web Applications & Digital Experience (2024 to 2025), IT Director - Albemarle Technology Park (2023 to 2024), Global Infrastructure Manager (2021 to 2024) and Infrastructure System Engineer (2020 to 2021).
Choose the right perspective
Match the person's own area, such as network and infrastructure, enterprise business systems, IT governance, IT security, regional IT support or HR technology, to the decision you face. Check when each role started and whether the person is still at Albemarle to judge how current the view is.
Questions to take into the conversation
- 01What did you focus on first when you took on your IT role at Albemarle, and why?
- 02How do you decide which systems or infrastructure projects your group takes on first?
- 03What is one technology decision from your own role that you would make differently today, and why?
Reaching Albemarle IT leaders
How can I contact one of these Albemarle IT leaders?
Pick one of the 10 people on this page and choose "Book a paid call", or describe your project to find others. You offer a fee for a 15-minute call or a written answer, Instant Expert finds the person's work email and sends the invitation, and they decide whether to accept. The list covers 1 company: Albemarle Corporation, based on profile data retrieved on October 25, 2026. Being listed here doesn't mean someone has agreed to take calls.
How much does it cost to reach Albemarle IT leaders?
You choose the offer, starting at $5 per person. The offer is what the person receives, and Instant Expert's fee is added on top, so a $100 offer costs you $125. The fee is 20% of what you pay. You're charged only when the person books the call or sends the answer.
What if they don't reply?
You pay nothing. Instant Expert sends follow-up reminders, and if the person hasn't booked or answered within 7 days, the request expires and any hold on your card is released. You can invite several of the 10 people on this list at once and cap your total spend, so you pay only for the ones who accept.
Can an AI agent ask one of these Albemarle IT leaders a question?
Yes. An agent with a USDC wallet on Base can ask one question without an Instant Expert account. It names the person, for example by the LinkedIn URL on this page, and pays per ask over x402 (HTTP 402). The person answers in writing or by voice note, and if nobody answers within 7 days, the payment goes back to the wallet automatically. Claude and ChatGPT can do the same through the Instant Expert connector: setup is at /docs/mcp for Claude and /docs/chatgpt for ChatGPT. x402 docs
About this directory
This is a professional research starting point based on business profile data retrieved on . Titles and companies reflect that source snapshot; roles marked former had ended by then. Check the linked profiles for current details. Inclusion does not imply Instant Expert membership or availability.