10 COOs in chemicals
Plant and engineering titles, or commercial and R&D ones, came before the COO job for most of these chemical-industry COOs, all in the role now at companies from Petronas Chemical Groups (PCG), Specialty Chemical to Koppers Inc., SABO and Skyline Chemical. Four are based in the US, three in India, two in Germany and one in Malaysia, a spread that helps a chemical company deciding what background its COO needs or how to integrate an acquired producer.
Professionals to explore
Alberto Vischetti
LinkedInExperience: Chief Operating Officer · SABO
Alberto Vischetti has been Chief Operating Officer at SABO since August 2024, while also holding Senior Vice President Business there since 2023. Other SABO titles are Vice President BU Polymer Additives at SABO S.p.A. (2018-2023) and President - Sabo Int. Americas (2015-2017), so Vischetti suits questions on a COO role with commercial responsibility across regions.
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Amit Thanawala
LinkedInExperience: Chief Operating Officer · Vinati Organics Limited
Amit Thanawala's two titles are both at Vinati Organics Limited: Senior Vice President from 2002 to 2024 and Chief Operating Officer since April 2024. A long senior vice president tenure at the same company before the COO title makes Thanawala a fit for questions on stepping into the COO seat from inside a chemical company.
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Brian Pinkerton
LinkedInExperience: Chief Operating Officer · PQ Corporation
Brian Pinkerton is Chief Operating Officer at PQ Corporation (since June 2022) and was Vice President, Engineering at Nouryon (2021-2022). Other titles are Global Integrated Operations Director at DuPont (2018-2021), Director, Manufacturing at Valspar (2015-2018) and Global Operations and Technology Director at Celanese (2011-2015), a fit for questions on manufacturing and engineering across several companies.
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Christian Bremer
LinkedInExperience: COO · Stockhausen Superabsorber
Christian Bremer became COO at Stockhausen Superabsorber in October 2025, described as "Leading operations at Stockhausen across 5 sites in Germany and the US." Earlier titles are Site Head Visp at Arxada (2022-2025), VP Portfoliomanagement at WeylChem Group of Companies (2019-2022) and C.O.O. at WEYLCHEM US INC (2016-2019), so Bremer has held COO titles at two different companies.
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Colby Yarbrough
LinkedInExperience: Chief Operating Officer · Skyline Chemical
Chief Operating Officer at Skyline Chemical since October 2024, Colby Yarbrough was Design Engineering Manager at BlueTriton Brands (2022-2024). At Zschimmer & Schwarz the titles were Process Engineer (2015-2018), Plant Engineer (2018-2019) and Plant Manager (2019-2022), the most plant-floor titles among these COOs.
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Debbie Chiu
LinkedInExperience: Chief Operating Officer · Petronas Chemical Groups (PCG), Specialty Chemical
Debbie Chiu has been Chief Operating Officer at Petronas Chemical Groups (PCG), Specialty Chemical since September 2022. Chiu's LinkedIn profile cites a business with ">$2B Rev, >2000 employees, and sites in 27+ countries" and says Chiu orchestrated the integration of Perstorp, BRB and PCG SC. Earlier titles include APAC CTO at Sherwin-Williams (2016-2022) and Global R&D Director at Dow (1994-2011).
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Ganesan Muruganandam
LinkedInExperience: Executive Director and COO · Chemspec Chemicals
As Executive Director and COO at Chemspec Chemicals since September 2024, Ganesan Muruganandam brings Cluster Head Operations -Roha and Taloja(TCD) at Deepak Group Co (2021-2024), Vice President Technology at Atul Ltd (2011-2020) and Head of Manufacturing and Projects at Colourtex Ind Ltd (2001-2011). A cluster operations title covering Roha and Taloja makes Muruganandam a fit for multi-site questions.
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James Sullivan
LinkedInExperience: Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer · Koppers Inc.
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Koppers Inc. since 2020, James Sullivan also lists Chief Transformation Officer (since 2025), Senior Vice President (since 2018) and Senior Vice President - Carbon Materials and Chemicals (since 2014) as current Koppers titles, with Vice President Business Development (2013-2014). Sullivan fits questions on pairing operations with a transformation program.
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Philipp Junge
LinkedInExperience: Chief Operating Officer - Member of Executive Board · OQEMA Group
Philipp Junge holds Chief Operating Officer - Member of Executive Board at OQEMA Group (since June 2022) and is a Board Member at FECC - European Association of Chemical Distributors. At Rhein Chemie the titles were Executive Vice President Rubber Additives Business (2014-2017) and Chairman of the Supervisory Board at Rhein Chemie (qingdao) Ltd. (2017-2020), which suits chemical distribution questions.
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Rajeev Sharma
LinkedInExperience: COO · Indian Peroxide Ltd.
Rajeev Sharma is COO at Indian Peroxide Ltd. (since July 2025) and was Sr.V.P at Nippon Sanso India Pvt. Ltd. (2022-2025). At Nuberg Engineering Ltd. the titles were Assistant General Manager (2011-2014), General Manager (2014-2017) and Vice President Project (2017-2022), a project background suited to questions on running capital projects.
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Choose the right perspective
For integrating acquired businesses, Debbie Chiu orchestrated the integration of Perstorp, BRB and PCG SC at PCG Specialty Chemical. Colby Yarbrough, Christian Bremer and Brian Pinkerton held plant-side titles such as plant manager, site head or manufacturing director, while Alberto Vischetti and James Sullivan held business unit and business development titles before their COO roles. Amit Thanawala, Ganesan Muruganandam and Rajeev Sharma are the three COOs here based in India.
Questions to take into the conversation
- 01When a chemical company acquires producers headquartered in other countries, what does the COO integrate first: sites, supply chain or reporting?
- 02How do you split a COO's time between plant safety and reliability and the commercial side of a specialty chemicals business?
- 03What changes in operations when a business moves from a single plant to several sites in different countries?
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.