Celanese - Management Team

lori j. ryerkerk Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and President d

lori j. ryerkerk

Lori J. Ryerkerk is the Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of Celanese Corporation, a Fortune 500 global chemical and specialty materials company based in Dallas, Texas. Celanese is a leader in the development and production of materials used in most major industrial and consumer applications. Ryerkerk was named as CEO, as well as a member of the board of directors, in May 2019. She was appointed Chairman in April 2020.

Ryerkerk’s expertise in the energy industry spans three-plus decades. She combines deep technical and commercial skills with a passion for the manufacturing business. Her unwavering focus on safety, environmental and social performance is the foundation on which she has overseen some of the most technically complex operations in the industry.

Previously, Ryerkerk was the Executive Vice President of Global Manufacturing, the largest business in Shell Downstream Inc. She led a team of 30,000 employees and contractors at refineries and chemical sites worldwide. Ryerkerk joined Shell in May 2010 as the Regional Vice President of Manufacturing in Europe and Africa, and was responsible for the operation of five Shell Manufacturing facilities and five joint ventures. During that time, she improved operational performance of all assets in the region. In October 2013, she was named Executive Vice President of Global Manufacturing, Shell Downstream Inc.

Before joining Shell, she was Senior Vice President, Refining, Supply and Terminals at Hess Corporation, where she was responsible for two refineries, 21 terminals (and distribution network) and supply and trading.

Prior to that, Ryerkerk spent 24 years with ExxonMobil where she started her career as a process technologist at a refinery in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Throughout her tenure at ExxonMobil, she took on a variety of operational and senior leadership roles in Refining and Chemicals Manufacturing, Power Generation, and various other groups including Supply, Economics and Planning, HSSE, and Public Affairs/Government Relations. Those assignments took her across the globe, from the U.S. to Europe to Asia.

Ryerkerk is a graduate of Iowa State University, where she completed her Chemical Engineering degree. She currently serves on the board of directors of Eaton Corporation, a leading provider of power management technologies and services; and previously she served on the board of Axalta Coating Systems, a leading provider of liquid and powder coatings. Additionally, she actively supports a variety of organizations in her hometown of Beaumont, Texas.

About Celanese

Celanese is a global leader in chemistry, producing specialty material solutions used across most major industries and consumer applications. Our businesses use our chemistry, technology and commercial expertise to create value for our customers, employees and shareholders. We are committed to sustainability by responsibly managing the materials we create for their entire lifecycle and are growing our portfolio of sustainable products to meet increasing customer and societal demand. We strive to make a positive impact in our communities and to foster inclusivity across our teams. Celanese is a Fortune 500 company that employs approximately 12,400 employees worldwide with 2023 net sales of $10.9 billion.

ashley duffie SVP and General Counsel d

ashley duffie

Ashley Duffie was named Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Celanese Corporation on November 8, 2023, following her service as Vice President and Chief Procurement Officer.

Duffie has progressed through several Celanese business and legal roles including Vice President of Raw Materials Procurement, President and General Counsel of the APAC region, Vice President of the Celanese Integration Management Office, Chief Compliance Officer, and Associate General Counsel responsible for global litigation and EHS law.

Prior to joining Celanese in 2007, Duffie was an attorney with Haynes and Boone, LLP, specializing in environmental law, internal corporate investigations and litigation.

She earned her Bachelor of Business Administration and Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Southern Methodist University, and a Juris Doctorate and Masters in Environmental Law from the Vermont Law School.

vanessa dupuis SVP and Chief Human Resources Officer d

vanessa dupuis

Vanessa Dupuis was named Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer for Celanese Corporation in February of 2021.

Vanessa joined Celanese in 2017 as the Head of Global Talent Management. In this role, she was responsible for supporting business growth by implementing strategies to attract, develop, engage and retain talent around the globe. In 2019, Vanessa assumed additional responsibilities as the Head of Human Resources for Celanese Corporate Functions, Procurement and Customer Experience. In this expanded role, Vanessa served as a strategic human resources partner to the CFO, General Counsel, Head of Procurement and Head of Customer Experience in defining and implementing workforce strategies that ensure long-term success for the Company. In 2020, Vanessa was named vice president of Global Total Rewards and HR Operations.

Over her 20-year career, Vanessa has served in a variety of human resources leadership roles across several industries such as Energy, Financial Services, Technology and Healthcare. Prior to joining Celanese, Vanessa served as Head of Executive Development & Leadership Assessments for Duke Energy; as Human Resources Executive for Bank of America; and as a Learning & Development Partner for Dell Inc.

Vanessa earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from Marist College, and a Master of Arts degree in Social & Organizational Psychology from Columbia University.

thomas f. kelly Senior Vice President, Engineered Materials d

thomas f. kelly

Tom Kelly has been Senior Vice President of Engineered Materials for Celanese Corporation since January 2019. Tom joined the company from Cabot Microelectronics Corporation, where he served in several roles from 2016 through 2018, most recently as President of Performance Materials. Prior to Cabot Microelectronics, Tom was Director of Raw Materials Procurement for Celanese from 2012 to 2016.

Tom also served in various operational and commercial roles at Rohm and Haas, Cabot Microelectronics and Chemtura prior to joining Celanese in 2016.

Tom earned his Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from Villanova University and his Master of Business Administration from Drexel University.

Tom currently resides in Keller, Texas with his wife and daughters.

chuck kyrish SVP and Chief Financial Officer d

chuck kyrish

Chuck Kyrish was named Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Celanese Corporation on November 8, 2023 after serving as Vice President of Corporate Finance since April 2022 with supervisory responsibility for the company’s finance areas including accounting, treasury, internal audit, and tax.

Kyrish joined Celanese in 2006 and progressed through several leadership roles including Vice President Treasurer, Vice President Investor Relations, CFO for the Acetyl Chain, Vice President M&A Finance and Integration, as well as a variety of other finance responsibilities.

Prior to joining Celanese, Kyrish held financial, business and leadership roles at Sabre Corporation and ExxonMobil Corporation. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Business Administration from Texas Christian University.

jon mortimer Senior Vice President, Global Manufacturing d

jon mortimer

Jon Mortimer was named Senior Vice President, Global Manufacturing in February of 2021, after serving as vice president of Global Manufacturing since June of 2017, and previously as Vice President of Manufacturing & Operations. He has responsibility for all Celanese manufacturing operations globally including Quality, Environmental, Health and Safety, Capital Projects and Operational Excellence.

Prior to his current role, Mortimer progressed through several Celanese roles including Vice President of Manufacturing for the Advanced Engineered Materials business, manufacturing leader for Acetyls in the Asia region, as well as a member of the manufacturing management team for the Acrylates business. He joined Celanese in 2002.

Mortimer has 30 years of chemical manufacturing industry experience spanning multiple roles and responsibilities across Celanese businesses and functions. He currently serves as a member of the board of directors for the IBN Sina joint venture, as well as on the board of directors for the joint ventures overseeing the company’s acetate operations in China.

Jon earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Maryland in 1992.

mark murray Senior Vice President, Acetyls d

mark murray

Mark Murray was appointed Senior Vice President, Acetyls in February 2023, after serving as interim Vice President, Acetyls since November of 2022, and as Vice President of Business Strategy and Development since rejoining Celanese in June of 2022.

He is responsible for Celanese’s global Acetyls business with production locations in China, South East Asia, Europe and the United States.

Prior to rejoining Celanese, Mark served as Executive Vice President, Biomaterials and Advanced Technologies at Avantor, a global materials manufacturer and distributor.

Mark originally joined Celanese in 2002 and previously served in senior commercial and business roles within the Acetyl Chain and Engineered Materials businesses from November 2009 through June 2019 and from May 2002 to March 2007.

He holds an MBA from Northwestern University and earned his Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.

Mark is based in Dallas, Texas, after having led his international teams out of Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Maastricht.

scott a. richardson EVP and Chief Operating Officer d

scott a. richardson

Scott Richardson was named Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Celanese Corporation on November 8, 2023 after serving as EVP & Chief Financial Officer since February 2018, and prior to this was senior vice president of the Engineered Materials business since December 2015, where he had global responsibility for strategy, product and business management, planning and portfolio development, and pipeline management. Previously, Richardson served as vice president and general manager of the Acetyl Chain since 2011.

Richardson has progressed through several Celanese roles including global commercial director, Acetyls; manager of Investor Relations; business analysis manager, Acetyls; and business line controller, Polyols and Solvents. He joined Celanese in 2005.

Before joining Celanese, Richardson held various finance, operational and leadership roles at American Airlines. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting from Westminster College, and a Master of Business Administration from Texas Christian University.

sameer purao Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer (CIO) d

sameer purao

Sameer joined Celanese Corporation as Vice President and Chief Information Officer (CIO) in March of 2021.

Sameer has more than 26 years of global IT leadership experience across several industries including Engineering, Manufacturing and Construction. Prior to joining Celanese, Sameer served as a Chief Information Officer at Austin Industries. In this role he successfully deployed various IT automations, built a robust cybersecurity framework and led several technology-enabled business transformations across three Austin companies.

Before Austin Industries, Sameer worked in a variety of executive IT positions with large, global organizations at KBR, Sulzer & PCC leading digital transformation, mergers and acquisitions, organization change management and cybersecurity. Sameer has led teams of 400+ employees & contractors worldwide.

Sameer is a recipient of the ORBIE CIO of the Year award in 2019 and is currently serving on the board of directors at Knutson Construction. He previously served on the board of directors for Safer Systems, a leading provider of chemical emergency response systems.

Sameer earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Mumbai in Electronics Engineering and holds the Certified Information Executive (CIE) certification.