Donald Chen has been appointed as the new CEO of Arlanxeo as of May 1, 2019. He succeeds Jorge Nogueira, who is retiring after a career spanning nearly 40 years in the chemical and pharmaceuticals industries.
Abdulaziz M Al-Judaimi, chairman of the Arlanxeo shareholders’ committee and Saudi Aramco’s senior vice president of downstream, said, “In Donald Chen we have an experienced leader and industry expert joining the company. He has spent many years of his working life in the Asia Pacific region, a key growth region for Arlanxeo. Donald joins Arlanxeo in a critical market environment and we are confident he will lead the company through the current transition and drive growth.”
At the same time, Al-Judaimi thanked the current CEO, “I would like to thank Jorge Nogueira on behalf of the entire shareholders’ committee for his strong leadership and dedication working for Arlanxeo. He successfully built and positioned Arlanxeo as the leading rubber producer and he was key to its smooth transition. I wish Jorge all the best in his future endeavors.”
Chen previously worked for Archer Daniels Midland Company, where he was responsible for Asia Pacific operations, covering Australia and New Zealand, since January 2016 and was also a member of the executive council of ADM.
Before that, he was vice president at Sadara Chemical Company, a joint venture between Saudi Aramco and Dow Chemical. He has also served as regional vice president for Hydrocarbon & Energy at Dow Chemical and as vice president for major projects in the Asia Pacific and Middle East region.
He has held various positions at Royal Dutch Shell in R&D, commercial and marketing, strategy, planning and operations, and business development in China, Europe, the Middle East and the Pacific for almost 20 years. He has a master’s degree in engineering and a doctorate from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands.
