Commander to retire as head of Lanxess’ Butyl Rubber business

Dr. Ron Commander, head of Lanxess’ Butyl Rubber business unit, will retire at the end of this year. Before this takes effect, the 62-year old will spend his final six months or so with the specialty chemicals company in a new, Canada-based role. Commander’s new position will take effect on 1 July, and on that date he will be succeeded as head of the Butyl Rubber business unit by Dr. Guenther Weymans, who is currently head of Lanxess’ Keltan Elastomers business unit.

“Ron Commander has played a key role in Lanxess’ successful growth story,” said Dr. Axel C. Heitmann, chairman of the company’s Board of Management. “With the opening ceremony of the most modern butyl rubber plant in the world on June 4, the construction and expansion of three world-scale plants on three continents have been completed on time and on budget. Lanxess is therefore reaching another key milestone. On behalf of the Board of Management, I would like to thank Commander for his tremendous contribution to the company and I am delighted that he will still be available to us as an advisor, with his many years of experience in the rubber industry.”

When Weymans moves from The Netherlands to take up the Singapore-based butyl rubber role, he will be replaced by Dr. Torsten Derr. On 1 June, the current Material Protection Products business unit head will begin in this position; Derr’s successor as business unit head will be Michael Schaefer, who moves into the role from his present responsibility as the person responsible for the Biocides business line within the unit. Schaefer takes on this role as of 1 May.

“The Board of Management thanks Messrs. Weymans, Derr and Schaefer for their excellent work in recent years and wishes them ongoing success in their new roles,” added Heitmann. 

A change will also take place at the head of Lanxess’ activities in Singapore. The current country representative, Ian Wood, will be succeeded by Par Singh on 1 September. Singh has held senior positions in the chemical industry for many years, with his last managerial role as senior vice-president manufacturing for LyondellBasell’s Europe, Asia & International region. “Ian Wood has done an excellent job in positioning Lanxess in Singapore during its important expansion phase,” added Dr. Heitmann. The long-standing country representative will take charge of an as-yet unspecified project to expand business in the ASEAN region.