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Finelli will be responsible for accelerating the group's strategic growth platforms: batteries, green hydrogen and thermoplastic composites as well as serve as Solvay's new chief officer for North America.
Brussels, June 1, 2021 – Solvay announced today that Michael Finelli, previously president of Solvay's specialty polymers unit, has been promoted to a new role as president, group growth initiatives, effective immediately, and chief North America officer, effective from September.
In his new dual role, he will lead all aspects globally of Solvay’s strategic growth platforms: batteries, green hydrogen and thermoplastic composites, and manage Solvay's operations in the U.S. and Canada. He will report directly to CEO Ilham Kadri, and will be based in Alpharetta, Georgia, United States, an important hub for Solvay in North America, which is a key commercial, research and manufacturing region for the group.
“Mike is a proven leader and I’m thrilled that he has taken on these important roles to accelerate the development of our global growth platforms as part of our G.R.O.W. strategy and lead our North American operations, an important region for Solvay,” explained Ilham Kadri, CEO of Solvay. “Our growth platforms are critical to driving Solvay's future solutions to the benefit of people, planet and profit and will be the key to our long-term commercial success.”
“I am delighted to take on these new roles and look forward to driving sustainable growth for our key platforms globally and in North America,” said Michael Finelli. “Electric and hybrid vehicle batteries, thermoplastic composites for lightweighting and green hydrogen are the sustainable solutions that will grow our business while protecting the environment in line with our Solvay One Planet goals.”
Previously, Finelli was president of Solvay's specialty polymers global business unit since 2018. Before taking that role, he was the business director for specialty polymers for two years where he was responsible for the unit’s business lines and development as well as marketing activities. He has held commercial leadership and business management roles in North America and Europe.
In his new role for North America, Finelli will replace Michael Lacey, currently president of Solvay North America, who will retire in September and whose long-standing service to the group dates more than 30 years.
About Solvay’s growth platforms
- Batteries: Solvay is one of the only companies that has the broad range of technologies needed to both create and then recycle batteries at the end of their life cycles. The company recently announced a partnership with Veolia and Renault to create a circular process for electric and hybrid vehicle batteries. Solvay has the expertise to extract and purify metals and transform them into high-purity raw materials for new batteries.
- Green hydrogen: Solvay’s platform brings together all the solutions the group has to offer to help enable the green hydrogen economy. These include Solvay’s ion-conducting polymer membrane technology, which is at the heart of electrolyzers and fuel cells systems, and plays a key role in their efficiency and durability.
- Thermoplastic composites: Solvay’s thermoplastics composites platform brings together its specialty polymers and composite technologies to meet demanding lightweighting applications across many industries. Thermoplastic composites are 30 to 50 percent lighter than metals, inherently more recyclable, and provide a lower total cost of ownership to car manufacturers.
About Solvay
Solvay is a science company whose technologies bring benefits to many aspects of daily life. With more than 23,000 employees in 64 countries, Solvay bonds people, ideas and elements to reinvent progress. The Group seeks to create sustainable shared value for all, notably through its Solvay One Planet roadmap crafted around three pillars: protecting the climate, preserving resources and fostering a better life. The Group’s innovative solutions contribute to safer, cleaner, and more sustainable products found in homes, food and consumer goods, planes, cars, batteries, smart devices, health care applications, water and air purification systems. Founded in 1863, Solvay today ranks among the world’s top three companies for the vast majority of its activities and delivered net sales of €9 billion in 2020. Solvay is listed on Euronext Brussels and Paris (SOLB), and in the United States, where its shares (SOLVY) are traded through a Level I ADR program. Learn more at www.solvay.com.
