Local resident wins prestigious award

Celanese Corporation Chairman, President and CEO Lori Ryerkerk, a Hamshire resident, was recently chosen by peers from around the world to receive one of the most coveted awards in the chemical industry, the 2022 Kavaler Award, making her the first woman ever to achieve the prestigious honor. Ryerkerk traveled to the Metropolitan Club of New York in New York City, where she was presented with the award on April 5 at a black-tie dinner ceremony.

The Chemists’ Club Kavaler Award, sponsored by Piper Sandlin, recognizes “the exceptional performance of innovators and disruptors of the status quo in the sector,” according to the club, and award recipients are selected by a large and diverse array of global chemical industry leaders. Nominees are senior executives in the industry and are selected on the basis of a wide range of criteria including innovation, diversity and inclusivity, safety and health, as well as operational excellence and share price performance, among others.

Based in Dallas, Celanese Corporation is a global chemical and specialty materials company that “engineers and manufactures a wide variety of products essential to everyday living,” according to the organization. The Fortune 500 company employs approximately 8,500 employees worldwide and had 2021 net sales of $8.5 billion. The company has experienced significant growth since Ryerkerk became CEO in 2019, increasing revenues by more than $1 billion during that time and increasing the corporation’s workforce by approximately 800 employees.

Out of 13 industry leaders nominated for the Kavaler Award in 2022, Ryerkerk soared to the top of the list for her exceptional endeavors at Celanese, including focuses on growth, inclusivity and sustainability efforts.

“She has ingrained a culture of sustainability throughout the company,” noted Telly Zachariades of Piper Sandler Chemicals. “Celanese’s plans to replace traditional methanol feedstocks with recycled carbon dioxide are just one example of the importance she places on sustainability. Importantly, the examples she has set in her leadership have been hugely valuable for the public perception of the chemicals industry as a whole, at a point when many manufacturing sectors have fallen out of favor.”

“Her selection is extremely well deserved,” said Dr. Roland Stefandl, President of The Chemists’ Club.

“I am truly honored and deeply humbled to receive the Kavaler Award, especially when I look at some of the great industry leaders who have received this award in the past,” remarked Ryerkerk. “This award represents the efforts of our entire company as we have set aggressive growth targets, created a culture of sustainability throughout the company, and further accelerated the strides that Celanese has made in improving diversity and inclusion among our employees and communities where we operate.”

Ryerkerk is an accomplished global executive with an impressive track record of creating value at large international corporations. Throughout her 35-year career, she has held a variety of senior leadership roles at petrochemicals and refining businesses in the United States, Europe and Asia. Prior to leading Celanese, Ryerkerk served as Executive Vice President of Global Manufacturing for Royal Dutch Shell where she was responsible for all chemical and refining assets globally and led an organization of 30,000 employees and contractors. Before joining Shell in 2010, Ryerkerk worked for ExxonMobil for 24 years where she held positions of increasing responsibility in management, strategy and operations, and at Hess Corporation. Ryerkerk earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Iowa State University.

Ryerkerk and her husband, former Jefferson County Judge Carl Griffith of consulting firm Griffith Moseley Johnson (GMJ) Inc., live in Hamshire together, while she also keeps a residence in Dallas where Celanese is headquartered.