Gurnee manufacturer names a new CEO
Vantage Specialties, Inc., a leading, vertically integrated provider of naturally derived ingredients headquartered in Chicago with a manufacturing plant and administrative offices in Gurnee, has named Stephen Doktycz as its Chief Executive Officer. Steve, who has been serving as interim CEO since October 2019, will also sit on the company's board of directors and is an equity investor alongside H.I.G. Capital, LLC in the company.
"Vantage is highly regarded by our customers, including many high-profile companies in the food, personal care and industrial markets, for our high-quality products and solutions-oriented focus," said Doktycz. "I'm proud to officially join Vantage as its CEO to continue to advance our commitment to excellence and smart corporate growth."
Before joining Vantage, Steve spent more than 27 years with The Dow Chemical Company in several senior leadership positions, including Corporate Director, responsible for spearheading the definition, separation, stand-up and sale of Dow's chlorine-related businesses, and Global Director, Corporate and Strategic Development. In his globally focused roles in strategic planning, finance, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate development, he led initiatives to improve Dow's business portfolio, deliver long-term business viability, develop emerging markets and form joint ventures.
Most recently, Steve was a Senior Advisor to H.I.G. supporting acquisitions, divestitures and portfolio company performance improvement. Steve came to H.I.G. from LyondellBasell, a plastics, chemicals and refining company based in Houston where he held the position of Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning and Transactions. At LyondellBasell, Steve's responsibilities included defining the corporate vision and strategy and driving inorganic growth, which resulted in multiple investments by the company moving LyondellBasell into sustainable polymer solutions and polymer derivatives.
Steve has a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, an MBA from Northwestern University and a B.A. in chemistry from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
About Vantage Specialty Chemicals
Vantage Specialty Chemicals is a leading producer of naturally derived, specialty ingredients focused on Personal Care, Food, Consumer Care and Industrial end markets with a portfolio of over 2,000 products. Headquartered in Chicago, Vantage operates a global manufacturing and supply chain across eight manufacturing facilities, 13 formulation laboratories and 19 distribution warehouses located in 13 countries across the U.S., Latin America, South Africa, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit www.vantagegrp.com.