Univar signs and hires

Univar has expanded its wide-ranging distribution agreement with Innophos to include Turkey, where it will distribute the latter company’s full range of speciality phosphates through the recently acquired operations of Eral-Protek and Basic Chemical Solutions. “We have a long history with Univar and are pleased to be extending this to include Turkey,” says Innophos vice-president, specialty phosphates, Joe Golowski. “Univar’s logistical capabilities and technical expertise have always been impressive; the recent acquisition and integration of a highly respected Turkish business immediately positioned Univar as the natural partner for us in the region.”

Innophos’ speciality-grade calcium phosphates have a variety of applications and are widely used by the food, pharmaceutical and general chemical sectors. Within the food industry its products are particularly relevant to the meat, beverage and bakery industries while in the pharmaceutical industry they are used as excipients. These products also have applications within the water, paper, metal treatment, agriculture, electronics, textiles and detergents industries. “Innophos offers a broad range of innovative products that complement Univar’s existing ingredients portfolio,” says Nicolas Lehmann, Univar’s EMEA vice-president of marketing. “This addition will offer our customers more choices and make them more competitive.”

At the other end of the Mediterranean, Abderrahim Anasse has been named as Univar’s country manager for Morocco. Joining the company from Orkila Morocco, where he worked for five years as a commercial director with a focus on cosmetic ingredients and food, Anasse will be responsible for building up the company’s local operations, paying particular attention to serving the needs of customers from the food, pharmaceutical, household and personal care sectors. In line with this, he will also be responsible for recruiting a skilled team of professionals in addition to developing long-term relationships with new suppliers.

“We are committed to growing in the Middle East and Africa and our Moroccan business is an important part of that,” says Nick Powell, Univar’s regional vice-president, Middle East, Africa, Turkey and Greece. “Abderrahim has worked extensively with customers and suppliers in the personal care and food sectors. These are two of our key markets and his experience makes him exceptionally well qualified to lead our business on the ground.”

“Morocco is a very dynamic market, acting as a cultural and logistical bridge between Europe, the Middle East and Africa,” Anasse states. “It is enjoying strong growth and the demand for quality products is high, requiring globally-sourced ingredients. There are significant opportunities here. Univar’s combination of global supply chain and local expertise forms a compelling proposition that customers and suppliers will welcome.”

Somewhat further west in Redmond, Washington, John R ‘Jack’ Donovan has also joined Univar as the company’s new executive vice-president and chief growth officer. He will report to president and CEO John Zillmer, taking on responsibility for the company’s strategic growth and the development of its global business relationships. Donovan has spent much of his career in executive leadership roles, heading sales, marketing and general management teams. Most recently, he served as president of Omakase, a growth-strategy consulting firm that he founded and with which Univar has worked closely since 2010.

“Jack’s experience across multiple functions combined with a proven track record of delivering results makes him uniquely qualified to grow Univar’s position as a global industry leader,” Zillmer states. “He has an impressive history of leading teams that accelerate sales growth, increase profitability and create customer loyalty. I’m thrilled to have him on the executive team.”

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