Dow Chemical reshuffles top executives in Asia-Pacific

Pat Dawson, president of Dow Asia Pacific, has been named senior vice president for Dow’s global epoxy business and corporate project development; Peter Sykes, president of Dow Greater China, will assume the role of president of Dow Asia Pacific; and Peter Wong, Asia-Pacific commercial vice president for packaging and speciality plastics, will now serve as president of Dow Greater China.
The transition will be completed in the coming one or two months.
Since 2008, Dow Asia Pacific has doubled its number of plants and employees, with the revenue from the region increasing from US$6.2 billion (Bt180 billion) to $10.2 billion (Bt320 billion) in 2012, and now making up 18 per cent of Dow’s global sales.
Dow says its strategy in this region is to cultivate key partnerships with customers, local governments, and valuable external stakeholders, recruit and develop local talent, penetrate key markets, and broaden the impact of its leading innovation capabilities.
In the past year, Dow has continued to expand its regional coverage, including office openings in Chengdu and Harbin in China, and new manufacturing facilities in Vietnam, Thailand, China and South Korea.
The Shanghai Dow Centre, a state-of-the-art research-and-development facility, is now home to more than 80 laboratories and employs more than 500 scientists, who through world-class expertise and collaboration with key partners, including customers and universities, focus primarily on delivering applications for solutions for Asia-Pacific and global markets.
“Dow in Asia-Pacific is focused on providing high-value, innovative, and sustainable solutions through our business-portfolio strategy to meet local market and customer needs, and in turn rewarding our shareholders. We are confident that this new leadership team will continue to drive this growth strategy and bring further commercial success for Dow,” said Andrew Liveris, Dow chairman and chief executive officer.
After serving as president of Dow Asia Pacific since 2010, Pat Dawson, a 33-year Dow veteran, will return to the United States to lead the global epoxy business, and concentrate on corporate projects focusing on Asia and other emerging regions.
“Dow has the right strategy, the right business portfolio, and the right people to be a preferred partner to our customers, while providing real solutions to the growing needs of Asia-Pacific,” Dawson said.
“With Asia-Pacific’s exponentially growing cities and consumer base, clean and accessible water, safe and fresh food, energy, and efficient infrastructure are all real challenges, and Dow’s technology and expertise can help address these challenges.”
In his new role as president of Dow Asia Pacific, Sykes will assume responsibility for identifying new business opportunities, ensuring organisational vitality, and supporting the implementation of Dow’s business strategies across the entire region. He will be located in Shanghai, with a second office in Hong Kong.
As president for Dow Greater China, Peter Wong will lead all geographic activities in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. He will assume responsibility for developing business opportunities, engaging and cultivating critical stakeholder relationships key to business success, attracting and retaining talent, and implementing Dow’s business strategies in Greater China. Wong will report to Sykes.
“Greater China is Dow’s second-largest international market in terms of sales, and is an incredibly dynamic and strategically significant region. I am looking forward to working together with our energised teams, and our key stakeholders, to find even more ways to be a preferred partner and solutions provider in Greater China,” Wong said.