Croda

We are thrilled to announce that the Board has appointed Stephen Oxley as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Executive Director. Stephen, a qualified accountant, brings valuable experience in strategy setting and execution, enhancing business performance, transformation and corporate transactions, he will join Croda no later than 1 April 2025. Danuta Gray, Chair of Croda tells us: “I am delighted that Stephen Oxley is joining as CFO. Alongside his strong track record as a PLC Chief Financial Officer incorporating strategic thinking and operational delivery, he brings valuable experience of audit and advisory roles for large, complex international companies across a number of relevant sectors during his time as a Partner at KPMG. I look forward to welcoming him to the Board.”

This week, Paul Hunt, Research Team Leader at our Rawcliffe Bridge manufacturing site, is giving a talk on the challenges and opportunities surrounding sustainable polymers in the industrial sector at the IUPAC Macro 2024: 50th World Polymer Conference, held at The University of Warwick. Polymers in Liquid Formulations (PLFs) are a broad group of polymers used as rheology modifiers, emulsifiers, and binders in many everyday items, including household detergents, cosmetics, and agrochemicals. During the presentation, Paul will discuss the approaches Croda is taking in the development of commercially viable, novel biobased, and biodegradable polymers, which may serve as alternatives to traditional PLFs such as polyacrylates. The presentation will also address questions regarding performance characterisation. Find out more about the conference here: https://ow.ly/rIUw50SttuF

Discover how our Crop Care team are tackling the escalating challenge of abiotic stress in agriculture with their latest whitepaper, which explores innovative solutions for building crop resilience amidst climate change. Find out more below!

Celebrating our people! At Croda, we pride ourselves on our people and the great work they do every day. Croda Foundation is committed to utilising the skills, time and expertise of Croda people, through the Foundation Changemaker Programme. Changemakers are Croda employees who volunteer their time and know-how to support our funded projects on a case-by-case basis. Below is a great example of the impact of the Changemaker Programme. Jenny Berriman utilised her skills and expertise to support our projects in the best way she could. Her dedication and hard work have made a significant difference. Thank you to Jenny and the Croda Foundation team for their continued commitment.

Pride month is about acceptance, equality, and the celebration of people coming together. It is a time to recognise the progress made in LGBTQ+ rights and acknowledge the work still needed in some areas. Croda, along with the rest of the world, celebrate June as a time for visibility and allyship. Our headquarters at Cowick Hall and many of our sites across the globe, proudly fly the Pride flag throughout the month. Our employees are actively raising money for LGBTQ+ charities and attending Pride parades, showcasing our commitment to the cause. This year, Maximiliano Diaz, Senior Marketing Lead, and Alex Castellani, Account Manager Crop Protection, represented Croda at São Paulo's annual Pride parade. Joined by hundreds of thousands in celebrating. Maximiliano and Alex tell us: “The presence of Croda at the event signified the commitment to the rights and equality of the LGBTQ+ community. We firmly believe that everyone should be valued and respected, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic.” #Pride

Find out more about optimising small and large molecule oncology applications by registering for tomorrow's Croda Pharma webinar!

We'd like to congratulate one of our talented Graduate Trainees, Lucy Jones, after being shortlisted for the prestigious Chemical Industries Association (CIA) Awards, 2024! Lucy was nominated for the CIA's Young Ambassador Award by her manager, Chloé Martin, Research Team Leader, who said: “By joining the Research and Development team at Incotec for a one-year mission, Lucy has chosen a challenging path. In an agricultural world where chemistry is often seen in a negative light, Lucy is successfully proving that its use can lead to sustainable solutions. “In addition, as a woman in science and her leading role in Croda’s Gender Equality Group, she is protecting and encouraging equal access to the industry. Altogether, this makes Lucy the perfect young ambassador and very deserving of this award.” Being shortlisted for this award recognises an outstanding young person demonstrating communication skills and leadership associated with the chemical industry and contributing to its success. This is an excellent achievement for Lucy, and we are very proud to see her develop as part of Croda.

We’d like to congratulate our Croda India team for achieving gold at the National Awards for Manufacturing Competititiveness (NAMC). Our India operations team’s transformative journey, focusing on planning, workflow optimisation, information access, and talent development, led to this achievement. The team leaped from silver in 2023, to winning the gold award this year, improving scores from 78.8 to 82.8. Naishadh Ajgaonkar, Director of Operations, India, says: “Winning this award is truly humbling. Our focus on improving the efficiencies of the manufacturing at our Thane site, while maintaining safety and quality stood out during this assessment.” This win highlights: • Our commitment to our customers • Our dedication to safety and sustainability • Our commitment to continuous improvement. Congratulations to the team, this is a great achievement!

This week, over 100 colleagues from seven UK sites embraced our value of Together by participating in a football tournament held at our headquarters, Cowick Hall. With 12 teams taking part, Ditton came out on top after an intense penalty shootout against Leek in the final! The event brought together a crowd of spectators, including employees, families, and friends, who all contributed to the lively and supportive atmosphere. Overall, it was a fantastic event that showcased the best of our team spirit and company culture. To find out how you could be a part of this fantastic culture, follow the link to our careers page: https://ow.ly/IGl550ShOkR

Today we celebrate 60 years of being listed on the London Stock Exchange. See our journey here... https://ow.ly/4aU750Seg7T