Dr. Ilham Kadri, CEO of Syensqo SA, Belgium, becomes President of Cefic, succeeding Dr. Martin Brudermüller, former CEO of BASF SE, Germany. Ilham Kadri served as Vice President of Cefic before becoming President and holds several key positions in business associations around the world.
Ilham Kadri emphasizes the importance of science, innovation, sustainability, and diversity, and is an advocate for women’s leadership in STEM fields. She looks forward to supporting the next generation of European politicians and the new leadership of the European Commission at a critical moment for Europe and encourages participation in the upcoming European elections.
She explains that industry has long been committed to Europe’s climate neutrality and circularity goals, leaving no question about what the industry is striving to achieve. However, she calls for a stronger focus on industry competitiveness and innovation. Referring to the Antwerp Declaration, she states, ‘The industry leaders want to see Europe become the global hub for innovation, and also a place where technologies can be scaled up effectively, on-time with less bureaucracy, a single market with an industrial policy attracting investments to invest on European soil, and where there is a solid market demand, including the public one, for sustainable products.’
Ilham Kadri, born in 1969 in Casablanca, Morocco, studied chemical engineering at L’École des Hauts Polymères in Strasbourg, France, and received her Ph.D. in macromolecular physico-chemistry from Strasbourg’s Louis Pasteur University. During her 30-year career, she has held various positions at leading companies, with responsibilities in research and development, strategy, business, and digital across industries such as automotive, aerospace, oil and gas, mining, water desalination, construction, consumer goods, food service, hospitality, and healthcare.
In 2019, Ilham Kadri became CEO of Solvay. She played a key role in the restructuring and separation of the company into the traditional Solvay and a new materials unit, Syensqo. In the Syensqo spin-off, Kadri is Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chair of the Executive Leadership Team, and a member of the Syensqo Board of Directors.
- The European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC), Brussels, Belgium
Also of Interest
Markus Kamieth will succeed Martin Brudermüller in April 2024, when Brudermüller’s contract expires; Katja Scharpwinkel will succeed Melanie Maas-Brunner in the BASF board
Solvay is restructuring its operations by creating two distinct companies
Syensqo will focus on specialty materials, Solvay on commodities
