Lubrizol announced last week that it appointed board of directors Chairwoman Mary Rhinehart to the additional posts of president and chief executive officer on an interim basis.
Rhinehart is the third person at the company’s helm in less than a year, replacing Chris Brown, who was appointed in August of last year.
In a March 11 news release about Rhinehart’s appointment, Lubrizol said Brown had joined the company “to help with important work around safety and operational excellence.” Brown was appointed two months after a fire destroyed Lubrizol’s large Chemtool grease and lubricant additive factory in Rockton, Illinois. That incident came less than two years after a fire sidelined another major Lubrizol plant in Rouen, France.
The news release did not say whether Brown had left his post for another opportunity or if he is taking another position at Lubrizol.
When Brown became president and CEO he replaced Eric Schnur, who held both of those positions and was also board chairman. At that time Schnur was given an advisory role that he still holds, according to his LinkedIn page.
Rhinehart will lead the search for a permanent CEO and will continue to chair the board of directors.
Rhinehart also chairs the board of Johns Manville, a building and specialty products manufacturer that like Lubrizol is owned by Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway. She has spent a career of more than 40 years at Johns Manville, serving as president and CEO since 2012 and as chairwoman since 2014. She also held positions in treasury, supply chain, mergers and acquisitions and human resources and managed several business units.
Lubrizol is headquartered in Wickliffe, Ohio, and is the world’s largest lubricant additive supplier. It also supplies specialty chemicals to applications such as personal care items, textiles, coatings and consumer products.