William R. Downey, Jr., has left Kline & Co., where he headed the consultancys energy practice, and has joined Roland Berger Strategy Consultants as a partner.
Downey, a senior vice president and 24-year veteran at Kline, specialized in lubricants, waxes and petroleum specialties at the Parsippany, N.J.-based firm. He is well known as a chairman and speaker at lubricant industry conferences.
Two other Kline executives joined Downey in moving to Roland Berger. Jonathan Goldhill was head of Klines strategy practice and, like Downey, joins Roland Berger as a partner. Gillian Morris was a vice president in Klines chemicals and materials division and is now a principal with Roland Berger.
I bring a deep understanding of the downstream petroleum business to Roland Berger, Downey told Lube Report. Well have the ability to expand Roland Bergers services to the downstream petroleum sector and to bring new thinking to different clients.
For example, Downey continued, Roland Berger works extensively in the automotive industry. With the big regulatory changes coming in Europe and North America, thats an area where we can bring value to the lubricant industry.
Another area of Roland Berger expertise is best practices in refinery maintenance, Downey noted, important to the base oil industry.
“Kline wishes Bill Downey well in his new endeavors. We expect to carry on normally and successfully for our clients,” a Kline spokeswoman told Lube Report yesterday.