The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based US subsidiary of German engineering plastics producer Covestro (Leverkusen; www.covestro.com) has announced North American leadership changes. With effect from 1 February 2018, Jerry MacCleary, who is currently president and managing director of Covestro and head of the Polyurethanes business unit in North America, will assume the role of CEO and chairman of the board of Covestro. He will be succeeded as head of the Polyurethanes business unit by Christine Bryant, currently head of Coatings, Adhesives and Specialties. Current COO Haakan Jonsson will take over as president and managing director of Covestro.

MacCleary currently represents Covestro as vice chairman of the board, a member of the executive committee and an officer at the American Chemistry Council (ACC). He will become chairman of the ACC executive committee on 1 January 2018. In 1979, MacCleary joined Covestro (then part of Bayer), then had a diverse career path, including sales, marketing and strategic management roles in the US and Germany. He has been head of the North American Polyurethanes unit since 2004, a role he maintained after becoming the company's president in 2012. He also led Covestro's North American business during its separation from Bayer and establishment as an independent company in 2015.