Dow Chemical Co. named Melanie Kalmar chief information officer. Ms. Kalmar, a 29-year veteran at the company, succeeds Paula Tolliver, who left to take the CIO position at Intel Corp.
She will report to Howard Ungerleider, Dow’s vice chairman and chief financial officer.
Ms. Kalmar, most recently global director of Dow’s Information Systems, has helped drive advanced global reporting and e-commerce capabilities, and has shepherded various merger and acquisition IT projects, among them a large SAP implementation, the company said Monday. Ms. Kalmar also helped spearhead an information systems launch for a joint venture with Saudi Aramco.
“Ms. Kalmar’s proven leadership and track record for driving business results positions her well to drive Dow’s vision for leveraging information technology (IT) and analytics, and to further deliver insights and innovation that provide strategic advantage,” the company said in a news release.
As Dow’s CIO Ms. Kalmar will be responsible for setting and implementing IT strategy, as well as business process solutions and analytics, the company said. She also will be responsible for cybersecurity, risk management and facilities management. Ms. Kalmar also will chair the executive steering team, a position previously held by Ms. Tolliver. The team is accountable for providing “overarching vision and corporate priorities” and managing risk for IT investments, according to the company.
Ms. Kalmar, who holds a bachelor’s degree in management information systems from Central Michigan University, joined Dow’s Research Information Systems unit in 1987. She moved to Information Systems in 1990 where she held a progression of leadership roles.
The Midland, Mich.-based chemical and agricultural giant in December struck an agreement to combine with rival DuPont Co. into a $120 billion company that will have about $90 billion in sales, the WSJ reports. The deal aims to eliminate $3 billion in combined costs before separating into three publicly traded companies within three years. The companies currently are negotiating with antitrust authorities overseeing major global markets.
By Tom Loftus
Source: Wall Street Journal
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