Cognis Names Seasoned Food Industry Expert to Lead Marketing
Efforts in North America
La
Grange, Ill., July 16, 2007 Sharrann Simmons,
with more than 20 years of experience in the food, pharmaceutical
and chemical industries, joins Cognis Nutrition &
Health as Senior Marketing Manager. She is responsible
for marketing strategy development and implementation
for the entire Cognis portfolio of nutritional and food
ingredients in North America.
Sharrann brings an outstanding set of skills and we
are so fortunate to have her on our team, said Dave
Eckert, Vice President, Cognis Nutrition & Health.
She has a demonstrated record of creating and sustaining
exceptional sales and profit growth for a range of businesses,
particularly those in the food industry. Our customers
will soon learn that along with her expertise in nearly
all aspects of our business and international experience,
she is a pleasure to work with.
Most recently, Ms. Simmons was Vice President and General
Manager of the US subsidiary of CNI, Colloides Naturels
International, the worlds leading manufacturer and marketer
of acacia gum.
She holds a BS and MS degree in Food Science from Purdue
University, and has also attended the Executive MBA
program at Northwestern Universitys Kellogg School of
Graduate Management.
Her career has included positions in research and development,
marketing, technical sales and product management for
leading global food and ingredient companies. Ms. Simmons
was Director of Food Marketing for the European region
of FMC, based in Brussels, Belgium.
She is active in many professional organizations including
IFT (Institute of Food Technologists), AACT (American
Association of Candy Technologists), WFFC (Women in
Flavor and Fragrance Commerce), AAPS (American Association
of Pharmaceutical Scientists), FMI (Food Marketing Institute)
and CDMA (Commercial Development and Management Association).
In 2003, Ms. Simmons was honored by Purdue University
as a Distinguished Alumni for the School of Agriculture.
Purdue also selected her to receive the Outstanding
Food Science Award in 2004.
Ms. Simmons may be contacted at sharrann.simmons@cognis.com
or 708-579-6204.
About Cognis:
Cognis (www.cognis.com)
is a worldwide supplier of innovative specialty chemicals
and nutritional ingredients. The company employs about
8,000 people, and it operates production sites and service
centers in 30 countries. Cognis has dedicated its activities
to a high level of sustainability and delivers natural
source raw materials and ingredients for food, nutrition
and healthcare markets, and the cosmetics, detergents
and cleaners industries. Another main focus is on products
for a number of other industries, such as coatings and
inks, lubricants, textiles, as well as agriculture and
mining. The company holds a 50-percent stake in the
joint venture Cognis Oleochemicals, one of the worlds
leading manufacturers of natural-source oleochemical
basestocks. Cognis is owned by private equity funds
advised by Permira, GS Capital Partners, and SV Life
Sciences. In 2006, Cognis recorded sales of 3.37 billion
euros and an Adjusted EBITDA (operating result) of 394
million euros.
