In April, Ascend Performance Materials announced that company president and chief operating officer, Phil McDivitt ’87, was promoted to president, chief executive officer and member of the board. McDivitt is a graduate of the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University, and currently sits on the department’s advisory council.
McDivitt joined Ascend Performance Materials in April 2015 as president of the company’s nylon business, and quickly moved up the ranks. A year later he was named the president and chief operating officer.
“Since joining, he [McDivitt] has made important contributions to building a stronger team and culture, improving financial and operating disciplines, and creating a more dynamic commercial organization,” said Barry Siadat, chairman of Ascend Performance Materials. “As envisioned by the board at the time of his hiring, Phil has demonstrated his readiness to transition to CEO.”
Prior to joining Ascend Performance Materials, McDivitt spent more than nine years in various roles at Celanese, a global technology and materials company, working his way up to the vice president and general manager of the company’s engineered materials business.