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Kazuhito Tojo.

SABIC’s general assembly has approved the appointment of Abdulrahman Al-Fageeh as SABIC CEO, and an executive member of the board of directors until April 9, 2025 – the Board’s tenure end date. In its previous meeting, the Board of Directors, had agreed to appoint Dr. Mohammed Yahya Al-Qahtani as vice chairman. At the meeting, Khalid Al-Dabbagh, SABIC Chairman, noted that the past year had been difficult one, though “SABIC managed to face the challenges by intensifying its development programs to achieve record numbers in terms of production, sales, and revenues that exceeded the achievements of the previous year. However, its net profits have not met its aspirations and have shrunk compared to last year due to the worsening global conditions.” He also said that SABIC is pursuing plans to manage working capital through the Cash Cost Transformation program, and is sparing no effort to achieve sustainable growth, adopt long-term strategic goals for sustainability, and reduce emissions related to the life cycle of its products across the value chain.

Abdulrahman Al-Fageeh, confirmed as SABIC CEO, highlighted that “SABIC has successfully faced the challenging global conditions, investing in its collaborative relations with Saudi Aramco, which led to the successful supply of the world’s first commercial shipment of independently certified blue ammonia to South Korea. It is also focusing on strong capital discipline to enhance profitability and future growth opportunities, adding more investments to develop information technology infrastructure, benefit from digital transformation, and rely on the effective use of big data tools to be more proactive and data-driven.”

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Compressor International Corporation (MCO-I), a leader in the design and manufacturing of compressors, drive turbines, gear boxes and their control systems, has named Kazuhito Tojo as president and CEO. He succeeds Jun Fukuda, who will return as an advisor at MCO’s facility in Hiroshima, Japan. Tojo will bring his leadership expertise to the MCO-I Pearland Works facility as part of the company’s plans to increase its North American turbomachinery footprint and enhance after-sales capabilities.

Tojo began his career with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd (MHI) in 1996, working in a variety of manufacturing positions, including shop operations. He has provided growth for both MHI and MCO through a range of investment opportunities. Tojo transferred as general manager to MCO-I’s Houston office in 2015 to build the process foundation for the Pearland facility. He then returned to Japan to manage the manufacturing department as deputy general manager, and later general manager of manufacturing at MCO Hiroshima. In 2021, Tojo transferred to Houston where he has served as executive vice president.

Tojo commented, “As the world shifts to a carbon neutral society, MCO-I is a valued solutions provider for our customer’s both new business and after-service needs. Our goal is to contribute to our customers’ success by delivering cutting-edge technology and reliable compression systems.”

BASF has announced that Tobias Dratt, President, North America, BASF Corporation, will assume responsibility for the Global Business Services division in Ludwigshafen, Germany, from May 1, 2023, while his counterpart Marc Ehrhardt, president, Global Business Services, Ludwigshafen, will, at the same time, assume responsibility for the North America division, BASF Corporation in New Jersey.