Platform Specialty Products Names Rakesh Sachdev as CEO

Posted by Jackie Pucci|16 December 2015

Platform Specialty Products Corp., a global specialty chemicals company, announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Rakesh Sachdev as its new Chief Executive Officer. Sachdev will join Platform effective Jan. 5, 2016. The Board of Directors also appointed Sachdev to serve as a Director on the Platform’s Board, effective Jan. 5, 2016.

In connection with Sachdev’s appointment, Daniel H. Leever, as previously announced in October, has retired as both Chief Executive Officer and as a Director of the Board, effective immediately.

Sachdev joins Platform with more than 28 years of management experience at leading public companies having most recently served as President and CEO of Sigma-Aldrich since 2010 through its recent acquisition by Merck KGaA. His previous positions at Sigma Aldrich included Vice President and Chief Financial Officer as well as Chief Administrative Officer. Earlier in his career, Mr. Sachdev held numerous senior management positions at ArvinMeritor, Inc. and Cummins Inc. Mr. Sachdev is currently a director of Regal-Beloit Corporation, Edgewell Personal Care Company, and the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of Washington University in St. Louis. Mr. Sachdev earned his M.B.A. from Indiana University, holds a Masters in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois, and earned his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology in New Delhi.

Platform’s Chairman, Martin E. Franklin, commented, “Rakesh’s deep leadership, strategy and execution experience are precisely the strengths Platform was looking for in its next chief executive. He is the right leader at this stage of Platform’s growth. We are highly confident in Rakesh’s ability to lead Platform as it continues towards its goal of becoming a best-in-class global, diversified specialty chemicals company. I look forward to working closely with Rakesh in the coming years.”

“I am honored to be joining Platform at such an exciting time,” added Sachdev. “There are immense opportunities ahead, both in the short term with the integrations of the recently completed acquisitions, and in the long term to build and broaden Platform’s businesses. We have some work in front of us to fully realize the value potential of the company, but I believe we are building the right team in place to succeed,” Sachdev continued.