Names in the News, May 18-22

Portola Packaging Inc. (Batavia, IL) has named Kevin Kwilinski as its new president and CEO.  He joins the firm following a 10-year career with Graphic Packaging International, a $4.5 billion global paperboard packaging company, where he was most recently senior VP supply chain.

Plastics supply major LyondellBasell Industries (Houston, TX) named James Gallogly as its new CEO, succeeding Volker Trautz, who has announced his retirement. The terms of the appointment are subject to the approval of the U.S. bankruptcy court overseeing LyondellBasell’s reorganization plan. The company entered into a voluntary Chapter 11 reorganization of one of its European holding companies and its U.S. operations on Jan. 6.

Gallogly comes to LyondellBasell from ConocoPhillips where he served as executive vice president of exploration and production, and before that as executive vice president of refining, marketing, and transportation. From 2000-2006, he was president and CEO of Chevron Phillips Chemical Company, one of the world's top producers of olefins and polyolefins.

Meanwhile, Okke Koo, responsible for the Pigments & Additives division at Clariant (Muttenz, Switzerland), will leave that supplier on June 1, 2009 to return to his native Netherlands and pursue other career opportunities. Marco Cenisio, head of the company’s coatings business unit, will head the Pigments & Additives division until Koo’s successor is chosen.