Anne Noonan to Join OMNOVA Solutions as President, Performance Chemicals Business Segment; James Hohman to Retire

FAIRLAWN, Ohio, Sept. 11, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- OMNOVA Solutions (NYSE:OMN) today announced that Anne Noonan will join the Company as President of the Performance Chemicals business segment, effective September 22, 2014. She succeeds James Hohman, who will retire from OMNOVA on October 24, 2014.  To ensure an orderly transition, Mr. Hohman will assume the role of special advisor to Ms. Noonan until his retirement date.

"We are excited to welcome Anne Noonan to OMNOVA Solutions," said Kevin McMullen, OMNOVA's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.  "She has an impressive background in the specialty chemicals industry, from strategic marketing to product development and innovation, to mergers and acquisitions, to general management.  Anne has a strong history of transforming businesses through strategic actions, teamwork and alignment, and an intense focus on initiatives that will drive profitable growth.  She has been particularly effective in developing clear insights into customer needs, and utilizing technology to meet those needs and create a clear and compelling value proposition for the customer.  She will be an excellent addition to our senior leadership team and our Company.

"Jim Hohman has overseen a significant transformation of OMNOVA's chemicals business," said McMullen.  "Primarily a North American paper and carpet latex business when he arrived 18 years ago, Performance Chemicals has since grown to become a global enterprise with more than 65% of sales in diverse, value-added specialty applications.  We appreciate his many contributions to our Company and wish him well in his retirement."

Anne Noonan, 51, joins OMNOVA from Chemtura Corporation, a $2.2 billion global developer and manufacturer of specialty chemicals.  Chemtura was formed in the 2005 merger of Great Lakes Chemical Corporation and Crompton Corporation.  Ms. Noonan held several leadership positions, first at Great Lakes Chemical and then the combined company, most recently serving as Senior Vice President and President of Chemtura's Industrial Engineered Products business, which includes flame retardants, brominated performance products and organometallic specialties.  These products go into numerous applications and end markets, many of which overlap with OMNOVA's.  Previously, she held a dual role as Vice President of Strategic Business Development for Chemtura and President of the Great Lakes Solutions business.  Her career at Great Lakes Chemical and Chemtura has spanned 27 years.

Ms. Noonan earned her M.S. in organometallic chemistry and her B.S. Honors degree in chemistry from University College in Dublin, Ireland.

James Hohman joined OMNOVA Solutions in 1996 as Director of Strategic Business Development for the Performance Chemicals business segment.  He was named president of Performance Chemicals in 2005 and was elected a senior vice president of the Company in 2011. During his tenure, he led negotiations for the acquisitions of the Goodyear/Calhoun, Georgia latex facility and the U.S. specialty chemicals businesses of Sequa Chemicals and PolymerLatex.  Under Mr. Hohman's leadership, OMNOVA acquired ELIOKEM in 2010, which added a broader range of chemistries and applications, and extended OMNOVA's reach into new global specialty chemical markets.

OMNOVA Solutions Inc. is a technology-based company with sales for the twelve months ending May 31, 2014 of $1.0 billion and a global workforce of approximately 2,300.  OMNOVA is an innovator of emulsion polymers, specialty chemicals, and functional and decorative surfaces for a variety of commercial, industrial and residential end uses.  Visit OMNOVA Solutions on the internet at www.omnova.com.

SOURCE OMNOVA Solutions Inc.