Univar to Appoint Mark Byrne as Chief Operating Officer

REDMOND, Wash., Oct. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Univar Inc., a leading global chemical distributor, announced today that Mark Byrne will be appointed as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Univar. The appointment is pending the successful acquisition of Basic Chemical Solutions, L.L.C. (BCS) by Univar, which is expected to close in the first quarter of 2011.

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In this new role, Mr. Byrne will be responsible for managing Univar's global business units as well as the integration of Univar and BCS. Mr. Byrne will report to John Zillmer, President and Chief Executive Officer of Univar.

"We are very pleased to announce that Mark will assume a significant new leadership role in the combined company post-acquisition," said John Zillmer, President and CEO of Univar.  "Mark's leadership, industry experience and relationships with customers and suppliers will provide tremendous value for the combined company. Having Mark lead the integration effort will enable us to maintain the continuity of the BCS operations and ensure continued high performance."

"Univar and BCS bring together a number of complementary strengths, with a number of opportunities to share best-practices, drive strategic initiatives and improve operating performance," said Mark Byrne, President and CEO of BCS. "I am very excited about joining the Univar executive leadership team. Together, we can deliver synergies that will bring value to our customers and suppliers worldwide and provide growth opportunities for our employees."

Mark Byrne has been the President and Chief Executive Officer of Basic Chemical Solutions since he co-founded the company in 1995. Under Mr. Byrne's leadership, BCS has grown to become a company with global operations and nearly $900 million in 2009 sales revenue. Prior to co-founding BCS, Mr. Byrne began his career in 1980 at AlliedSignal (now Honeywell) where he held roles in several functional areas, culminating as President of AlliedSignal's Fluorine Products Division. Mr. Byrne holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics and Finance and Masters in Business Administration from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

About Univar

Univar Inc. is one of the world's leading distributors of industrial and specialty chemicals. Univar represents over 2,500 chemical producers and provides its customer base, made up of 80,000 customers, with a full portfolio of products. Univar operates a network of 179 facilities in North America, Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, and Latin America, with additional sales offices located in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. In 2009, Univar reported sales of $7.2 billion. For more information, visit: www.univar.com.

About Basic Chemical Solutions

Basic Chemical Solutions L.L.C. (BCS) is a U.S.-based global distributor and trader of commodity chemicals. With roots dating back almost 50 years, BCS has established a worldwide infrastructure with 29 offices in 15 countries on 4 continents, and another 46 owned or contracted chemical terminal locations. BCS' focus on inorganic mineral acids and bases includes some of the most broadly used chemicals in the world such as caustic soda, bleach and sulfuric and hydrochloric acid. BCS' core product line is augmented in the U.S. by the Performance Chemical Division and internationally by the availability of a range of other chemical intermediates. In 2009, BCS reported sales of $889 million. For more information, visit: www.basicchem.com.

SOURCE Univar