Cariflex Pte. Ltd. (Cariflex), a leader in polyisoprene rubber latex for medical end markets, recently announced key appointments to its senior management team. 

Mr. SangWoo Ryu, presently chief finance officer, will succeed Mr. Prakash Kolluri as chief executive officer. Kolluri has been appointed as president of the Polymer Business at Kraton Corp. and will continue to be on the Cariflex Board of Directors to advise the company on its strategic direction. 

Dr. Philippe Henderson, presently vice-president for sales and marketing, will assume a newly-created role as chief operating officer. In his expanded role, he will oversee sales, marketing, and research and development (R&D) functions.

Ryu has more than 25 years of experience in various finance and operation leadership roles. He joined Cariflex in 2020 and served as one of the company’s key leadership members. As chief finance officer, he played a critical role in many leadership aspects of the company’s global business, developed and managed all financial operation matters, and led control investment activities and funding operations. 

Prior to Cariflex, Ryu has held senior financial leadership roles, including serving as the financial controller for the APAC Global Business at a U.S.-based IT company. In this capacity, he oversaw financial operations across multiple markets and was a member of the board of directors in several Asian countries, including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and South Korea. He started his career at Hewlett Packard company as a financial analyst and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in economics from Kyung Hee University, South Korea.

Henderson brings more than 25 years of experience at Cariflex, with deep expertise in market development, sales and marketing, and other customer-facing functions. He has played a pivotal role in cementing Cariflex’s position as a global leader in polyisoprene latex.

Prior to Cariflex, Henderson worked in the epoxy resin R&D group at Shell Chemicals and conducted academic research on conductive nanomaterials at the J. Gutenberg University of Mainz in Germany. He holds a Ph.D. in organic chemistry and an executive MBA from the Université Catholique de Louvain in Belgium. 

Mr. Kil Su Kim, chairman of the Cariflex Board of Directors, said, “Having reshaped our manufacturing presence with the significant investment in our new polyisoprene latex plant in Singapore, we believe this leadership change comes at a pivotal moment for Cariflex. SangWoo's vision and strategic thinking will be invaluable in guiding our path forward to continuously expand our market presence and explore new business opportunities. Additionally, Philippe’s commercial and technical expertise will be instrumental in supporting SangWoo and Cariflex to drive further innovation for our customers.” 

“I would also like to express my deep appreciation to Prakash for his leadership and invaluable contributions to Cariflex. We are confident that he will continue this legacy and drive the next phase of growth for our Kraton Polymer Business,” he added.

Ryu commented, “I am honored to lead this great company. Together, we have a built strong foundation for growth and are entering into a new chapter for innovation. We are committed to delivering the fruits of our innovation to our customers, while creating lasting value for our shareholders.” 

Henderson added, “It’s an honor to take on this new role at such a dynamic time for Cariflex. I look forward to working alongside SangWoo and the broader leadership team to strengthen our operations, advance our R&D capabilities, and continue delivering innovative solutions that set us apart in the market.”

Learn more about Cariflex at www.cariflex.com.