Antonius (Tony) Brouns was recently appointed European sales manager for CVC Specialty Chemicals Inc, Moorestown, NJ. Brouns formerly served as distributor manager EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) for Hexion, where he was responsible for the sales of epoxy material for the past four years.

Charles A. Clark, Jr. has been named director of Quality and Continuous Improvement at appli-tec, Salem, NH. Clark previously worked as a corporate quality lead auditor for Brooks-PRI Automation in Chelmsford, MA, and as a senior quality assurance engineer for M/A Automotive Systems Group in Lowell, MA.

Dow Corning Corp., Midland, MI, has named Stacy Coughlin as the new global marketing communications and e-business manager for two Dow Corning industries - XIAMETER^® and Construction. In this role, Coughlin will oversee the creation and implementation of marketing communication strategies for the two industries and will work to strengthen and expand Dow Corning’s commercial online capabilities.

Sika Corp., Lyndhurst, NJ, has announced the promotion of Timothy Gillespie to director of marketing for the Repair and Protection business unit. Gillespie has been with Sika for 10 years and has held various positions within product management. Most recently, he played the key role of senior marketing manager for the Repair and Protection business unit, where he was responsible for Repair Mortars and Total Corrosion Management activities.

Bunge Ltd., White Plains, NY, recently announced the appointment of Douglass Harless as director of Manufacturing for Bunge Biphor LLC, manufacturer and marketer of BIPHOR^TM white pigment. In his new position, Harless will lead operational activities related to the commercialization of BIPHOR pigment, a value-added alternative to titanium dioxide in paints, coatings and allied products.

Plasticolors Inc. recently appointed Wayde Jenkins to the position of product development specialist at the company’s headquarters in Ashtabula, OH. In his new role, Jenkins will be primarily responsible for the designing, planning and execution of product development projects within the technical department.

The Dow Chemical Co., Midland, MI, has unveiled a senior level realignment that includes the formation of a five-person Executive Leadership Committee that will concentrate on defining the company’s strategic direction, prioritizing its investment agenda, establishing enterprise-wide policy, and setting financial plans and performance metrics. In addition to Andrew Liveris, chairman and CEO, the Committee includes: Geoffery Merszei, executive vice president and chief financial officer; Romeo Kreinberg, executive vice president, Performance Businesses; Heinz Haller, senior vice president; Strategic Development and New Ventures; and Mike Gambrell, executive vice president, Basics Businesses.

BASF, Charlotte, NC, has appointed Drew Rutherford sales manager of its Acrylic Monomers and Superabsorbent Polymers business in North America. Rutherford assumes responsibility for the management of sales activities for acrylic monomers and superabsorbent polymers to manufacturers of dispersions, adhesives, coatings, personal care products, fire-fighting gels, medical gel packs, water treatment chemicals, textile and leather auxiliaries, nonwoven fabricks, detergents, plastics and fibers in North America.

Dr. Axel Steiger-Bagel has been appointed chief administration officer of Bayer MaterialScience AG. He will be a member of the Management Board and Executive Committee of this Bayer subgroup. Steiger-Bagel has been Senior Bayer Representative and Bayer HealthCare Senior Country Representative in Turkey since mid-2006.

Mike Swartzlander has been named vice president and managing director, India, for Ashland Inc., Dublin, OH. Swartzlander previously served as vice president and general manager of Ashland’s Casting Solutions business.

Sika Corp., Lyndhurst, NJ, has announced the promotion of Aamer Syed to product marketing manager for Repair Systems. Syed has been with Sika for eight years and has vast experience in all areas of Sika’s Repair and Protection business.

Peter Sykes has been named president of Dow Automotive, Auburn Hills, MI. He has been with Dow since 1981, and has held a number of financial and operational management positions around the globe, including treasurer of Dow Japan Ltd.