Valtris Signals Growth Overhaul with Executive Team from Dow and DuPont

INDEPENDENCE, OH – July 27, 2026 – Valtris Specialty Chemicals has signaled a significant strategic shift, announcing the appointment of four senior executives with deep roots in industry giants like Dow, DuPont, and PPG. The move is a clear statement of intent to accelerate growth, enhance operational efficiency, and sharpen its customer focus under the ownership of private equity firm SK Capital Partners.

The new leaders—Jane Zdrojewski, David Brandt, Raymond Hudack, and Layne Schroeder—will join the company's Executive Leadership Team, reporting directly to CEO Mike McGaugh. They are tasked with spearheading a company-wide transformation aimed at cementing Valtris's position as a global leader in the competitive specialty additives market.

"Jane, Dave, Ray, and Layne are world-class chemical industry executives who will drive the transformation of Valtris," said McGaugh in the official announcement. He emphasized a specific area for improvement, stating, "We have great products, but we needed to improve our customer service levels, in order to take Valtris to the next level – these executives will do exactly that."

A Strategic Overhaul Under New Ownership

The leadership overhaul comes nearly four years after SK Capital Partners, a private investment firm with deep expertise in the chemicals sector, acquired Valtris from H.I.G. Capital in August 2022. The appointments align with a common private equity playbook: infusing portfolio companies with seasoned external talent to execute an aggressive growth and value-creation strategy.

Valtris, a key player with an estimated annual revenue of around $750 million, had already demonstrated significant growth potential, reportedly tripling its EBITDA under its previous ownership. Now, SK Capital appears to be leveraging that foundation for its next phase of expansion. The firm is known for transforming its acquisitions into higher-performing organizations with improved strategic positioning, and this mass recruitment of top-tier talent is a powerful move in that direction.

The company operates seven manufacturing facilities across North America, Europe, and Asia, producing a comprehensive portfolio of specialty additives used in coatings, adhesives, sealants, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products. The decision to base the new executive team in Valtris's Midland, Michigan office is also strategic, placing them in a major hub for the chemical industry and its associated talent pool.

Assembling a Powerhouse of Industry Veterans

The collective resume of the new leadership team reads like a who's who of the chemical industry, with each executive bringing a specific, high-impact skill set tailored to Valtris's stated goals.

Jane Zdrojewski, the new Commercial Vice President – Americas, joins after more than 35 years at Dow Inc., where she most recently served as Senior Director of Supply Chain and Customer Experience. Her extensive background in commercial leadership and channel strategy directly addresses CEO McGaugh's call for improved customer service. She is tasked with strengthening customer relationships and driving business growth across the North and Latin America regions, a critical market for the company.

Overseeing the company’s global operational backbone is David Brandt, who steps in as Vice President of Global Manufacturing. With over 30 years of experience leading high-performing manufacturing organizations at DuPont, Dow Chemical, and Dow Corning, Brandt brings a wealth of knowledge in operational excellence. His mandate is to enhance safety, quality, reliability, and productivity across Valtris’s seven global production sites, a foundational step for scaling the business efficiently.

The strategic direction of the company’s core product lines falls to Raymond Hudack, the new Vice President – Performance Additives. Hudack has over 25 years of experience in product and business leadership, including a recent role as Global Business Director at PPG Industries and more than a decade at Dow. He is now responsible for the business strategy, growth, and profitability of Valtris’s performance additives portfolio, signaling a renewed focus on innovation and market expansion for its technologically advanced offerings.

Rounding out the team is Layne Schroeder, who joins as Senior Vice President of Supply Chain & Procurement. Schroeder’s 15-year track record at companies like Myers Industries and Dow in improving customer service levels and decreasing costs through supply chain optimization is particularly timely. In an era of global disruptions, his appointment underscores the strategic importance Valtris places on building a resilient and efficient global supply chain.

Navigating a Dynamic Specialty Chemicals Market

These appointments are not happening in a vacuum. Valtris is positioning itself to capitalize on significant tailwinds in the global specialty chemicals market, which is projected to grow from approximately $782 billion in 2025 to over $1 trillion by 2030. This growth is fueled by increasing demand for high-performance materials in sectors like automotive, construction, and electronics.

The new leadership team's expertise directly aligns with key industry trends. The focus on customer-centricity, spearheaded by Zdrojewski, is crucial in a market where tailored solutions and strong partnerships are key differentiators. Meanwhile, the push for operational excellence under Brandt and supply chain resilience under Schroeder addresses the industry's core challenges of maintaining efficiency and reliability amidst global volatility.

Furthermore, Hudack’s leadership in performance additives positions Valtris to innovate within high-growth segments like Coatings, Adhesives, Sealants, and Elastomers (CASE), which currently holds the largest market share. The company is also leaning into the powerful trend of sustainability, having earned an EcoVadis Bronze Medal for its practices and actively developing next-generation products like low-TPP (triphenyl phosphate) flame retardants to meet evolving regulatory standards.

This strategic reinforcement of its leadership team fortifies Valtris against a competitive landscape that includes major players like Albemarle, Grace, and Cabot. By poaching top talent, Valtris is sending a clear message that it intends not just to compete, but to lead. This internal transformation, coupled with external strategies like its recent technology licensing partnership with the Transfar Group in Asia, paints a picture of a company gearing up for a major global offensive. The mandate from ownership is clear, and with this new team in place, Valtris appears fully equipped to execute its ambitious vision for growth and market leadership.