Roger Kearns will join Nova Chemicals Corp. as President and CEO on June 12.
Kearns replaces Danny Dweik, who had served as interim president and CEO of Calgary, Alberta-based Nova since October. Dweik replaced Luis Sierra, who had held those roles since mid-2020.
Kearns most recently served as chief operating officer of Westlake Corp., a major plastics and chemicals maker based in Houston. In an April 6 news release, Nova officials said that while at Westlake, Kearns drove large-scale sales growth and led the acquisition of Hexion's global epoxy business.
Overall, Kearns has more than 30 years of chemicals and plastics experience. Earlier in his career, he held executive roles at Solvay.
Kearns said in the release that Nova "consistently proves its ability to deliver innovative solutions to complex challenges, and I am thrilled to lead the company towards a more sustainable future."
Nova Chairman Ahmed Yahia Al Idrissi added that Kearns "has impeccable industry knowledge, operational depth and a proven track record in driving performance improvements, combined with the ability to mobilize and lead large organizations."
"We are confident he will deliver Nova's 2030 vision of becoming North America's leading sustainable polyethylene producer," Al Idrissi added.
Dweik will remain a member of Nova's board of directors and will return to his role as head of industrials and business services at Nova owner Mubadala Investment Co. of Abu Dhabi.
Last month, Nova announced a major ESG (environmental, social and governance) campaign, with plans to invest as much as $4 billion on sustainable and circular projects. By 2030, Nova plans to generate 30 percent of its PE sales from recycled content.
Nova is one of North America's largest PE resin makers. The firm employs almost 2,500 worldwide and has annual sales of $3.6 billion.