Speakers

Guillermo Novo joined Ashland’s Board of Directors in May 2019 and he became Chief Executive Officer of Ashland December 31, 2019. Previously he was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Versum Materials and a member of its Board of Directors. 

Novo also served as Executive Vice President, Materials Technologies of Air Products. He joined Air Products in 2012 as Senior Vice President Electronics, Performance Materials, Strategy and Technology. Prior to Air Products, he was employed by Dow Chemical Company where he most recently served as group vice president, Dow Coating Materials. 

Novo began his career in 1986 with Rohm and Haas Company (which merged with Dow in 2009) and over the next 24 years progressed through a variety of commercial, marketing, and general management positions, living in South America, the U.S. and Asia. In 1998, he was named a vice president at Rohm and Haas, and in 2006 he became a corporate officer and one of five group executives on the corporate leadership team. 

He holds an industrial engineering degree from the University of Central Florida and an MBA from the University of Michigan. Novo also serves on the advisory board for the College of Engineering & Computer Science at the University of Central Florida.

Mr. Willis, was elected senior vice president and chief financial officer of Ashland  in 2013. He oversees Ashland's worldwide financial functions and processes, including financial accounting and reporting, treasury and finance, insurance, business development, planning and analysis, investor relations, tax and internal audit activities. A member of Ashland's Executive Committee, he shares overall responsibility for setting Ashland's global strategy, managing capital, and upholding Ashland's operating principles.
  
Willis joined Ashland in 1987 as an associate auditor in the internal audit department. He served in various management positions of increasing responsibility, including leading teams on major projects in the business services, information technology, accounting and finance areas. Spending nearly three years in The Netherlands, he helped lead Ashland's effort to standardize processes and implement accounting and other administrative shared services across European operations. 

In 2004, Willis was designated general auditor. Later in 2007, he was appointed vice president and treasurer of Ashland. Since Ashland's acquisition of International Specialty Products (ISP) in August 2011, Willis served as Ashland's vice president of finance, and controller for Ashland Specialty Ingredients, Ashland's largest and fastest-growing commercial unit. He was responsible for the day-to-day management of the financial organization and processes within Specialty Ingredients and served on the leadership team. 

A native of Richmond, Ky., Kevin earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Eastern Kentucky University and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Dago Caceres is vice president and general manager, Specialty Additives, Ashland, a position he has held since April 2024. 

Prior to joining Ashland, Dago served as global strategy director, IFF Pharma Solutions, from February 2021 to April 2024. He served as global strategic marketing leader, DuPont from August 2019 to February 2021. He has also held a variety of leadership positions and has extensive experience working with chemical and science-driven companies, including Dow Chemical, FMC BioPolymer, and Rohm and Hass. 

Dago holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the National University of Colombia and a Master of Business Administration in International Business and Marketing from the Moore Schools of Business at the University of South Carolina.

Alessandra Faccin Assis is the Senior Vice President and General Manager, Life Sciences and Intermediates, Ashland. 

Alessandra is a dynamic and results-oriented business leader with a strong track record accelerating growth, driving execution discipline and emerging markets growth, and building high-performing teams. She has extensive multi-cultural experience and has lived and worked in the United States, Singapore and Brazil. 

Prior to Ashland, Alessandra served as president, Asia Pacific at Sealed Air Corporation, where she previously served as vice president for their North America protective packaging business, corporate treasurer and led corporate financial planning and analysis. Her prior leadership experience includes positions at Dow Chemical and Rohm and Haas. 

Alessandra earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Fundação Getúlio Vargas in Brazil, and an Executive Master of Business Administration from Universidade de São Paulo in Brazil. She is fluent in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

Jim Minicucci is the Senior Vice President and General Manager, Personal Care, Ashland. 

Jim is an accomplished global business leader with demonstrated success for delivering both top and bottom-line results. He has a proven track record of leading organizations including sales, marketing, operations and technology. His commercial and operational acumen extends beyond running businesses and incudes an extensive background in developing and implementing corporate and business unit strategies as well as mergers and acquisitions (M&A). He has significant international experience and lived in Asia for nearly a decade (Taiwan and South Korea). 

Prior to Ashland, Jim served as the senior vice president, global specialty gases at MERCK KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. Prior to that he led businesses at Versum Materials as well as corporate strategy and M&A at Air Products. Jim was a leader in the chemicals and industrial practice at Marakon Associates, (A Charles River Associates Co.). Early in his career, he worked with Rohm and Haas and The Gillette Company. 

Jim is a graduate of Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts with a Bachelor of Science, and a Master of Science degree in Chemical Engineering.

William Whitaker is vice president of finance and director of investor relations, a position he has held since January 2024. In this role, he leads the development and execution of Ashland’s investor relations strategy. 

William joined Ashland in 2015 and has held several positions of increasing responsibility in corporate development, treasury and financial planning & analysis (FP&A). He most recently served as Ashland’s treasurer. Prior to joining Ashland, William held various roles within venture capital and transaction advisory services. He earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from The Ohio State University and is a CFA Charterholder.