"We are very pleased to announce that Mark will assume a significant new leadership role in the combined company post-acquisition,” said Zillmer. “Mark’s leadership, industry experience and relationships with customers and suppliers will provide tremendous value for the combined company. Having Mark lead the integration effort will enable us to maintain the continuity of the BCS operations and ensure continued high performance.”

 “Univar and BCS bring together a number of complementary strengths, with a number of opportunities to share best-practices, drive strategic initiatives and improve operating performance,” said Byrne. “I am very excited about joining the Univar executive leadership team. Together, we can deliver synergies that will bring value to our customers and suppliers worldwide and provide growth opportunities for our employees.”

Byrne has been the president and chief executive officer of Basic Chemical Solutions since he co-founded the company in 1995. Under Byrne’s leadership, BCS has grown to become a company with global operations and nearly $900 million in 2009 sales revenue. Prior to co-founding BCS, Byrne began his career in 1980 at AlliedSignal (now Honeywell) where he held roles in several functional areas, culminating as president of AlliedSignal’s Fluorine Products Division. Byrne holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics and Finance and Masters in Business Administration from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

From the November 1, 2010, Prepared Foods E-dition