2024 CME STEM Leadership Awards™ – Ryerkerk, Ross, Garriott, Sagnières

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The event organizers cordially invite you to join the 2024 Leadership Awards Luncheon and Gala Reception of Chemical Marketing and Economics (CME) in New York. We will honor outstanding leaders, WL Ross & Co. Founder Wilbur Ross, The Explorers Club President Richard Garriott, Celanese Chairman and CEO Lori Ryerkerk, and former Essilor Luxottica Vice Chairman Hubert Sagnières. The Event Co-Chairs will be Air Products Chairman, President and CEO Seifi Ghasemi and Emmy Award-winning Born to Explore Host Richard Wiese. The Keynote Speaker will be NASA Associate Chief Scientist for Exploration & Applied Research: Mamta Nagaraja.

Celebrating the leaders of today and enabling those of tomorrow, this has been the hallmark of the Chemical Marketing & Economics, Inc. (CME), a forward-looking non-profit dedicated to accelerating diverse science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) talent and leadership for sustainable innovation in energy, materials and life sciences.

We invite you to buy a table and bring guests, donate a table to STEM students, or send a STEM contribution. Please send an email to contact@cme-stem.org

Wilbur L. Ross, Jr. – Lifetime Achievement

Having served from 2017 to 2021 as the 39th U.S. Secretary of Commerce, the Honorable Wilbur L. Ross, Jr. ensured entrepreneurs and business had a propitious environment for job creation and technological progress. As co-chair of the Workforce Development Initiative, he focused on STEM education and apprenticeships, vital elements for economic growth. One of the 50 most influential people in global finance, he has restructured $400 billion of assets in a wide range of industries and has been chairman or lead director of over 100 companies operating in over 20 countries. He was the Chairman and CEO of WL Ross & Co. LLC from 2000 to 2017 following a 24-year career at the New York office of Rothschild & Co. Secretary Ross is a proud U.S. Army veteran and a distinguished graduate of Xavier High School, Yale University and Harvard Business School. He and his wife Hilary have two daughters, Jessica and Amanda.

Lori J. Ryerkerk – Corporate Reinvention

With a career built on driving growth, safety, environmental and social performance for some of the most technically and commercially complex industrial operations around the world, Lori J. Ryerkerk now serves as the Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of Celanese Corporation, a Fortune 500 global chemical and specialty materials company based in Dallas, Texas. Celanese is a leader in the development and production of materials used in most major industrial and consumer applications. Previously, she was the Executive Vice President of Global Manufacturing of Shell Downstream Inc. where she led a team of 30,000 employees and contractors at refineries and chemical sites worldwide. Before she joined Shell, she worked at Hess Corporation and ExxonMobil, with her various roles taking her from the U.S. to Europe to Asia. Ryerkerk holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from Iowa State University. She is a board officer of the American Chemistry Council, serves on the board of directors of Eaton Corporation and previously served on the board of Axalta Coating Systems.

Richard Garriott – Advancing Extraordinary Exploration

Richard Garriott is the President of The Explorers Club. He is a founding father of the videogame industry and the commercial spaceflight industry, a flown astronaut, and the first explorer to have explored pole to pole, orbited the Earth, and reached the deepest point in the ocean. He built leading gaming companies including Origin Systems, authored the Ultima Series and coined the modern use of the term “avatar.” He cofounded Space Adventures, the first company to arrange space flights for private citizens and is the sixth private astronaut to live aboard the International Space Station. The son of a NASA astronaut, he became the first second-generation astronaut, served on NASA advisory Council, and has been a key leader in civilian and commercial space through institutions such as the Challenger Center for Science Education and the XPRIZE Foundation. Richard is an avid explorer, having traveled all 7 continents, orbited the Earth aboard the International Space Station, dived to the deepest point in our oceans, and most recently summited Kilimanjaro. He is author of the book “Explore/Create.”

Hubert Sagnières – Fostering Innovation

To eliminate poor vision worldwide by 2050, Hubert Sagnières founded the Essilor Vision Foundation in 2007 and has supported the Vision Impact Institute and the Eye Mitra program which trains primary vision care providers in underserved areas. He is the former Executive Vice-Chairman of EssilorLuxottica. Having a deep-rooted passion for innovation, his initiatives have fostered collaborations with research institutions and created an inspiring work environment, especially for women and young professionals, that resulted in over 100 patents per year, high growth and strong value creation. Born in Vienne, France, he is a French and Canadian executive named a Knight (Chevalier) of the Legion of Honour in 2012. Flying his own single engine aircraft, he embarked on a five-month expedition following his book Daring French Explorations: Trailblazing Adventures around the World: 1714-1854 (2023). He is an international advisory board member of the China Europe International Business School and EQT Private Equity Senior Advise

Chemical Marketing & Economics Honors Celanese Chairman, CEO and President Lori J. Ryerkerk with STEM Leadership Award

DALLAS and MORRISTOWN, N.J. – Celanese Corporation (NYSE: CE) and Chemical Marketing & Economics, Inc. (CME) today announced that Lori J. Ryerkerk, chairman, chief executive officer and president of Celanese, will be the recipient of the CME STEM Leadership Award™ for Corporate Reinvention. Mrs. Ryerkerk will be honored at a reception and gala event on December 10, 2024, in New York City.

Celanese is a global leader in chemistry, producing specialty material solutions used across most major industries and consumer applications. With net sales of $10.9 billion in 2023 and roots that date back over 100 years, the company’s approximately 12,400 employees harness chemistry, technology and commercial expertise to create value for its customers, employees and shareholders.

Chemical Marketing & Economics Honors Explorers Club President Richard Garriott with STEM Leadership Award for Advancing Extraordinary Exploration

NEW YORK and MORRISTOWN, N.J. – The Explorers Club (EC) and Chemical Marketing & Economics, Inc. (CME) today announced that Richard Garriott, President of the Explorers Club, will be the recipient of the CME STEM Leadership Award™ for Advancing Extraordinary Exploration. Mr. Garriott will be honored at a reception and gala event celebrating CME’s 70th Anniversary on December 10, 2024, in New York City. The Keynote Speaker will be NASA Associate Chief Scientist for Exploration and Applied Research Mamta Nagaraja.

Founded in 1904, The Explorers Club is a multidisciplinary, professional society dedicated to the advancement of field research, scientific exploration and resource conservation. Headquartered in New York City with a community of chapters and members around the world, EC has been supporting scientific expeditions of all disciplines, uniting members in the bonds of good fellowship. Among countless triumphs in human exploration, five firsts achieved by its members define the legacy of The Explorers Club: North Pole (1909), South Pole (1911), Everest (1953), Mariana Trench (1960); and the Moon (1969). The Explorers Club supports the scientific fieldwork of groundbreaking explorers around the globe. In 2023, its grantees came from 6 continents and 24 countries.

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