Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (“CD&R” or the “Firm”) today announced the appointment of Howard Ungerleider as an Operating Advisor to CD&R funds. Mr. Ungerleider will work closely with CD&R’s industrials team on new investment opportunities and support the management teams of its relevant portfolio companies.
Mr. Ungerleider brings with him over 30 years of experience working in the chemical, packaging and specialty materials industries, having held a number of senior management positions, most notably as President and Chief Financial Officer of Dow, where he served as a member of Dow’s senior executive committee that sets the strategic direction, establishes corporate policy and manages governance and enterprise-level decisions for the business. From September 2017 until April 2019, Mr. Ungerleider also served as Chief Financial Officer of DowDuPont, an $86 billion holding company comprising The Dow Chemical Company and DuPont, created with the intent to subsequently form three independent, publicly traded companies in materials science, agriculture and specialty products sectors.
“We are delighted to welcome Howard as an Operating Advisor to CD&R funds, where we believe his strategic thinking and operational impact will add value to our investing and portfolio companies,” said CD&R CEO Nate Sleeper. “We believe Howard’s impressive breadth of experience combined with his proven operational abilities will be valuable as we continue to identify and explore new investment opportunities.”
“I look forward to working with CD&R to support their investment efforts and portfolio companies,” said Mr. Ungerleider. “As a leading investor for over 45 years, I believe CD&R has the deep experience, expertise and resources to help businesses grow and operate more effectively. I am excited to engage with management teams to drive strong results and accelerate growth and innovation.”
Mr. Ungerleider joined Dow in 1990 and his career spanned business and enterprise-level leadership roles globally. In 1997, he managed several of Dow's specialty polyolefin brands from Dow's European headquarters in Switzerland. In 2000, Mr. Ungerleider was named Business Director for Dow's global Wire and Cable Compounds business, and in 2004, became the Global Director of Integrated Supply Chain for Plastics, Performance Chemicals and Thermosets. In 2006, he was appointed North American Commercial Vice President for Dow's $6 billion Basic Plastics business portfolio. From 2008 to 2011, Mr. Ungerleider served as Vice President of Investor Relations, where he was responsible for creating and executing an investor outreach program sharing Dow's strategic transformation and performance during the global economic crisis.
He was named President for Dow’s Performance Plastics Division in 2011. In 2012, he was named Executive Vice President of Dow’s Advanced Materials Division and joined Dow’s senior-most executive team. Under Mr. Ungerleider’s leadership, the Advanced Materials businesses grew to more than $11 billion in sales across more than 130 countries. He was elected as Chief Financial Officer by Dow’s Board of Directors in 2014; was named Vice Chairman in 2015; and President in 2018.
Mr. Ungerleider is former chairman of the Dow Company Foundation and holds board positions with Kyndryl (NYSE: KD), the Michigan Baseball Foundation and The Rollin M. Gerstacker Foundation. He is immediate past chair of the board of the Business Leaders for Michigan business roundtable, the Michigan Climate Executive Advisory Group and the Michigan Sustainability Leadership Council.
Mr. Ungerleider earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas in Austin and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of California in Los Angeles.
About Clayton, Dubilier & Rice
Founded in 1978, CD&R is a leading private investment firm with a strategy of generating strong investment returns by building more robust and sustainable businesses through the combination of skilled investment experience and deep operating capabilities. In partnership with the management teams of its portfolio companies, CD&R takes a long-term view of value creation and emphasizes positive stewardship and impact. The firm invests in businesses that span a broad range of industries, including industrial, healthcare, consumer, technology and financial services end markets. CD&R is privately owned by its partners and has offices in New York and London. For more information, please visit www.cdr-inc.com and follow the firm’s activities through LinkedIn and @CDRBuilds on X/Twitter.