J.
Brian Ferguson
Eastman Chemical Company
Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer
J. Brian Ferguson is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of
Eastman Chemical Company. He became Chairman and CEO on January 1, 2002.
Born in Lubbock, Texas, Ferguson joined Eastman in 1977 after
graduating from Arizona State University with a bachelor's degree in Chemical
Engineering.
Prior to becoming Chairman and CEO, Ferguson was named President
of Eastman's Polymers Group in September 1999 and then President of Eastman’s
Chemicals Group in February 2001. Prior to those assignments, he was Managing
Director of Singapore-based Eastman Chemical Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., with
responsibility for all Eastman Chemical Company operations in the Asia Pacific
region. He also served two years in Hong Kong as Eastman's Managing Director
for Greater China.
Ferguson currently serves as a member of the American Chemistry Council Board of Directors, National Association of Manufacturers Board of Directors and East Tennessee State University Foundation and Board of Directors. He also serves on the Executive Committee of the Society of the Chemical Industry, U.S. Section and The Business Roundtable. In January of 2003, he was elected Chairman of the Board of the Federal Center for State Scholars.
Eastman Chemical Company
Eastman Chemical Company (NYSE:EMN) is a global company whose
products touch the lives of people around the world every day. Headquartered in
Kingsport, Tennessee, Eastman manufactures and markets more than 1,200
chemicals, fibers and plastics products.
While
Eastman's products are not household words, they are used in thousands of
consumer products. The company is the world's largest supplier of polyester
plastics for packaging; a leading supplier of coatings raw materials, specialty
chemicals and plastics; and a major supplier of cellulose acetate fibers and
basic chemicals. Eastman is one of the top 10 global suppliers of
custom-manufactured fine chemicals for pharmaceuticals, agricultural chemicals
and other markets.
Founded in 1920 to supply basic photographic chemicals for Eastman Kodak Company, Eastman Chemical Company became an independent publicly traded company in January 1994. The company has approximately 15,800 employees in more than 30 countries. Manufacturing sites are strategically located in 17 different countries to serve markets more efficiently. Sales revenue for 2001 was US $5.4 billion.