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LyondellBasell names insider as CEO

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Bhavesh V. ?Bob? Patel, who leads LyondellBasell's international manufacturing business, will become CEO on Jan. 12, 2015, the company said Dec. 18, 2014. He succeeds James Gallogly, who announced his plans to retire in September 2014. Â www.gerryhurkmans.nl
Bhavesh V. ?Bob? Patel, who leads LyondellBasell's international manufacturing business, will become CEO on Jan. 12, 2015, the company said Dec. 18, 2014. He succeeds James Gallogly, who announced his plans to retire in September 2014. Â www.gerryhurkmans.nlLyondellBasell

Chemical company LyondellBasell Industries tapped Bhavesh "Bob" Patel, who leads its international manufacturing business, to serve as its CEO, the company said Thursday.

Patel takes the reins of the company from James Gallogly effective Jan. 12. Gallogly announced in September his plans to retire.

"After a rigorous selection process, we chose Bob Patel based on his proven leadership, his outstanding track record, and his numerous contributions to the success of LyondellBasell," said Robert Gwin, chairman of the company's supervisory board, in a statement.

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Since October 2013, Patel has served as executive vice president for olefins and polyolefins in Europe, Asia and International and technology. In that role, he is responsible for the company's manufacturing operations outside of the Americas, the company said.

Patel has worked at LyondellBasell since March 2010. Previously, he was at Chevron and Chevron Phillips Chemical Co.

"Moving forward, we will build upon the strong foundation Jim has established," Patel said in a statement. "I truly believe our greatest achievements are yet to come and I look forward to the next exciting chapter in Lyondell-Basell's future."

Gallogly joined LyondellBasell in 2009, just a few months after the business declared bankruptcy following the mega merger of the Houston- and Netherlands-based companies that preceded it.

Ryan Holeywell is senior editor at Rice University's Kinder Institute for Urban Research.

Previously, he covered energy for the Houston Chronicle. Before that, he wrote about transportation and municipal finance for Governing magazine, which is read by state and local government officials nationwide. Holeywell’s previous work has been published by the Washington Post and USA Today, and he has appeared on CNN and public radio to discuss his articles. Holeywell, a Houston native, graduated from George Washington University in Washington, D.C.