People to know

Thomas Black has joined Sun Chemical Corp.'s Colors Group as senior account representative in the group's North American sales force, with responsibility for sales in the business's New England territory. Black has more than 25 years of experience in the pigment industry, most recently as Technical Sales manager with Magruder-Radiant Color Co.

Rockwood Specialties Inc. has named Seifi Ghasemi chairman and CEO to fill a position that had been vacant since the businesses that comprise Rockwood were acquired from Laporte plc in November 2000. Ghasemi was formerly CEO of and a member of the board of directors of GKN's Powder Metallurgy business, and also has held key executive positions with The BOC Group Inc., a global chemical company based in London. Rockwood Specialties Inc. is a major specialty chemical company comprised of the former pigments, additives, plastics-compounding, water-technology, timber-treatment, and electronics operations of Laporte plc. The businesses were acquired by senior Laporte management and the private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR).

Atlas Electric Devices Co. has named Larry W. Masters president and CEO. Masters was formerly president of Atlas Weathering Services Group, which includes South Florida Test Service and DSET Laboratories in the United States and AMTT Laboratories in The Netherlands.

Seegott Inc. has named Gregg Peckham director of Operations and Mark Leverone National Sales manager. Peckham has held a variety of sales and management positions with chemical-distribution companies, most recently as vice president of Operations for Archway Sales Inc., St. Louis. He previously was Regional Sales manager and Operations director for Walsh & Associates Inc., also of St. Louis. Leverone, formerly president of chemical-distribution company C.L. Zimmerman Co. of Cincinnati, succeeds the retiring Tom McLaughlin. Leverone previously held various sales and business-development positions with C.L. Zimmerman over a 27-year period.

Elementis Specialties has named Tamara L. Toth southeastern sales representative, based in Atlanta. She was formerly a sales representative with Millennium Chemicals. The company also named Nancy J. Adams Customer Service representative.

ICI plc announced that Lord Alex Trotman has been named non-executive chairman of the board, effective Jan. 1, 2002. He will succeed Charles Miller Smith, who recently announced plans to retire. Trotman was formerly Chairman and CEO of Ford Motor Co. and is a current member of the ICI board.

Northwest Coatings Corp. has named Charles "Chuck" Wasserman Water Base Technical manager and Kristen Goug¿V/EB chemist. Wasserman has 25 years of experience in the adhesives industry, including waterborne and UV/EB-cure technologies, the company said. Goug¿oined Northwest Coatings in 1998 as a technician with the company's technical development team. Northwest Coatings, Oak Creek, WI, is a manufacturer of UV/EB-cure and waterborne coatings and adhesives.

The Dow Chemical Co.'s Water Soluble Polymers Business has named Mark Whiteman Marketing manager in the United States and Canada for the company's Cellosize hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC). Whiteman has 16 years of experience in various capacities, including manufacturing, distribution, supply-chain management, customer service, field sales and finance.