WILMINGTON, DE – DuPont has named Ellen J. Kullman President and a Director of the company effective Oct. 1 and Chief Executive Officer effective Jan. 1, 2009. Charles O. Holliday, Jr. Chairman and CEO, will serve as Chairman of DuPont and as a member of the board until Kullman’s expected succession as Chairman.

 

Kullman is the 19th executive to lead the company in DuPont’s 206-year history. Since June 2006, she has served as an Executive Vice President and a member of the company’s office of the chief executive, with responsibility for four of DuPont’s five business segments and its Marketing & Sales and Environmental Sustainability functions. From February 2002 to June 2006 as Group Vice President of the then-newly formed DuPont Safety & Protection segment, Kullman led revenue growth from $3.5 billion to $5.5 billion. She joined the company in 1988 from General Electric.

 

"Ellen’s strong track record, market focus and leadership skills were the basis for the board’s decision that she is the right person to lead our exceptionally talented management team and 60,000-strong global work force into DuPont’s bright future,” Holliday said.

 

“Ellen built what has become our highest-earning business segment, Safety & Protection, by assuring that we harnessed the power of our science to meet customer needs. She has thrived in DuPont’s transformation to a market-driven science company, she has been an important force in linking our science to our customers’ needs, and she has been instrumental to our strong emerging markets expansion,” added Holliday.