REDMOND, WA – Univar Inc., a global chemical distributor, announced that Mark Byrne will be appointed as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Univar. The appointment is pending the successful acquisition of Basic Chemical Solutions, L.L.C. (BCS) by Univar, which is expected to close in the first quarter of 2011.

In this new role, Byrne will be responsible for managing Univar’s global business units as well as the integration of Univar and BCS. He will report to John Zillmer, President and Chief Executive Officer of Univar.

Byrne has been the President and Chief Executive Officer of Basic Chemical Solutions since he co-founded the company in 1995. Under Byrne’s leadership, BCS has grown to become a company with global operations and nearly $900 million in 2009 sales revenue.