WOODRIDGE, IL – Elevance Renewable Sciences Inc. announced that Karl Schoene will succeed Tony Parnell as the company’s Chief Executive Officer. Parnell will transition to Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors. Both executive appointments were effective May 1, 2017.

“Karl is the right person to take Elevance to even greater success,” said Parnell. “He’s a proven leader with a history of producing strong results and developing effective teams along the way. As a former CEO for two other high-growth companies and with more than 25 years in the specialty chemical industry and related fields, he’s the right CEO for Elevance at this time in our development.”

Schoene has served as President and Chief Technology Officer of Elevance since August 2016. He has been instrumental in unifying the technical and business development activities across the company.

Prior to joining Elevance, Schoene was President and CEO of Accutest Laboratories, a network of labs and service centers across the United States. In that role, he led nearly 700 employees through a major performance turnaround and M&A process, culminating in a sale to SGS, where he continued to lead the acquired business through a successful post-M&A integration. Previously, he served as CEO of InEnTec, and prior to that, held several positions at AkzoNobel, Crompton/Witco, Amoco, Albemarle and Ethyl Corp. He has also served in board-level and advisory roles to several start-ups in diverse industries, including specialty chemicals, pharma and medical devices.

In his new role as Executive Chairman, Parnell will support Schoene’s efforts, ensuring continuity of vision, strategy and relationships, and assisting with corporate visibility. Parnell has been with Elevance as CEO since 2015. Parnell previously served as a corporate officer and in multiple executive positions at Albemarle Corp., a specialty chemicals company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.