Avient Corporation announced that its Board of Directors has unanimously voted to elect Dr. Ashish Khandpur as President, effective December 1, 2023. In connection with this appointment, the Board has elected Richard H. Fearon, Lead Independent Director, as Non-Executive Chairman of the Board, also effective December 1, 2023. Robert M. Patterson will retire from his roles as President and resign from the Board.

He will remain with the Company through May 31, 2024 in an advisory capacity to help facilitate the leadership transition. Dr. Khandpur joins Avient after nearly three decades at 3M, where he began in R&D and technology roles, ultimately ascending to Chief Technology Officer. He has since led several different 3M businesses, most recently serving as Group President of 3M's Transportation and Electronics Business.

This business applies materials science expertise to commercialize products and solutions for a variety of market segments, including automotive, automotive electrification, semiconductors, LCD and OLED displays, consumer electronics, data centers, 5G networks, and transportation safety and generated approximately $8.9B in revenue in 2022. Dr. Khandpur began his career in 1995 at 3M as a senior research engineer, thereafter ascending through a career path of diverse research and engineering roles while based in the U.S. and India. In 2014, he was appointed Chief Technology Officer, leading 3M's global team of over 8,000 scientists and engineers, while overseeing annual R&D investments of nearly $1.9 billion.

In 2017, he was appointed to lead 3M's $5BElectronics & Energy Business Group, a position he held until 2019 when he was promoted Group President of the Transportation and Electronics Business Group. He holds a Bachelor's of Technology degree in Chemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi and a Ph.D in Chemical Engineering from the University of Minnesota. He serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Constellation Energy Corporation and on the Dean's Advisory Board for the College of Science and Engineering at the University of Minnesota.