Ilham Kadri

Kadri has made quick work of overhauling the 157-year old Belgian chemicals company she took over last March. After completing Solvay’s largest-ever listening exercise on record—involving some 24,000 employees in more than 60 countries—she has reoriented the $12.6 billion business around purpose, prioritizing sustainable and circular products. The French-Moroccan CEO is also focused on diversity and inclusion initiatives and recently announced a 16-week parental leave policy for employees. She’s also bettered Solvay’s finances through much-praised cost-control efforts. Though COVID-19 hit the company hard—leading to plant shutdowns, furloughs, and reduced demand from aerospace and oil and gas customers—Solvay has also been involved in the pandemic response, manufacturing antibacterial gels and materials that go in everything from diagnostics to PPE.

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