Avient Corporation, a leading provider of specialized and sustainable material solutions, announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Mike Frank as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Mr. Frank, who has served as CEO of UPL Corporation (“UPL”) since 2022, succeeds Dr. Ashish K. Khandpur, who has stepped down from his role and will remain in an advisory capacity through December 31, 2026 to help facilitate a seamless transition. In connection with this appointment, the Board has elected Richard H. Fearon, Lead Independent Director, as Non-Executive Chairman of the Board.
Mr. Frank has a track record of commercializing new technology and driving revenue growth and profitability across a range of executive leadership roles. As CEO of UPL, a leading global agricultural chemical and solutions company operating in more than 130 countries, Mr. Frank transformed operations, setting new standards of efficiency. He delivered resilient growth through a sustained focus on innovation, expanding the product pipeline and overseeing the successful launch of new products. He also spent 25 years at Monsanto in a range of senior leadership roles, including most recently as global Chief Commercial Officer, followed by several years as CEO of Nutrien Ag Solutions, where he led a major transformational initiative.
“Mike is an exceptional executive with a record of accomplishment in agricultural chemicals,” said Richard H. Fearon. “Having led numerous complex global organizations, he brings deep expertise across every critical functional discipline-from global supply chain and commercial strategy to technology commercialization. He also brings to Avient a broad global perspective, having lived in Canada, Europe, China, and the U.S. and worked extensively around the world. His unique combination of executive leadership, operational discipline, and commercial expertise will help accelerate market adoption of Avient’s deep product pipeline and drive continued margin expansion across our specialty portfolio. The Board is confident that Mike’s leadership and focus on execution will position Avient well as we continue to build momentum and deliver on our objectives.”
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“I am honored to take on the role of CEO at Avient,” said Mr. Frank. “I look forward to building on the strong foundation already in place, distinguished by Avient’s innovative technologies, talented team and loyal customers. My priority will be to partner with the Board and management team to sharpen execution and drive performance, while advancing Avient’s mission of innovating materials solutions that help our customers succeed and enable a more sustainable world.”
Mr. Fearon added, “On behalf of the Board and management team, I would like to thank Ashish for all of his valuable contributions to Avient over the years. He repositioned the company with a new strategic plan, recruited significant talent to our team, has significantly upgraded the Company’s research and development activities, and delivered consistent financial results. We are also grateful for his agreement to remain in an advisory consulting role through the end of the year to ensure a seamless transition. We wish him the very best in the future.”
In connection with this announcement, the Company is also reaffirming its full year and third quarter 2026 financial guidance previously provided on August 6, 2026. In addition, as previously announced, the Company intends to release its third quarter 2026 earnings before the market opens on Wednesday, November 4, 2026. The Company will then host a webcast with a slide presentation at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, November 4, 2026.
