LONDON, April 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Welcomes Roland Berger Strategy Consultants as overall sponsor

ICIS (http://www.icis.com ), the trusted information provider for the global chemical and energy industries, today calls for entries for its 10^th annual ICIS Innovation Awards (http://www.icis.com/awards ), designed to recognise outstanding technological and business innovation in the chemical industry.

ICIS is pleased to welcome international management consultancy Roland Berger Strategy Consultants (http://www.rolandberger.com) as overall sponsor of the Awards. Roland Berger will also continue as sponsor of the Best Product Innovation category this year.

Neil Checker, a partner at Roland Berger and also a member of the Awards judging panel, comments that: "We are honoured and delighted to have the opportunity to take on the role of overall sponsor of this prestigious award programme, following on from our support in previous years as Best Product Innovation sponsor.

"Together with our fellow sponsors we look forward with excitement to reviewing the submissions this year and honouring the winners."

U.S Chemicals (http://www.uschemicals.com) is again sponsoring the Innovation with Best Environmental Benefit category. And this year ICIS welcomes for the first time Italy's Versalis (http://www.eni.com/brand_eni/en/marchio/versalis/case_history.shtml) and US-based distributor Nexeo Solutions (http://www.nexeosolutions.com) as new sponsors, for the Best Innovation for Sustainability and the Best Business Innovation categories, respectively.

The awards enable companies to celebrate their success in the vital activity of innovation and the increasingly important areas of sustainability and environmental performance.

There are five categories to enter:

• Best Product Innovation - sponsored by Roland Berger
• Best Innovation by a Small or Medium-sized Enterprise (SME)
• Best Business Innovation- sponsored by Nexeo Solutions
• Best Innovation for Sustainability - sponsored by Versalis
• Innovation with the Best Environmental Benefit - sponsored by U.S. Chemicals

John Baker, global editor at ICIS and organiser of the Awards, notes that: "We are delighted to be celebrating the 10^th anniversary of the Awards this year. They continue to grow and gain industry support. We once again look forward to highlighting the very best of innovation in the chemical industry later in the year.

"There is tremendous effort and investment going into innovation in the chemical sector today, as companies seek answers to many of society's global problems and seek to ensure their long-term sustainability."

The Awards are open to entry from today, with a deadline for entries of 3 July 2013. The winners will be announced on 21 October 2013.

For more information or to enter the awards, visit http://www.icis.com/awards or call John Baker on +44-20-8652-3153.

Notes to Editors:

About ICIS

ICIS is the world's largest petrochemical market information provider, and has fast-growing energy and fertilizer divisions. Our aim is to give companies in global commodities markets a competitive advantage by delivering trusted pricing data, high-value news, analysis and independent consulting, enabling our customers to make better-informed trading and planning decisions. We have over 30 years' experience of providing pricing information, news, analysis and consultancy to buyers, sellers and analysts.

About Roland Berger Strategy Consultants

Roland Berger is one of the world's leading strategy consultants, founded in 1967, with 2,700 employees working in over 50 offices in all major international markets. The strategy consultancy is an independent partnership exclusively owned by about 250 partners.

The firm advises leading corporations, non-profit organisations and public institutions on management issues ranging from strategy development to performance improvement. Roland Berger's business is organised into global functional and industry competence centres. Its practice areas include corporate and business unit strategy, marketing and sales, innovation strategy and management , operations strategy, restructuring and corporate finance and M&A advisory.

Industry specialties include energy and chemicals, automotive, consumer goods ,retail, engineered products and high-tech, financial services, information communications, pharmaceuticals and health care, public services and transportation.

About U.S. Chemicals LLC

U.S. Chemicals, LLC, is a 50-year-old worldwide specialty chemical distributor serving the textiles, paint, flame retardants, plastic, cosmetic, personal care, food and pharmaceutical industries. A woman-owned business based in Darien, Connecticut, US, U.S. Chemicals actively supports environmentally responsible manufacturers and distributors of chemical products and services.

About Nexeo Solutions

Nexeo Solutions is the largest global chemical distributor with a centralised business model. The company provides broad logistics capabilities, in-depth market knowledge and dedicated technical expertise. As a private company employing more than 2,300 employees with operations across North America, Europe and Asia, Nexeo Solutions is a leading distributor of chemicals, plastics, composites and environmental services.

Learn more at http://www.nexeosolutions.com.

For further information contact:

John Baker
Global editor, ICIS
Tel: + 44-20-8652-3153
Email: john.baker@icis.com
Web site: http://www.icis.com

Neil Checker
Partner, Roland Berger
Tel: +49-211-4389-2237
Email: neil.checker@rolandberger.com
Web site: http://www.rolandberger.com

Carol Piccaro
U.S. Chemicals LLC
Tel: +1-203-655-8878
Email: cpiccaro@uschemicals.com
Web site:  http://www.uschemicals.com

Kristen Allen
Senior communications specialist, Nexeo Solutions
Tel: +1-281-297-0070
Email: kristen_allen@nexeosolutions.com
Website: http://www.nexeosolutions.com

SOURCE ICIS