NEW YORK, December 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

ICIS Chemical Business magazine has announced the ICIS Top 40 Power Players, a ranking of the senior executives making the greatest positive impact on their companies and the industry through capital investments, shifts in investment models, mergers and acquisitions, and innovation.

This year's ICIS Top 40 Power Players is sponsored by executive search firm CTPartners.

"The will and ability to pivot quickly to adjust to structural changes is a critical trait for today's CEOs and senior executives. Many of the ICIS Top 40 Power Players, the leading heads of global chemical businesses, are doing just that," said Joseph Chang, Global Editor of ICIS Chemical Business.

"The world is moving faster with the application of disruptive, though not necessarily new technologies - whether hydraulic fracturing or methanol-to-olefins (MTO) - underscoring the need for flexibility and the ability to shift quickly," he added.

Taking the top spot in 2014 is Jim Ratcliffe, chairman of Switzerland-based INEOS. In the #2 slot is Dow Chemical chairman and CEO Andrew Liveris, followed by Saudi Aramco CEO Khalid Al-Falih as #3 in the listing.

"During 2014, Ratcliffe showed his determination to ensure INEOS' European operations survive against a backdrop of high energy costs and restrictive regulations. INEOS became the first company in the region to plan for the import of US ethane as a way of grabbing some of the US shale feedstock advantage," said Will Beacham, Deputy Editor and European Bureau Chief of ICIS Chemical Business.

Ratcliffe also unveiled plans to invest $1bn in UK shale gas exploration and production in November 2014, he noted.

The ICIS Top 40 Power Players ranking is based on nominations and votes from the ICIS senior editorial staff globally.

Download the ICIS Top 40 Power Players on ICIS at http://www.icis.com/about/icistop40 (registration required).

About ICIS

ICIS Chemical Business is part of 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 more than 30 years' experience in providing pricing information, news, analysis and consulting to buyers, sellers and analysts.

With a global staff of more than 800, ICIS has employees based in Houston, Washington, New York, London, Montpellier, Dusseldorf, Karlsruhe, Milan, Mumbai, Singapore, Guangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai, Yantai, Tokyo, Perth. ICIS is a division of Reed Business Information, part of Reed Elsevier Plc.

Subscribe to ICIS Chemical Business at http://www.icis-subs.com.

About Reed Business Information

At Reed Business Information we provide information and online data services to business professionals worldwide.  Customers have access to our high-value industry data, analytics, information and tools. Our strong global brands hold market-leading positions across a wide range of industry sectors including banking, petrochemicals and aviation where we help customers make key strategic decisions every day.  RBI is part of Reed Elsevier, a leading global provider of data, information and solutions for professional customers.

CTPartners

CTPartners http://www.ctnet.com is a leading performance-driven executive search firm serving clients across the globe. Committed to a philosophy of partnering with its clients, CTPartners offers a proven record in C-Suite, senior executive, and board searches, as well as expertise serving private equity and venture capital firms. With origins dating back to 1980, CTPartners serves clients with a global organization of more than 500 professionals and employees, offering expertise in board advisory services and executive recruiting services in the financial services, life sciences, industrial, professional services, retail and consumer, and technology, media and telecom industries. Headquartered in New York, CTPartners has 44 offices in 24 countries.

For media inquiries, contact:

Joseph Chang
Global Editor
ICIS Chemical Business
T: +1-212-791-4224
joseph.chang@icis.com

CTPartners
Jennifer Silver
Vice President, Marketing & Communications
T: +1-617-316-5527
jsilver@ctnet.com

SOURCE ICIS