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© History Oasis
1897-1930
Herbert Dow founded Dow Chemical after two failed companies. He’s best known for developing an electrochemical technique to extract bromine from brine. Dow built his company from scratch, starting with a one-product startup that would eventually become a diversified chemical manufacturer. He was obsessed with research and innovation, earning over 90 patents in his lifetime.
1930-1949
Willard Dow led Dow Chemical through the Great Depression and World War II. He doubled down on R&D during economic downturns, particularly petrochemicals and plastics. Willard Dow built the first seawater magnesium extraction plant in Texas and grew company revenue sevenfold. He was a major supplier to the war effort and sadly died in an airplane crash while traveling to meet Winston Churchill.
1949-1962
Leland Doan transitioned Dow from an industrial supplier to a consumer product powerhouse. He launched household products and expanded into plastics during the postwar construction boom. Doan doubled employment from 14,000 to 31,000 and increased sales from $200 million to $890 million.
1962-1971
Ted became CEO at 40 and was the last family member to lead Dow. Ted is most known for his unique management style, which he called the "troika" system with decentralized authority. He expanded aggressively into Europe, Latin America, and Asia, especially in Europe, where he built major chemical complexes in the Netherlands. He later faced controversy over napalm production during the Vietnam War, which killed many civilians in a ball of flames.
1971-1976
Ben Branch continued growing Dow Chemical internationally. Branch led the company through the oil embargo period, which actually benefited Dow due to its petroleum feedstock supplies. Company sales hit $2 billion during his tenure.
1976-1978
Carl Gerstacker was crazy about debt, saying: "you should have as much debt as you can carry." He used borrowed money for research and plant expansion during economic downturns. But Gerstacker’s high-debt approach became problematic in the late 1970s economic climate, leading to his retirement.
1979-1987
Nicknamed "the little old lady in tennis shoes" for his conservative fiscal approach, Paul Oreffice implemented a major reorganization to control debt and improve efficiency. He shifted corporate strategy toward higher-value specialty products. But Oreffice faced declining profits during the 1980-1982 recession, with earnings falling from $805 million to $58 million by 1985.
1987-1995
Frank Popoff rose through the ranks in European operations to rescue Dow Chemical, which was struggling. He made Dow an early supporter of the "Responsible Care" initiative and focused on value-added products and new market applications, particularly in the automotive industry. His approach brought Dow back to profitability.
1995-2000
William Stavropoulos led a massive global reorganization of the entire organization. He pledged $1 billion toward environmental and safety goals. He built the first global intranet system for all employees. He divested non-core businesses like consumer products while investing $18 billion in strategic acquisitions. When Stavropoulos left Dow, the company was in its strongest position ever.
2000-2002
Michael Parker had a brief and unsuccessful tenure. Many described him as too "patient" by company insiders. Under Parker’s leadership, Dow experienced eight consecutive quarters of disappointing results. The board swiftly removed him to bring Stavropoulos back.
2002-2004
Stavropoulos returned from retirement to lead a turnaround. He implemented an aggressive cost-cutting and restructuring plan and restored the company to profitability with record sales in 2003. By 2004, the company had reached a record-breaking $4 billion in sales.
2004-2018
Andrew Liveris is the longest-serving CEO in Dow Chemical’s history. He led the company's transformation from commodity chemicals to a science-driven innovation company. He completed major acquisitions, including Rohm and Haas ($15 billion) and a Sadara joint venture with Saudi Aramco. Liveris’s biggest move was orchestrating a historic merger with DuPont, one of the largest deals in the chemical industry's history.
2018-Present
Jim Fitterling led Dow's separation from DowDuPont into an independent company. During his tenure, he focused on materials science and specialty chemicals. He successfully navigated the company through the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain disruptions. Today, Jim continues his emphasis on sustainability and innovation while maintaining a focus on profitable growth in core markets.
