John E. Panichella

John Panichella was named chief executive officer of Solenis in August 2014. Prior to Solenis, Panichella served as president of Ashland Water Technologies and senior vice president of Ashland Inc. He previously held the role of president of Ashland Specialty Ingredients as well as group operating officer.

Panichella joined Ashland in 2008 as vice president of Ashland and president of Ashland Aqualon Functional Ingredients before becoming president of Ashland Specialty Ingredients. Under Panichella's leadership, the Specialty Ingredients business enhanced core technologies with new product investments, added adjacent technologies, developed infrastructure to support growth in emerging markets and reduced costs in manufacturing operations.

Panichella’s career includes significant leadership experience in the global water industry. He spent 25 years with General Electric (GE) and BetzDearborn, where he served in numerous management positions in business development, operations management, sales and marketing, and strategic development. His last position at GE Water and Process Technologies was vice president and general manager of the Americas business. Before joining GE, he served as vice president of the Global Hydrocarbon Processing unit of BetzDearborn.

A native of Pittsburgh, Panichella holds a master of business administration from the University of Phoenix and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh. He is a member of the board of directors for the American Chemistry Council, the European Chemical Industry Council and the United Way of Delaware.