Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 5th March 2026 Issue no. 1200
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Stepan appoints new VP and CFO
Surfactant specialist Stepan Company has appointed Ruben Velasquez as vice president and chief financial officer. Ruben will succeed Samuel Hinrichsen who is currently serving as vice president and interim chief financial officer and who will continue in his role as vice president of finance.
Ruben most recently served as vice president global finance transformation at 3M Company.
Prior to that, he held several senior finance roles at 3M, including vice president global finance and cfo manufacturing & supply chain operations, and vice president global finance and cfo consumer business, as well as serving as the finance director and country CFO at 3M Russia and 3M Colombia.
He began his finance career at Ecopetrol in Colombia where he held senior finance leadership roles including finance director corporate FP&A and treasury, and interim vice president and corporate chief financial officer. He holds an MBA from Northwestern University and a BS in Industrial Engineering from Universidad de Los Andes.
"Ruben brings over two decades of global finance leadership experience across diverse industries, including industrial conglomerates and the oil and gas industry," says Luis E. Rojo, president and chief executive officer of Stepan. "We are excited to add Ruben's leadership and financial expertise to the team. We also thank Sam for all of his contributions while serving as interim chief financial officer."
Stepan Company’s speciality and intermediate chemicals are used in a broad range of industries. A leading merchant producer of surfactants - key ingredients in consumer and industrial cleaning and disinfection products and in agricultural and oilfield solutions, Stepan is also a leading supplier of polyurethane polyols used in the expanding thermal insulation market, and CASE (Coatings, Adhesives, Sealants, and Elastomers) industries.
Headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois, the US, Stepan utilises a network of modern production facilities located in North and South America, Europe and Asia.
10th July 2025