Jim Fitterling is Chair and Chief Executive Officer for Dow, a global materials science company with approximately $45 billion in annual sales. He became CEO in July 2018 and was elected Board Chair in April 2020. Previously, he served as Chief Operating Officer for the Materials Science Division of DowDuPont, an $86 billion holding company.

Fitterling has played a key role in Dow’s transformation from a lower-margin, commodity company to one deeply focused on higher-growth markets that value innovation – with the ambition to be most innovative, customer-centric, inclusive, and sustainable materials science company in the world.

He joined Dow in 1984 and over his career, Fitterling spent more than 10 years in leadership roles across Asia and served in a variety of sales, marketing, supply chain, corporate development, and business operations positions across Dow.

At his direction, Dow became a founding member of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW) to drive innovation, increase much-needed resources, and take decisive actions to put an end to plastic waste in the environment. Additionally, he served as the business lead in Dow’s launch of its next-generation sustainability goals and drove the introduction of its accelerated plastics circularity and climate and carbon reduction targets.

A passionate advocate for inclusion and diversity, Fitterling leads Dow’s drive to diversify its global talent. He actively serves as Executive Sponsor of Dow’s Global African Affinity Network and is widely recognized for his work supporting LGBTQ+ non-discrimination and equality.

Fitterling is Chair of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Manufacturers; sits on the Board of Directors for 3M and is the immediate past Chair of the Board for The American Chemistry Council. He serves on the Board of Directors for Catalyst, the U.S.-China Business Council, Business Roundtable, and the Detroit Economic Club.