Sealed Air’s CEO of less than a year, Patrick Kivits, has departed the company, per an announcement Friday. It’s the latest development in a cascade of leadership changes over the past 16 months.
Kivits stepped down as CEO and board member effective immediately. Kivits was in the role for a little over seven months, having joined Sealed Air from WestRock in July.
President Dustin Semach, who formerly served as co-CEO and most recently as CFO, was appointed to serve as CEO. “As we look to Sealed Air’s future, the Board is confident in Dustin’s ability to work with the new segment Presidents, each possessing extensive packaging and commercial expertise,” said board chair Henry Keizer in a statement.
The company is now searching for a new CFO; former Chief Accounting Officer Veronika “Roni” Johnson is serving as interim CFO.
Sealed Air’s CEO appointments in the past 3 years
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Aug. 31, 2022: Doheny’s term extendedSealed Air’s board announces it’s extending the contract of Ted Doheny by five years through 2027. Doheny began as CEO in 2018.
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Oct. 23, 2023: Doheny out, Semach and Chammas in
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June 13, 2024: Kivits inSealed Air announces that after an extensive search process, Patrick Kivits – most recently the president of corrugated packaging at WestRock – would serve as CEO effective July 1. Chammas would continue as COO and Semach would continue as CFO, in addition to being elevated to president.
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Feb. 14, 2025: Kivits out, Semach inSealed Air announces that the board and Kivits have mutually agreed to transition Sealed Air’s leadership, with Kivits stepping down from the board and as CEO. In addition to his president role, Semach was appointed CEO. This also kicked off a search for a permanent CFO replacement.
In the Friday announcement, Sealed Air thanked Kivits for his role in reorganizing the company into two packaging verticals: food and protective.
During the company’s most recent earnings call in November, Kivits said that structure was an important step, given each vertical’s distinct end markets, customer bases, innovation needs and manufacturing assets. “We are returning to our core value proposition as a company, combining industry-leading material science, best-in-class services and differentiated automation offering to deliver world class packaging solutions,” he said.
Sealed Air plans to report 2024 earnings results on Feb. 25.
