Dow CEO to Step Down, Announces New Leader

The Dow Chemical Company announced that CEO Jim Fitterling will become executive chair effective July 1, 2026, with COO Karen Carter appointed chief executive officer and joining the board at that time.

According to the announcement, the leadership transition follows a multi-year succession planning process aimed at maintaining continuity as it executes its strategy as a materials science company.

Fitterling has served as CEO since 2018 and board chair since 2020, overseeing the company’s separation from DowDuPont and broader operational changes. In his new role, he will focus on board leadership, long-term strategy and external engagement, while supporting the transition, the company said.

Carter brings more than 30 years of experience at Dow. As COO, she has overseen business and operational performance across the company’s operating segments and functions. She previously led the packaging and specialty plastics segment, where she managed asset investments, capacity expansions and reliability improvements, according to the company.

The company said Carter will continue to focus on operational execution, customer engagement and innovation as she takes on the CEO role.

The announcement comes amid broader changes at Dow, including its “Transform to Outperform” initiative, which ties cost reductions and operational simplification to increased use of digital tools and artificial intelligence. The program has drawn mixed reactions from industry observers, with some viewing it as a necessary step toward modernization and others questioning the near-term impact of AI on plant-level operations and workforce requirements.

Industry analysts have noted that while AI adoption is expanding across the chemical sector, implementation remains in early stages, particularly in core manufacturing environments, where safety, reliability and process complexity limit rapid deployment.