Dow Chemical Names Johanna Söderström As Corporate VP Of Human Resources

(RTTNews) - Dow Chemical Co. (DOW) announced that it has appointed Johanna Söderström as its corporate vice president of Human Resources and Corporate Aviation. Söderström succeeds Gregory Freiwald, who has announced his retirement from Dow after 35 years with the Company.

Söderström joined Dow in 1999 in Helsinki, Finland as the HR manager for the Nordic region. In 2000, she moved to Stade, Germany to serve as HR Workforce Planning Implementation leader and in 2003, was appointed Compensation & Benefits leader for Southern Europe, Middle East, Africa and India in Horgen, Switzerland.

In 2005, Söderström assumed the role of HR Business Partner for Dow's Hydrocarbons & Energy business. After leaving Dow in 2006 to lead global Compensation & Benefits for Huhtamaki in Finland, Söderström rejoined Dow the next year as HR Geographic leader for Germany, and in 2009 assumed additional responsibility as HR director for Dow Europe, Middle East & Africa. In 2010, Söderström was appointed Global HR director for Dow's Performance Materials Division in Midland, Mich., and was named vice president of Dow's HR Center of Expertise in September 2012.

Dow Chemical also announced that Gregory Freiwald, chief Human Resources officer, Aviation and Corporate Affairs, has elected to retire from the Company following 35 years of service with Dow. Freiwald will transition his executive leadership responsibilities to Johanna Söderström and will officially retire at the end of March 2015.