WILMINGTON, DE — Ashland Inc. (NYSE: ASH) expanded its board to nine directors after appointing Bertrand Loy, adding semiconductor and advanced materials expertise as the specialty chemicals maker prepares for potential board turnover under its retirement policy.
Ashland said Loy joined the board effective May 15 and will serve on the audit committee and the governance and nominating committee.
Loy currently serves as executive chair and director of Entegris Inc. (NASDAQ: ENTG), a supplier of advanced materials and process technologies for semiconductor manufacturing and other high-technology industries. He previously served as Entegris’ president and chief executive officer.
The appointment comes as Ashland increases the size of its board from eight to nine members in anticipation of possible retirements tied to the company’s board retirement and resignation policies.
Chief Executive Officer and Chairman Guillermo Novo indicated the company expects Loy’s operational and technology-sector background to support Ashland’s growth strategy, particularly around scaling operations and expanding globally.
Ashland has been positioning itself around higher-margin specialty materials and additives markets, where demand trends increasingly intersect with pharmaceutical, personal care, life sciences, and advanced industrial manufacturing sectors.
Loy led Entegris through a period of expansion driven by semiconductor supply-chain investment, acquisitions, and rising demand tied to advanced chip manufacturing. His addition gives Ashland deeper board-level exposure to industrial technology and materials markets that remain strategically important across U.S. manufacturing and electronics supply chains.
Support the local news that supports Chester County. MyChesCo delivers reliable, fact-based reporting and essential community resources—free for everyone. If you value that, click here to become a patron today.