51����

The American Chemistry Council (ACC) announced today at its board of directors meeting that Michael J. Graff, Chairman & CEO, American Air Liquide Holdings, Inc. and Executive Vice President of Air Liquide Group, will become the Council’s newest board officer, January 1, 2023.  

“Mike brings more than 35 years of experience, but it’s his passion for sustainability and advancing the energy transition through innovative technologies like hydrogen that makes him an especially well-qualified candidate to help lead our Board,” said Chris Jahn, president and CEO of ACC. “Hydrogen holds great promise for solving the clean energy equation by helping to power the transportation sector and decarbonize hard-to- abate industrial sectors through the use of low-carbon and renewable hydrogen. As policymakers continue to eye more ways to accelerate the deployment of hydrogen-powered manufacturing processes in the U.S., Mike’s tenure as an ACC Board Officer will be critical to ushering in a lower-emissions future for our sector,” Jahn added.

“I’ve been honored to serve for several years as an executive committee member of ACC, and I’m looking forward to further supporting our Board as one of its officers,” said Mike Graff. “It’s clear that sustainability is foundational to the future of the ACC. I’m proud to bring Air Liquide’s commitment to hydrogen—and its ability to help us reach our environmental goals while supporting economic growth and the creation of hundreds of thousands of new jobs—to the broader ACC audience. While hydrogen alone will not drive a clean energy transition, a clean energy transition that ensures all Americans feel the impact of its benefits will not happen without hydrogen. At Air Liquide, for example, we are proud to employ over 20,000 U.S. employees and operate in all 50 states. Recently, we celebrated the grand opening of our largest liquid hydrogen production facility in the U.S., capable of producing 30 tons of liquid hydrogen per day and supplying renewable hydrogen to more than 40,000 fuel cell vehicles in California. Leveraging my experience in hydrogen project deployment and investment, I look forward to working with ACC and policymakers to bring a lower-emissions economy to life.”

“Mike’s commitment to performance improvement under Responsible Care®, his passion for sustainability, and his strategic focus are an asset to ACC’s Board,” said Karen McKee, President of ExxonMobil Product Solutions Company, and incoming Chairman of the ACC Board. “I look forward to having Mike serve our industry through this new leadership role.”

Following formal approval by the board of directors, Graff will first assume the role of Vice Chairman of the Board and chair of the Council’s Board Finance, Audit and Membership Committee. He’ll serve in this capacity for one year, followed by a one-year term each as Chairman of the Executive Committee and Chairman of the Board.