NEW YORK — William B. Harris, president of Hoechst Celanese Corp.’s textile fibers group, has been named head of the worldwide fibers business for its German parent Hoechst AG, Frankfurt, effective July 1.
Harris succeeds Alexander Dahmen, who is taking a new position as plant manager of Hoechst’s main production site in Frankfurt. In his new post, Harris will absorb his current duties at Hoechst Celanese. He will continue to be based in Charlotte, N.C.
Although Hoechst doesn’t break out fiber sales, its fibers business is part of a $4.4 billion worldwide fiber and film products group, which is comprised of textile fibers — including polyester staple, polyester filament and acetate — as well as technical fibers and polyester resins and film. Hoechst Celanese is responsible for $3.1 billion in sales of fibers and film in North America.
Harris, 47, began his career in 1973 as a business analyst with Celanese Corp., becoming executive vice president of Celanese Canada in May 1984.
After the merger of American Hoechst and Celanese Corp. in 1987, Harris was named vice president and treasurer of Hoechst Celanese, and, in January 1990, became head of the textile fibers group.