Chemours Announces Promotion of Kristine Wellman to SVP, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, as Dave Shelton Announces Retirement and Moves to Role as Special Counsel to the CEO

Chemours, a global chemistry company, recently announced that David Shelton, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, has announced his intention to retire from Chemours at the end of 2023. As a part of his transition plan, effective October 1, Mr. Shelton will focus exclusively on leading and managing the resolution of the company’s legacy liabilities and related remediation programs, and act as a legal advisor reporting directly to CEO Mark Newman. Concurrent with this change, effective October 1, Kristine Wellman currently Vice President, Strategic Planning, will be promoted to the role of Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, leading all non-legacy aspects of the legal function, in addition to government affairs, ethics & compliance, corporate remediation, and security.     

David Shelton, Senior Advisor to the CEO 

Mr. Shelton has over 30 years of legal experience. His contributions over the past 7 years at Chemours have helped to position the company to achieve the transformative growth ambitions and strategic priorities outlined in CEO Mark Newman’s vision for the Chemours enterprise. Under Mr. Shelton’s leadership and management of legacy liabilities, the company has achieved significant legal milestones, including a historic memorandum of understanding (MOU) agreement with DuPont and Corteva. Beyond business performance, Mr. Shelton has been a key driver of the company’s commitment to unshakeable integrity. 

Chemours President and CEO Mark Newman made clear his gratitude for Mr. Shelton’s presence on his executive team. Said Mr. Newman, “From the very beginning, Dave has demonstrated tremendous personal leadership and delivered significant results, including building a deep and diverse legal team. He has been a model of tenacity, courage, and integrity to the entire organization. Without question, Dave has made a positive impact on this company that will be felt for years to come.” 

Added Mr. Newman, “Resolving legacy litigation is one of my strategic priorities for the company, and we are fortunate to have Dave singularly focused on those efforts before he retires from Chemours. We will benefit greatly from his continued leadership and focus on these matters.” 

Kristine Wellman, Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary 

Ms. Wellman takes on her new executive role with 20-plus years of legal experience, exceptional performance, and deep knowledge of the Chemours business. As a part of the legal leadership team at spin-off, Ms. Wellman was integral to the successful stand-up of Chemours as an independent, public company, and she developed the organization’s corporate governance framework.   

During her tenure with Chemours, Ms. Wellman enhanced her capabilities and business knowledge through assignments outside of the legal discipline. She served as plant manager at Chemours’ Chambers Works manufacturing site, where she led the operations team safely through the initial phase of the pandemic, maintaining full production with no interruptions. She also contributed to the global organizational design of the new Advanced Performance Materials business unit and went on to become the leader of its sustainability strategy, positioning Chemours as a leader in responsible chemistry. This led to her current role, leading a team charged with strategic analysis and planning related to a dynamic regulatory environment.  

Said Mr. Newman, “Kristine has already made significant contributions to Chemours, and I could not be more pleased to bring her diverse experiences to the executive team. I also have every confidence that she brings the level of talent and energy needed to continue developing a fit-for-purpose legal function that can accelerate our Chemours 2.0 transformation.” 

“These changes to our leadership team allow us to execute an orderly succession while placing significant focus on resolving our legacy liabilities. I know that both Dave and Kristine will work tirelessly and fearlessly to position Chemours for continued success in this pivotal moment for the company and beyond,” concluded Mr. Newman.