BEACHWOOD, Ohio -- OMNOVA Solutions Inc. is moving forward with its CEO succession process, and Kevin M. McMullen is stepping down as Chairman, CEO and President, and as a member of the Board of Directors, effective December 1, 2016, to pursue other interests.

In over 16 years leading the Company, McMullen succeeded in repositioning OMNOVA as a leader in specialty chemicals and engineered surfaces including aggressive portfolio actions highlighted by the acquisition of Eliokem International.

McMullen will be succeeded by Anne P. Noonan as OMNOVA's President and CEO, effective December 1, 2016. Ms. Noonan will also be appointed to the Company's Board of Directors. In connection with this leadership transition, the Board of Directors has determined to separate the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer roles, electing William R. Seelbach as the Company's independent, non-executive Chairman, also effective December 1, 2016.

William R. Seelbach, 68, will succeed McMullen as OMNOVA's Chairman. Seelbach has been a non-executive member of OMNOVA's Board of Directors since 2002. Seelbach is a Senior Advisor with the Riverside Company, the world's largest private equity firm focused on investing in companies at the smaller end of the middle market, and a Senior Managing Director of Headwaters SC, a consulting firm for privately owned businesses.

OMNOVA Solutions is a global innovator of performance-enhancing chemistries and surfaces.

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