Caribbean Gas Chemical Limited appoints a new CEO.

LA BREA, Trinidad and Tobago – May 30, 2024. Caribbean Gas Chemical Limited (CGCL) has appointed a new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to lead its Methanol and Di-Methyl Ether (DME) Facility at La Brea.

Caribbean Gas Chemical Limited (CGCL) recently announced the appointment of Mr. Keio Kato to the position of Chief Executive Officer, effective June 01, 2024, following the retirement of former CEO, Mr. Pedro Arasa. Mr. Arasa served as CEO since 2021 and has seen the company through commissioning, the achievement of commercial operations status and more recently, the attainment of 1 Million Metric Tonnes of annual production for two consecutive years.

Mr. Arasa’s successor, Mr. Keio Kato, is an engineer by trade, with a Master’s Degree from the Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Engineering, at the University of Tokyo. Mr. Kato comes to CGCL with a wealth of knowledge and experience in the Energy Sector, having worked at Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company Inc. for the past 24 years, with 12 of those years at the executive management level.

“The Board’s decision to appoint Mr. Kato to the position of CEO demonstrates the company’s recognition of his extensive experience in the sector and his ability to lead the company at this juncture, through the next phase of its growth and development,” said Mr. Masahiko Naito, Chairman of the Board of Directors at CGCL.

Mr. Kato will be responsible for the stewardship of the joint venture petrochemical company, which comprises both local and Japanese shareholders.
“I look forward to working with the management and staff of CGCL to deliver exceptional value to our shareholders and stakeholders both nationally and globally,” said Mr. Kato.

CGCL attained Commercial Operations status on December 18th, 2020 and has been producing and shipping methanol since September 2020.