DHAHRAN – May 28, 2014 – Massimiliano Leopardi, senior finance director for Sadara Chemical Company (Sadara), a joint venture developed by Saudi Aramco and The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW), has been named Sadara’s chief financial officer, succeeding Luciano Poli, who will be returning to Dow after completing his secondment to Sadara.

As CFO for Sadara, Leopardi will play a key role in the continued growth of the joint venture, serving as an integral and strategic member of its senior management team. "Massi brings with him a wealth of experience in the finance and the petrochemical industries. He has been involved in the Sadara project since 2010 and he knows the project well. I look forward to working with Massi in bringing Sadara to new heights,” said Ziad Al-Labban, chief executive officer of Sadara.

Leopardi joined Dow in Milan, Italy in 1998 after beginning his career in trading and portfolio management at HSBC in 1995. His career at Dow has spanned various global positions prior to his role as M&A director for EMEA in 2010, where he was instrumental in the execution of the Sadara joint venture formation. Leopardi was named to his current position as senior finance director for Sadara in 2011, and will assume his new role as CFO for Sadara on July 1, 2014.

Poli will return to Dow as global finance leader for joint ventures and area finance director for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Poli has served as CFO for Sadara since 2011.

"Luciano was instrumental in building Sadara Chemical Company, orchestrating and achieving a number of project financing records such as the largest project finance ever closed in the Middle East ($12.5 billion), the largest Sukuk issuance ever completed in Saudi Arabia and building a strong finance organization to support the Sadara enterprise. It has been a privilege and a pleasure working with Luciano and I wish him all the best in his new role at Dow,” Al-Labban said.

About Sadara:

Sadara Chemical Company (Sadara) is a joint venture developed by Saudi Arabian Oil Company and The Dow Chemical Company. With a total investment of approximately $20 billion, Sadara is building a world scale complex in Jubail Industrial City II in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province. Comprised of 26 world scale manufacturing units, the Sadara complex is the world’s largest to be built in a single phase and will be the first in the Middle East to use refinery liquids, such as naphtha, as feedstock. By using best-in-class technologies to crack refinery liquid feedstock,

Sadara will enable many industries that either currently do not exist in Saudi Arabia or only exist through imports of raw materials. The adjacent PlasChem Park, a unique collaboration between Sadara and the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, will create more value downstream, generating unprecedented investment, innovation, economic growth and thousands of job opportunities. Sadara is on track to deliver its first products in the second half of 2015, with the complex in full operation in 2016. Its home page is www.sadara.com.

Media Contact:

Bob Lebling
+966-13-813-5999 ext 1481
Robert.lebling@sadara.com