Ashland Inc. announced James Minicucci will join Ashland’s executive team as senior vice president strategy, mergers and acquisitions, and portfolio management. Most recently, Minicucci served as the senior vice president, global specialty gases, MERCK KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. Prior to that he led businesses at Versum Materials and corporate strategy and M&A at Air Products.

Earlier in his career he was a leader in the chemicals and industrial practice at Marakon Associates, (A Charles River Associates Co.), Rohm and Haas and The Gillette Company. Minicucci is a graduate of Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts with a Bachelor of Science, and a Master of Science degree in Chemical Engineering.