US speciality chemicals organisation Eastman Chemical Company has named Ike Adeyemi as its next chief legal officer, replacing Kellye Walker who left the company earlier this year.

Adeyemi joins from consumer goods business The Clorox Company, where she was most recently corporate secretary and associate GC. Her step up to the CLO role will see her draw on her experience at Clorox overseeing legal support for corporate, finance, governance, SEC reporting, ethics and compliance and risk management, among other responsibilities. She will officially join the company on 9 September.

Tennessee-based Eastman produces speciality chemicals, materials and fibres for a range of industries, generating revenue of more than $9bn in 2023. It was originally a subsidiary of Kodak before being spun out as an independent company in 1994.

Mark Costa, Eastman chair and CEO, said: “Ike is a seasoned leader with a wealth of global experience across diverse industries and legal disciplines. She has a proven track record of delivering strategic and impactful business outcomes, building high-performing teams and partnering effectively with boards and senior executives.”

He added: “Ike also brings a strong commitment to ethics, diversity and sustainability, which aligns with our values and culture.”

Adeyemi spent more than five and a half years at The Clorox Company, initially joining as director of legal and assistant corporate secretary, before taking on her most recent role in December 2020. Prior to that she spent around seven years at mining giant BHP Billiton, first as managing counsel for corporate and M&A and then head of legal for the same areas.

She started her legal career as an associate at Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom before taking on her first in-house role as a senior international lawyer at US foreign aid agency the Millennium Challenge Corporation. She then moved back to private practice, spending four years as a senior associate at White & Case in London before heading to BHP.

Walker, meantime, exited Eastman in April after four years to join US tractor-maker Deere & Company. She originally joined Eastman from defence company Huntington Ingalls Industries, where she was also CLO. Prior to that she had GC spells at American Water, Diageo North America and BJ’s Wholesale Club.