HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kraton Performance Polymers, Inc. (NYSE: KRA), a leading global producer of styrenic block copolymers, today announced that Gene Shiels has been named Director of Investor Relations. Mr. Shiels will report to the company’s chief financial officer, Stephen E. Tremblay.

“We are very pleased to introduce Gene, a seasoned professional, to this important corporate role,” said Mr. Tremblay. “With more than 20 years of combined financial and investor relations experience, Gene has the expertise and business acumen necessary to effectively serve our growing investor base, while helping us continue to expand Kraton’s visibility in the global investment community.”

Prior to joining Kraton, Shiels spent 12 years with Baker Hughes Incorporated (NYSE: BHI), an international oil service company based in Houston, where he served as Assistant Director of Investor Relations for the past six years. Shiels also served as Assistant Treasurer of Baker Hughes from 1998 to 2004, and prior to that as Vice President, Capital Corp. for Baker Hughes Solutions. Before joining Baker Hughes, Shiels was involved in the corporate banking industry, serving clients in the oil and gas, oil service, petrochemical and chemical industries.

Shiels received a bachelor’s degree in finance and accounting from Southern Methodist University in 1983 and is a member of the National Investor Relations Institute.

About Kraton

Kraton Performance Polymers, Inc., through its operating subsidiary Kraton Polymers LLC and its subsidiaries, is a leading global producer of engineered polymers and one of the world's largest producers of styrenic block copolymers (SBCs), a family of products whose chemistry was pioneered by the company almost 50 years ago. Kraton’s polymers are used in a wide range of applications, including adhesives, coatings, consumer and personal care products, sealants and lubricants, and medical, packaging, automotive, paving, roofing and footwear products. The company offers approximately 800 products to more than 700 customers in over 60 countries worldwide, and is the only SBC producer with manufacturing and service capabilities on four continents. We manufacture products at five plants globally, including our flagship plant in Belpre, Ohio, the largest and most diversified SBC plant in the world, as well as plants in Germany, France, Brazil and Japan. The plant in Japan is operated by an unconsolidated manufacturing joint venture. For more information on the company, please visit www.kraton.com.

Kraton, the Kraton logo and design, and the "Giving Innovators their Edge" tagline are all trademarks of Kraton Performance Polymers, Inc.