Covia announced that Richard Navarre, chairman of the board of directors, has been appointed interim president and chief executive officer. Navarre succeeds Jenniffer Deckard who has resigned as president, chief executive officer and as a member of the board of directors following the board’s decision to take a different leadership direction. Deckard will serve as a consultant to the company for an interim period in order to help ensure a smooth transition. The Covia Board has engaged a leading national search firm to conduct the search process to identify a permanent CEO.
“I’m honored to accept the role of interim president and CEO during this important transformational time for the company and I look forward to accelerating the execution of our strategy,” said Navarre. “I know the company and its management team well given my tenure on the board and am confident in our future success. Covia has high-quality assets serving attractive markets in both the Industrial and Energy segments and is supported by a blue chip customer base and most importantly, a highly talented team. These strengths are the foundation for long-term success and in the near term, we will drive shareholder value by optimizing the performance of our assets, maximizing free cash flow and reducing debt.”
Navarre continued, “On behalf of the board, I want to thank Jenniffer for her extraordinary contributions over her career at Covia and its predecessors. Jenniffer played an instrumental role in the creation of Covia, and has helped navigate the organization through a transformative merger during challenging market conditions.”
“It has been a true privilege to lead the dedicated team at Covia since our successful merger and I am proud of all that we have accomplished in combining and integrating Fairmount Santrol and Unimin to establish Covia as an industry leader,” said Deckard. “I look forward to seeing Covia continue to grow and I am confident that Covia is well positioned to leverage its scale, capabilities, and excellent product offerings to serve the diverse needs of its customers and drive enhanced value for its shareholders.”