Compass Minerals, Overland Park, Kan., on Oct. 27 announced several changes to its senior management team to enable support of the company’s long-term strategic growth.
Lorin Crenshaw is joining the company as CFO, effective Dec. 1, 2021. The company said he brings more than 25 years of diversified financial experience, including leadership positions in the lithium industry.
He was most recently CFO at Orion Engineered Carbons SA, a global supplier of specialty and high-performance carbon black, since 2019. Previously, he served in several financial leadership roles from 2009-2019 at Albemarle Corp., a global specialty chemicals company and producer of lithium, bromine, and catalyst solutions, including as CFO of Albemarle’s global lithium business from 2016-2019, and in prior years as Treasurer and Head of Investor Relations.
Prior to Albemarle, he spent over 10 years as an equity and debt investor, respectively, at Citigroup Asset Management and PGIM Private Capital, formerly Prudential Capital Group.
Crenshaw earned a B.S. in business administration from Florida A&M University and an MBA from Columbia University.
At Compass, Crenshaw will be responsible for all aspects of financial management and will also lead the company’s global sourcing and procurement functions.
Effective upon Crenshaw joining the company, current CFO James D. “Jamie” Standen will transition roles to serve as Chief Commercial Officer. He has been CFO since 2017 and joined the company in 2006 as Assistant Treasurer.
Prior to joining Compass, he spent six years in various roles at Kansas City Southern and two years with the public accounting firm Mayer Hoffman McCann PC. He earned a B.S. in accounting with an emphasis in finance from the University of Kansas.
As a result of these appointments, current Chief Commercial Officer Brad Griffith has departed the company effective immediately to pursue other opportunities.
In other management news, Compass has also announced that Chris Yandell will be joining the company as Head of Lithium, effective Nov. 8, 2021. In this senior management role, he will lead the development and implementation and coordinate the strategic direction for the company’s lithium business.
The company said Yandell brings broad-based leadership experience in operations, commercial, supply-chain, and strategic planning, having served the last 15 years in varying roles of increasing responsibility with Albemarle.
Most recently with Albemarle, he served as Chief Commercial Officer for refining catalysts and previously as Vice President of Lithium Operations. Yandell also served in operations and engineering positions with Praxair Inc., since acquired by Linde plc, and BASF.
A former non-commissioned officer in the U.S. Marine Corps, he earned a B.S. in chemical engineering and an MBA, both from Louisiana State University.