Chemonics International has selected Jamey Butcher as its fifth president and CEO, the lead executive role at the international development consulting firm. Mr. Butcher’s tenure will begin on April 1, 2020, allowing time for a smooth, effective transition process. Chemonics’ term limit for a president and CEO is seven years. Susanna Mudge is completing her final year in this role. When Mr. Butcher becomes president and CEO, Ms. Mudge will assume the role of the chairperson of the Board of Directors, remaining in an integral leadership role in the company.
Mr. Butcher has more than 20 years of experience in enterprise development, international trade and competitiveness, and supply chain solutions. With development experience in Africa, Europe and Eurasia, and Asia as well as in multiple sectors, Mr. Butcher is prepared to lead the firm’s more than 5,000 employees working on nearly 100 projects in 75 countries across the globe. In 2011, he was named one of two executive vice presidents, and he currently oversees Chemonics’ global health and supply chain portfolio. In this capacity, he leads efforts to implement sustainable supply chains, improve health-service delivery, and scale up innovative approaches in the context of developing countries. Previously, he served as senior vice president of the Europe and Eurasia, Global Health, Africa, and East Africa business units. Committed to supporting the continual learning of Chemonics’ global workforce, Mr. Butcher also developed the concept and strategy for the company’s knowledge sharing and learning hub. More recently, he forged a partnership with Arizona State University to advance Chemonics’ continual learning efforts.
Ms. Mudge characterized Mr. Butcher’s career as “marked by his strong leadership and management capabilities, innovation, results orientation, enthusiasm, and commitment to Chemonics’ vision and values.” Praising Mr. Butcher’s “ability to lead diverse groups toward achieving common goals,” Ms. Mudge also noted that “his innate ability to think outside the box while delivering on our mission of promoting meaningful change around the world makes him an ideal president and CEO.”
The selection process for this critical position corresponds to Chemonics’ philosophy that it is important to recruit for leadership positions from within the company. Thurston (Tony) Teele, Chemonics’ founder and first president and CEO, set forth key principles that continue to guide Chemonics’ processes today: The company finds and develops talent from within the organization and provides employees with the training and the tools and opportunities to be versatile and passionate development professionals who live Chemonics’ values. The Board of Directors Selection Committee, headed by Ashraf Rizk, the board chair and Chemonics’ second president and CEO, interviewed and selected the next CEO and president. The full board then voted unanimously in favor of the decision on Monday, April 29, 2019.