Ruiz Elected VP & Treasurer Of Dow Chemical Company.

Fernando Ruiz, corporate director of Insurance and Risk Management and assistant treasurer of The Dow Chemical Company has been elected vice president and treasurer of the company, effective August 1, 2001.

Ruiz continues to report to J. Pedro Reinhard, executive vice president and chief financial officer. As part of his new role, Ruiz will continue to be responsible for Dow’s Insurance and Risk Management group.

Ruiz succeeds Geoffery E. Merszei who has elected to leave the company, effective August 31, to pursue other professional interests.

According to Reinhard, “Ruiz’s vast international experience in risk management and other major aspects of finance will position him well to take on this new responsibility and to lead Dow’s treasury organization to higher levels of performance and value creation.”

Ruiz joined Dow in 1980 in Ecuador as a Financial Planning manager and held several Treasury positions in Latin America and in the U.S. before being appointed assistant treasurer in 1996. He assumed his most recent position earlier this year. He also serves as president and chief executive officer of Dow’s insurance subsidiaries, Liana Limited and its subsidiaries — Dorintal and Dorinco Reinsurance Companies and Timber Insurance Limited.

Prior to joining Dow, Ruiz was a credit officer of Citibank, NA in Quito, Ecuador. Ruiz is a graduate of the Catholic University of Quito, Ecuador, where he majored in economics.