Karen S. Carter: Dow CEO, Career, Leadership, and Business Strategy

Karen S. Carter is the Chief Executive Officer of Dow, one of the world's leading materials science companies, supplying products and technologies used in packaging, infrastructure, mobility, consumer goods, and industrial applications. She became CEO on July 1, 2026, succeeding Jim Fitterling after more than three decades at the company.

Carter's career at Dow began in 1994 as an intern. Over the following decades, she moved through roles in sales, marketing, business operations, human resources, and executive management before becoming Chief Operating Officer in December 2024. Her appointment as CEO represents both a milestone for Dow and a continuation of its long-term transformation strategy.

Before taking the top position, Carter led Dow's Packaging & Specialty Plastics business, one of its largest operating segments. She also served as Chief Human Resources Officer and Chief Inclusion Officer, giving her experience across both commercial operations and organizational leadership.

As CEO, Carter is responsible for steering Dow through a challenging period for the global chemicals industry. Weak demand in some markets, excess production capacity, geopolitical uncertainty, and pressure to improve profitability make operational discipline and strategic investment particularly important. Her priorities include improving productivity, strengthening customer relationships, accelerating innovation, and creating sustainable long-term value.

Who Is Karen S. Carter?

Karen S. Carter is an American business executive with extensive experience in the chemicals and materials science industry. She earned a bachelor's degree in marketing from Howard University and a master's degree in international business from DePaul University.

Carter joined Dow in 1994 as an intern and built her career within the company. Her early and mid-career positions gave her experience in sales, marketing, business operations, and international markets, including the Asia-Pacific region.

Over time, she assumed leadership responsibilities across several of Dow's businesses, including building and construction, polyethylene, engineering thermoplastics, fabricated products, information technology equipment, and consumer electronics.

This broad experience helped her develop a detailed understanding of Dow's products, customers, operating model, and commercial priorities. Rather than joining the company as an outside executive, Carter advanced through its internal leadership structure.

Her appointment as CEO reflects the value Dow's board placed on that institutional knowledge, together with her record of managing large businesses and leading company-wide operational initiatives.

From Intern to Chief Executive Officer

Carter's rise to the top of Dow is notable for its length and breadth. She joined the company in 1994 as an intern and progressed through a wide range of business and corporate roles.

Her experience included commercial leadership, sales and marketing, and management positions across several product categories. These roles exposed her to the needs of different customer industries and the challenges of operating a global materials business.

In 2017, Carter became Chief Inclusion Officer. She later served as Chief Human Resources Officer, taking on responsibility for important aspects of workforce strategy, organizational development, and company culture.

In 2022, she became President of Dow's Packaging & Specialty Plastics business segment. This role placed her in charge of one of Dow's most important businesses, with major operations in polyethylene resins and functional polymers.

In December 2024, Carter was appointed Chief Operating Officer. She assumed broader responsibility for business and operational performance across Dow's operating segments and key functional organizations.

On April 14, 2026, Dow announced that Carter would succeed Jim Fitterling as CEO, effective July 1, 2026. Fitterling transitioned to the role of Executive Chair, continuing to focus on board leadership, long-term strategy, governance, and external relationships.

Carter also joined Dow's board of directors when she became CEO.

Leading Dow's Packaging & Specialty Plastics Business

One of Carter's most significant executive roles was President of Dow's Packaging & Specialty Plastics segment from 2022 to 2024.

The business supplies polyethylene resins and functional polymers used in packaging and other applications. Its products serve customers across a wide range of industries, making operational reliability, material performance, and customer collaboration important competitive factors.

During Carter's leadership, Dow emphasized value growth through asset upgrades, capacity expansions, and improved reliability. These priorities were designed to improve the performance of existing assets while supporting demand for differentiated products.

Carter also helped advance initiatives related to plastic circularity. Dow developed circular product offerings, including REVOLOOP recycled plastic resins and INNATE precision packaging resins, and pursued partnerships intended to strengthen the supply of recycled feedstock.

These initiatives reflect a broader challenge for the plastics industry: meeting demand for materials that perform reliably while responding to growing expectations around recycling, waste reduction, and resource efficiency.

Carter's experience in this segment is relevant to her current role because it combined commercial growth with investment decisions, manufacturing performance, customer relationships, and sustainability-related innovation.

From Chief Operating Officer to CEO

As Dow's Chief Operating Officer, Carter had responsibility for business and operational performance across the company.

Her role included oversight of Dow's operating segments and key functional organizations. She worked on strengthening customer engagement, accelerating commercialization of the company's innovation pipeline, and improving reliability and service.

The COO position provided a company-wide view of how Dow's different businesses operate and where improvements could create value. It also required coordination among manufacturing, commercial, technology, and corporate teams.

When Dow announced her appointment as CEO, the board highlighted her operational expertise, customer focus, and record of delivering results.

Carter's promotion signals continuity in Dow's strategy. She had already been involved in shaping its transformation and operational priorities before taking the top job.

The transition also gives her responsibility for making decisions at the enterprise level, including capital allocation, business portfolio choices, financial performance, and the company's response to changes in the global chemicals market.

Karen Carter's Leadership Philosophy

Carter's career and public statements point to a leadership approach centered on disciplined execution, customer relationships, operational reliability, and developing the company's people.

Focus on customers

Dow supplies materials used by manufacturers across many industries. Its success depends on understanding customer requirements, delivering reliable products, and developing materials that help customers improve their own products and processes.

Carter has emphasized the importance of strengthening customer engagement and relationships. For a materials science company, this can support long-term partnerships and help bring new technologies to market.

Operational discipline

Chemical manufacturing is capital-intensive and depends on complex facilities, reliable equipment, energy availability, and careful management of operating costs.

Improving reliability and simplifying processes can help reduce disruptions and improve productivity. Carter's experience as COO and as leader of Packaging & Specialty Plastics gives her direct experience with these priorities.

Commercializing innovation

Research and development create value when new technologies become products customers are willing to buy. Carter has emphasized accelerating the commercialization of Dow's innovation pipeline, connecting technical development with customer needs and commercial opportunities.

This approach requires close cooperation among researchers, engineers, manufacturing teams, sales professionals, and customers.

Developing people and organizational capability

Carter's earlier roles as Chief Human Resources Officer and Chief Inclusion Officer gave her experience in workforce development and company culture.

These responsibilities are relevant to Dow's future because the company needs technical expertise, effective managers, and skilled employees to operate its facilities and develop new materials.

Her challenge is to combine that organizational perspective with the commercial and financial demands of leading a global industrial company.

The Challenges Facing Dow Under Karen Carter

Carter became CEO during a period of significant pressure on the chemicals industry. Dow must navigate cyclical demand, global competition, manufacturing costs, restructuring, and changes in customer requirements.

Weak demand and excess capacity

The chemicals sector is sensitive to economic cycles and demand from industries such as construction, consumer products, packaging, and manufacturing.

When demand weakens or global production capacity exceeds what customers need, prices and profit margins can come under pressure. Dow must manage its production network and costs while remaining positioned to serve customers when demand improves.

Improving profitability

Dow has been pursuing a broad restructuring effort intended to simplify operations and improve productivity. The company announced plans to eliminate approximately 4,500 jobs as part of a program targeting at least $2 billion in improvements.

Such measures can reduce costs, but implementation requires careful management of organizational changes, employee impacts, operating reliability, and the company's ability to innovate.

Carter's leadership will be judged in part by whether these efforts deliver lasting improvements without undermining Dow's technical capabilities or customer service.

Global manufacturing and energy costs

Dow operates a large international manufacturing network. Energy prices, feedstock costs, transportation, trade policies, and regional demand can affect the competitiveness of its facilities.

The company must make decisions about where to invest, how to improve asset utilization, and which operations can deliver attractive returns under changing market conditions.

Sustainability and plastics circularity

Customers and regulators increasingly expect materials producers to address recycling, waste, and environmental impacts. At the same time, recycled materials must meet the performance, cost, and quality requirements of commercial applications.

Carter's experience with circular product lines and recycling partnerships provides relevant preparation. Scaling these solutions will require technology, infrastructure, customer cooperation, and viable economics.

Leading through a major transformation

Carter helped shape Dow's operational transformation before becoming CEO. She now has to turn those plans into measurable results while responding to market conditions that may change quickly.

That requires balancing near-term cost improvements with long-term investment in innovation, manufacturing capabilities, and customer relationships.

Karen Carter's Vision for Dow's Future

Carter has said that Dow's priorities include delivering reliable and innovative solutions for customers, creating long-term value for employees and shareholders, and accelerating the company's transformation toward stronger performance.

Her background suggests a focus on executing the strategy already underway while improving the way Dow operates.

Several areas are likely to remain central to the company's development:

• Productivity: Simplifying processes and improving operational efficiency across the enterprise.

• Reliability: Maintaining safe and dependable manufacturing operations to serve customers consistently.

• Innovation: Moving new materials and technologies from research into commercially successful products.

• Customer relationships: Working with customers to solve problems and develop differentiated solutions.

• Circular materials: Expanding practical approaches to recycling and circular feedstocks where technical and commercial conditions support them.

• Capital discipline: Directing investment toward businesses, assets, and projects that can create sustainable value.

Dow's size and global reach mean that execution will matter as much as strategy. The company must make difficult decisions about costs and capacity while retaining the expertise and operating capabilities needed for future growth.

Carter's long career at Dow gives her a detailed understanding of the organization. Her success will depend on converting that knowledge into sustained financial performance and a stronger competitive position.

A Milestone in Corporate Leadership

Carter's appointment is also notable because she became the first woman to lead Dow, a company with a history stretching back to 1897.

She also became one of a small number of Black women to lead a Fortune 500 company. Her career progression from intern to CEO makes her appointment a significant milestone in the representation of women in senior corporate leadership.

Carter has received recognition for her leadership and professional achievements. She was named to Black Enterprise's lists of influential executives and powerful women in corporate America, and she was inducted into The Kansas African American Museum's Trailblazer Hall of Fame in 2023.

In 2025, Fortune included her on its Next to Lead list, which highlighted influential executives within major U.S. companies. In 2026, she was also recognized on Fortune's Most Powerful Women list.

These recognitions reflect her professional standing, but her long-term legacy will ultimately depend on the business results she delivers and the impact of her leadership at Dow.

Why Karen S. Carter Matters

Karen S. Carter's career illustrates how deep institutional knowledge and broad operating experience can prepare an executive to lead a complex industrial company.

She has worked across commercial, operational, human resources, and corporate functions at Dow, giving her experience that spans customers, employees, manufacturing, and strategy. Her leadership of Packaging & Specialty Plastics and her tenure as COO gave her direct responsibility for major parts of the business before becoming CEO.

Carter now leads Dow at a time when the chemicals industry faces economic pressure and a need to improve productivity while continuing to invest in innovation and sustainability.

Her ability to balance these priorities will influence Dow's competitiveness, financial performance, and role in supplying materials to global industries.

As CEO, she represents both continuity with Dow's existing transformation strategy and a new chapter in the company's leadership.

Karen S. Carter: Key Facts

Detail	Information
Full name	Karen S. Carter
Current position	Chief Executive Officer of Dow Inc.
CEO since	July 1, 2026
Industry	Chemicals and materials science
Joined Dow	1994, as an intern
Education	Bachelor's degree in marketing, Howard University; master's degree in international business, DePaul University
Previous position	Chief Operating Officer of Dow
Previous business leadership role	President, Packaging & Specialty Plastics
Earlier corporate roles	Chief Human Resources Officer and Chief Inclusion Officer
CEO predecessor	Jim Fitterling
Board position	Dow Inc. director
Company website	Dow

 Summary

Karen S. Carter is the Chief Executive Officer of Dow Inc., becoming the company's first female CEO on July 1, 2026. She joined Dow as an intern in 1994 and built a career spanning sales, marketing, business operations, human resources, and executive leadership. Before becoming CEO, she led Dow's Packaging & Specialty Plastics segment and served as Chief Operating Officer. Carter now leads the materials science company through a major operational transformation, with priorities that include improving productivity, strengthening customer relationships, accelerating innovation, and advancing circular materials solutions.