Neo manufactures advanced industrial materials that serve as the building blocks of many modern technologies that deliver enhanced efficiency and sustainability. The Company’s products – magnetic powders and magnets, specialty chemicals, metals, and alloys – are critical to the performance of many everyday products as well as emerging technologies. Neo’s products help to deliver the technologies of tomorrow to consumers today.
Neo’s advanced industrial materials are also key to some of the world’s sought-after and environmentally friendly and sustainable technologies, such as hybrid and electric vehicles, pollution control systems, high-efficiency appliances and pumps, energy-efficient lighting, water purification, and many more.
Sustainable technologies start with Neo Materials.
At Neo Performance Materials, we believe in these things: (1) delivering high-quality advanced industrial products and exemplary service to customers globally; (2) advancing our customers’ product development and sustainability goals, and; (3) maintaining workplaces that are safe, efficient, and managed with sustainability in mind.
We work to achieve these goals by adhering to a set of core business principles throughout our Company. To learn about our core business principles, see our Mission Statement here.
Neo Performance Materials Inc. is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “NEO.” A profitable, dividend-paying company with a strong balance sheet and robust cash-flow generation, Neo is well positioned in markets that are forecast to see robust, long-term growth driven by multiple global macro trends, such as vehicle electrification, industrial automation, consumer electronics, energy-efficient lighting, air and water pollution control, superalloys, and many others.
Learn more about Neo in our latest Investor Presentation.
Neo is lead by a highly experienced team of industry leaders with the expertise to deliver results, based on a combined 200+ years of experience.
Ms. Kennedy is Board Chair of Neo and has served as a Director since October 2017. She serves on the Audit Committee, Compensation and Human Resources Committee, the Health, Environment, Safety and Sustainability (HESS) Committee, and is Chair of the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee. Ms. Kennedy was a member of the Board of Directors of Neo Material Technologies from February 2010 to June 2012 and served on the Audit Committee. Ms. Kennedy was a Partner in the Toronto office of Bennett Jones LLP from 2009. In 2019, she became Senior Advisor, Clients and Industries. Ms. Kennedy is Lead Director of the Bank of Canada. She also is a Director of Alamos Gold Inc., which is listed on the TSX and NYSE, and serves as Audit Committee Chair. She received her ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors and she has completed the Making Corporate Boards More Effective program at Harvard Business School and the Advanced Management Program at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. She is a Professional Engineer and holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from Queen’s University and a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Toronto. Claire is past Chair of the Governing Council of the University of Toronto and is a member of the Dean’s Advisory Board at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.
Hua Du has over 25 years of executive experience in a number of industries operating in Asian and global markets leading change in business models, overseeing plant construction, defining strategic plans and developing leadership teams. Mr. Du is currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer of a biotech-based animal nutrition business, with offices and operations across eight Asian countries. Previously, Mr. Du served for 11 years as President of Global Business Units and Executive Committee member at a leading global chemicals and materials company, including manufacturing and distribution of value added rare earth products. There, he led several global business units with revenues of EUR 5 billion, more than 10,000 employees, and technologies covering a wide range of end markets. Before that, he worked at a specialty chemicals manufacturer for 13 years, driving growth in Asia for its Electronic Materials Group. Mr. Du graduated from Peking University in China and holds a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in organic chemistry from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Gail Edwards has been a Director of Neo Performance Materials since June 2019 and is Chair of the Audit Committee. She is a C-suite financial and real estate executive who is currently a director of Amica Senior Lifestyles and Chair of the Audit Committee. Ms. Edwards is also a member of the Real Estate Advisory Committee (REAC) for OP Trust, which manages one of Canada’s largest pension funds, and a member of the REAC of the New York State Common Retirement Fund which manages funds in excess of US$250 billion. Ms. Edwards has held executive management positions with the Minto Group, JH Investments Inc., a New York based real estate developer, a NYSE listed entertainment company, a U.S. based global food service and hospitality company and a Canadian banking institution. Ms. Edwards has her ICD.D designation and is a Canadian Chartered Accountant holding a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from the University of Western Ontario.
Mr. Lee has been a Director of Neo Performance Materials since October 2017, and prior to this he was a director of Neo Chemicals & Oxides, LLC since August 31, 2016. He also serves on the Compensation and Human Resources Committee and the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee. He is a private investor and has over 20 years of finance, mergers and acquisition and capital markets experience. Previously, Mr. Lee founded and was the Portfolio Manager of the $6 billion Strategic Credit Strategy at Oaktree Capital Management until December 31, 2019. He was also the CEO and CIO of Oaktree’s three business development companies (BDCs) including Oaktree Specialty Lending and Oaktree Strategic Income Corporations. Prior to founding the strategy, he was a senior investment professional within the Opportunities Funds group of Oaktree Capital Management. Prior to joining Oaktree Capital Management, Mr. Lee worked within the Investment Banking division at UBS Investment Bank in Los Angeles, where he was responsible for advising clients on equity and debt financings and mergers and acquisitions. Prior experience includes work at Lehman Brothers Inc., Katzenbach Partners LLP and the Urban Institute. He received a B.A. degree in economics from Swarthmore College and his master’s degree from Harvard University.
Mr. Noyrez has been a Lead Director of Neo since October 2017, and prior to this he was an independent director of Neo Chemicals & Oxides, LLC since August 31, 2016. He also serves on the Compensation and Human Resources Committee as Chair, the Audit Committee and the HESS Committee. In October 2018, he was appointed the Chief Executive Officer of Serra Verde Mineracao, a company aiming at developing and producing a rare earths concentrate. Since 2014, he shares his business activities as a board member and advisor.
From February 2010 to June 2014, he served successive roles from Chief Operating Officer to Director and Chief Executive Officer at Lynas Corporation, an integrated rare earth mining and separation company. Prior to Lynas, he served as President of the SILCEA division of Rhodia (named Solvay S.A. now) and before 2000, spent 11 years in different business leadership roles at Shell. Eric started his career as an automotive designer at Peugeot-Citroën. He holds a
Master’s Degree in Engineering (Meng) from École des Mines de Douai, France.
Dr. John McGarva joined the Board of Directors in July 2024. Dr. McGarva is a seasoned leader in product development and manufacturing with a wealth of experience spanning the healthcare, industrial, and consumer electronics industries. His extensive international experience, including leadership roles across Europe, Southeast Asia, and China, combined with his practical knowledge of product development and manufacturing, is an asset to the Board.
Dr. McGarva was Head of Engineering at Dyson from 2018 to 2024, where he led the design engineering of the company’s haircare products. He successfully guided teams in Singapore, the Philippines, and the UK, transforming Dyson’s haircare business from a single product to a significant business unit. A key element of Dyson haircare products is the integration of permanent magnets. This expertise uniquely positioned Dr. McGarva to offer valuable customer insights and strategic direction to Neo.
Prior to his tenure at Dyson, Dr. McGarva held several high-profile leadership roles in technology and innovation companies, specializing in design, engineering, and manufacturing. He led the technical development of the Air category for Philips based in China – developing a range of air purifiers, humidifiers, sensor stations, and personal masks. Previously he also led over 50 diverse projects in Cambridge Consultants – one of the worlds leading independent technology and product development companies – based in Cambridge, UK.
Dr. McGarva holds a PhD in Manufacturing and Engineering Systems from Brunel University, London, and received First Class Honours Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow.
Rahim Suleman is President, CEO, and a Director of Neo Performance Materials Inc., having been appointed on July 7, 2023. Previously, he was President from January 1, 2023 and served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since January 16, 2017. Rahim was Chief Financial Officer at Stackpole International since 2010. From 2009 – 2010, he was Global Finance Manager with GE Digital Energy Protection and Control. Prior to 2010, he held successively senior finance positions in public accounting, manufacturing, internet technology and financial consulting firms. He is a Canadian Chartered Accountant holding a Masters of Accountancy and a Bachelor of Arts in Accountancy from the University of Waterloo.
Our management team is composed of a group of seasoned veterans with significant advanced materials industry knowledge and expertise. Many of our team members have spent a significant portion of their career with the company.
Rahim Suleman is President and CEO, and Director, having been appointed on July 7, 2023. Previously, he was President from January 1, 2023 and Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since January 16, 2017. Rahim was Chief Financial Officer at Stackpole International since 2010. From 2009 – 2010, he was Global Finance Manager with GE Digital Energy Protection and Control. Prior to 2010, he held successively senior finance positions in public accounting, manufacturing, internet technology and financial consulting firms. He is a Canadian Chartered Accountant holding a Masters of Accountancy and a Bachelor of Arts in Accountancy from the University of Waterloo.
Jonathan Baksh was appointed as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer on June 19, 2023. His experience spans from being the financial steward of value-added manufacturing in the critical supply chains of semi-conductors to overseeing as Divisional CFO of a multi-billion dollar global business unit in the Electronic Manufacturing Services industry at Celestica’s Advanced Technology Solutions (ATS). Earlier in his career, he delivered deployments of innovative finance operating and quoting standardization systems across multiple manufacturing businesses. He launched his career at General Electric’s premier Internal Audit leadership program, and eventually won the Annual Chairman’s Circle Award – the highest honor for outstanding performance. He holds both the Chartered Professional Accountant and Chartered Management Accountant designations.
Kevin Morris is Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer from January 1, 2023. Previously, he was the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Neo since August 31, 2016. He was the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Molycorp, Inc. since May 2016, which followed his earlier roles of Executive Vice President of Rare Metals and Administration from February 2015 and Senior Vice President of Rare Metals and Administration from June 2012. He joined Molycorp as Senior Vice President Administration in November 2011. Previously, Mr. Morris practiced environmental law and civil litigation for 16 years with Andre, Morris & Buttery, a California-based business law firm . From 2010 through 2011, he was the managing principal of the firm. Mr. Morris received his Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Cornell University and his Juris Doctor degree from the UCLA School of Law. He is licensed to practice law in the State of California.
Greg Kroll was appointed Executive Vice President of Neo Magnequench in January 2018 after serving as Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, since 2014. Greg joined Magnequench in 2000 and served in a number of roles, including Business Development Manager, Director of Marketing, and Director of Sales and Marketing. Mr. Kroll completed his undergraduate studies at The George Washington University in 2000, including a Chinese language studies program at Peking University. He was awarded an MBA in 2010 from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Mr. El-Mahmoud is the Executive Vice President of Neo’s Chemical & Oxide and Rare Metals business unit. He held successively senior positions with that provider which included: (i) establishing production facilities, (ii) driving the transformation of a product offering from pure internal combustion engine (ICE) to hybrid and battery electric vehicle (BEV) technology, and (iii) overseeing 75 engineers as General Manager of the European Technical Center in Germany. Mr. El-Mahmoud has held senior leadership positions in Business Development, Engineering, and Operations in various regions, including North America, Europe, and Operations in various regions, including North America, Europe, and China. He began his career as an automotive powertrain systems designer with a power transmission belts and fluid power products provider. Over seven years, he played a pivotal role in expanding the company’s operations in Asia by establishing multiple plants and engineering centers in Shanghai, Seoul, and Chennai. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautics and Space Engineering from the Aachen University of Applied Science.
Several global macro trends are driving long-term growth in demand for the advanced industrial materials that Neo manufactures. Many of these trends reflect society’s increasing desire to reduce pollution and increase the sustainability of the products we use every day. The trends are driving change in virtually every modern industrial sector around the world.
Neo’s core business strategy is to identify these trends and produce the advanced industrial materials required by these shifts in technology. Whether it is environmental catalyst materials to reduce vehicle air emissions, or specialty chemicals to purify water, or superalloy additives that reduce weight and cut fuel consumption in transportation systems – much of Neo’s product offering provides the key functionality needed by these technologies.
Neo is proud to serve the needs of our customers across many different industries around the world. Here are a few of the industrial markets we serve.
At Neo, our advanced industrial materials enable a wide array of everyday and emerging technologies. Our materials deliver a range of powerful properties to the products in which they are used, including magnetic, catalytic, luminescent, electrochemical, thermal stability, and superconductive. Neo’s products lie at the heart of many of the world’s fast-growing applications. Here are just a few examples.
