DuPont Sustainable Solutions spun off as independent consultancy
DuPont Sustainable Solutions has spun off from chemical company DuPont, forming an independent operations consultancy backed by investment from private equity firm Gyrus Capital.
DuPont Sustainable Solutions (DSS) has been helping industrial companies with operations improvements and workplace safety for more than 50 years. The former consulting unit within DuPont helps industrials protect their employees and assets, improve operational effectiveness, innovate more rapidly, and train and develop their workforce.
The spun-off, independent consulting firm will be headquartered in Geneva, with regional headquarters in Singapore, Sao Paolo, and Wilmington, Delaware. DSS has over 900 professionals across 40 global offices, and was rated the #1 environmental, health and safety consulting brand for the past two years by research firm Verdantix.
"DuPont is extremely proud of the industry-leading work we have done with DSS to achieve lasting safety and operational improvements for companies worldwide," Marc Doyle, CEO of DuPont, said. "DSS is well-positioned to continue providing its clients with world-class services as an independent company, and we are proud of our former colleagues as they begin this exciting new endeavor."
The spin-off is a response to growing client demand for solutions that tackle challenges such as advancing technology, maturing systems, shifting workforces, and plateaued safety performance.
"In a world where global economic changes and disruptions can have a significant impact on the safety and continuity of organizations and their global supply chains, DSS will now have increased flexibility and agility to provide its industry-leading consulting services and bring innovative solutions to market faster for our clients," Davide Vassallo, CEO of DSS, said.
DSS will be backed by Gyrus Capital, a Switzerland-based private equity firm specializing in the healthcare and technology industries. Three executives from Gyrus will serve on the firm’s new board of directors, alongside DSS CEO Davide Vassalo, DSS CFO Vladimir Kral, and president of DuPont Safety & Construction Rose Lee.
DSS will retain IP rights related to services it sells, and will also retain DuPont logos, sites, capabilities, and resources for a “defined period of time,” according to a release from the firm.
The carve-out follows an active period of corporate realignment at Wilmington-based DuPont, one of the world’s leading chemical companies. Following DuPont’s merger with Dow Chemical in 2017, plans to create three public companies with a more selective focus were realized in 2019. Corteva took on an agriculture focus, Dow took on materials sciences, and DuPont took on “specialty products” – uniting Dow’s electronic materials business and DuPont’s nutrition & health, industrial biosciences, safety & protection, and electronics & communications businesses.
