Clariant has named Priya Thaman as chief human resources officer (CHRO), following her tenure in the role on an interim basis. The confirmation comes after a phase focused on execution, continuity, and progress across the company’s global people and culture agenda.
During the interim period, Thaman worked closely with CEO Conrad Keijzer, the executive leadership team, and senior business leaders to advance key HR priorities. Her mandate centred on aligning people strategy with business objectives, strengthening leadership capability, and reinforcing HR’s role as a strategic partner to the organisation.
Thaman joined the company in 2022 as its global head-talent and culture.
A strategic and globally- experienced HR leader, Thaman brings over two decades of experience across Europe, Asia and the Middle East. She has a strong track record of partnering with CEOs and executive teams to drive growth through talent, culture, and organisational transformation. At Clariant, she has led enterprise-wide change initiatives while positioning HR as a lever for commercial performance and leadership effectiveness.
Thaman is recognised for her expertise in building future-ready workforces, fostering inclusive cultures, and delivering people strategies that support business ambition. Known for navigating complexity with clarity, she brings a results-driven approach to translating vision into execution.
Prior to joining Clariant, Thaman spent over fourteen years at Perfetti Van Melle, where she served as director – global talent management and HR business partner for Group Commercial and Operations. In this role, she played a central part in transforming the company’s global integrated supply chain and commercial organisation. She led the development of a global organisational design and performance framework, establishing common KPIs across four regions and 21 countries. Thaman also partnered closely with business leaders on the global rollout of Integrated Business Planning, enabling stronger alignment between strategy, operations, and execution.
With the confirmation now in place, Thaman will continue to lead Clariant’s global human resources function with a clear mandate. Her focus areas include strengthening critical capabilities, accelerating cultural transformation, and ensuring the people agenda remains tightly aligned with the company’s long-term strategy and value creation goals.
An alumna of London Business School, Thaman is passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion, with a commitment to creating a positive impact through employee well-being and engagement.
