DowDuPont names leaders for Corteva Agriscience, DuPont

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FILE - In this Dec. 9, 2015, file photo, the company name of Dow appears above its trading post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. DowDuPont names James C. Collins Jr. as CEO of Corteva Agriscience, which is what the agriculture unit will be called once spun off. Marc Doyle will become CEO of DuPont, which is what the specialty products division will be named once separated. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

DowDuPont has named the chief executives who will lead its agriculture and specialty products businesses once they're split off from the company.

The chemical giants Dow and DuPont merged last year in a deal valued at close to $70 billion, with plans to then split into three distinct companies.

The company said Monday that James Collins, the chief operating officer at DowDuPont's agriculture unit, will lead Corteva Agriscience. Marc Doyle, the COO for the specialty products division, will become CEO of DuPont. Both companies will be based in Wilmington, Delaware.

Ed Breen, the CEO of DuPont, will become executive chairman at the company after the separation.

Jim Fitterling has already been picked to lead Dow, the materials science division, based in Midland, Michigan.

The three branches will become independent companies next year. The boards of the companies are anticipated to be finalized by October's end.

Shares of DowDuPont Inc. rose more than 1 percent Monday.