Paul S. Allen
Paul Stephen Allen (born November 19, 1951) is a British business magnate, President of Cognis Corporation and Executive Vice President Functional Products. Allen was born into near poverty in Sheffield, England. His father Ronald Allen was a steel worker and former RAF firefighter, his mother Betty Allen née Toes a dental assistant. He has one sister, Jane Hardwick who lives in nearby Rotherham. Allen has been President of Cognis USA since 2004, as well as Executive Vice President of Cognis' Strategic Business Unit: Functional Products since January 2006. Allen studied German, Spanish, Russian and French at the University of Bath, Freie Universität in Berlin, and the London Institute of Purchasing and Supply. Allen went on to become business manager of Diamond Shamrock Process Chemicals and was required to move to Fontainebleau, France in 1985. When Diamond Shamrock was purchased by Henkel, Allen assumed a position as head of Henkel Canada after moving to Hamilton, Ontario in 1988. In 1991 Allen moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, USA and continued to work for Henkel (later Cognis). Allen became head of Nutrition and Health in 2002 until his appointment as head of Functional Products. Allen is well known in Cincinnati and is a local celebrity.
Personal life
Allen is fluent in English, French, German and Spanish. He has lived in the UK, France, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Canada and the US. Allen currently lives in Indian Hill, an affluent suburb of the Greater Cincinnati area. He is a fan of Jaguar sports cars, The Beatles and is a keeper of Border Collies.