Andrew Liveris, CEO of Dow Chemical has announced that he would leave the company by mid-2017 after it merges with rival chemical and seeds producer DuPont.

Liveris said “My own planned transition out of the company, which will occur when we are set up to be spun off, but no later than the end of Q2 2017,” during a call with analysts after a better-than-expected quarterly profit according to Reuters, which noted “DuPont and Dow will combine and then split into three separate businesses, focused on material sciences, specialty products and agriculture. DuPont CEO Edward Breen will head the combined company after the merger, while Liveris, 61, is set to be executive chairman. The deal is expected to close in the second half of 2016.”

Liveris has been with DOW for four decades career at Dow “during which the Australian engineer became one of the best known executives in the world,” Reuters reported.

Liveris is founding Chairman of the Board of The Hellenic Inistiative (THI). According to its website it “was founded in 2012 by members of the global Greek and philhellene communities who were compelled to respond to the worsening economic crisis and inspired to help shape Greece’s long-term recovery.”