LONDON — Javed Ahmed has been named chief executive officer of Tate & Lyle P.L.C., effective Nov. 15. He will succeed Iain Ferguson, who has been c.e.o. since May 2003.

Mr. Ahmed currently is executive vice-president of Europe for Reckitt Benckiser P.L.C., a global household, health and personal care company with operations in more than 60 countries. He joined Benckiser in 1992 as general manager of Canada, before moving to the United Kingdom to run the company’s U.K. and Irish operations in 1995. In 1999, he was named senior vice-president of Northern Europe, and in 2001 assumed the role of president of North America. In 2003, he was promoted to executive vice-president of North America, Australia and New Zealand. He has held his most recent position since 2008, and has been a member of the company’s executive committee since 2003.

He graduated magna cum laude from Williams College in Massachusetts in 1982 and received a master’s degree in business administration from the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1984.

"We are confident that, in Javed, we have found a worthy successor to Iain to lead Tate & Lyle in the next phase of its development," said David Lees chairman of Tate & Lyle.