Ingevity Corp. has picked its chief financial officer to lead the North Charleston specialty chemicals company.

The board named John C. Fortson president and CEO and a director, effective Sept. 1, Ingevity said Monday. Fortson, 53, has been executive vice president, CFO and treasurer since joining Ingevity in October 2015 from AAR Corp. He will keep the CFO and treasurer jobs on an interim basis until a permanent replacement is named.

He succeeds Rick Kelson, the board chairman, who has been interim president and CEO since Feb. 20. That day, Ingevity said its board and Michael Wilson had agreed that he would resign as president, CEO and a director, effective immediately. “Wilson’s resignation is unrelated to the company’s financial reporting and business performance and is the result of matters relating to his personal conduct,” the company said then. Kelson will stay on as chairman.

A board committee led by director Michael Fitzpatrick spent six months searching inside and outside the company with help from the executive search firm Spencer Stuart, Ingevity said.

“John presented the board with a compelling vision and strategy for ‘Ingevity 2.0,’ based on his familiarity with the company and its unique culture,” Kelson said.

Fortson said the company’s direction would not change much. “Our strategy remains fundamentally the same,” he said. “However, we will focus on sustainability, customer centricity and innovation to drive growth. It’s a new day for the company, and we’re ready to get to it.”

Before AAR, Fortson spent almost 15 years in investment banking at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. He served seven years as an Army infantry officer, last commanding a parachute rifle company in the 82nd Airborne Division, and graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

His salary will rise to $825,000 when he becomes CEO, according to a company filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Ingevity makes specialty chemicals, high-performance carbon materials and engineered polymers. It operates from 25 locations around the world and employs about 1,850 people, the company said.