Cookson breaks off its ceramics

Cookson has revealed how it is to divide itself, creating two new mid-cap companies. Engineered ceramics will be renamed Vesuvius and chemicals will be demerged and called Alent.

Activist shareholder Cevian Capital, which owns 20 per cent of Cookson, said founding partners, Christer Gardell and Lars Forberg, will serve as directors on the two new boards.