Ashland Inc.

We live in an ever-changing world. And where there are changes, there are challenges. The Earth has finite resources. And nature is not a commodity. To build our future, we must find our inspiration in the unknown. Questioning. Learning and building on the knowledge of those who came before us. climate change social shifts air and water quality and the need for greater transparency can all be addressed but bold solutions are needed and business as usual is not enough we are ashland right sized for growth and ready to address these seemingly insurmountable challenges by responsibly solving for a better world. Ours is a focused, agile approach, working side by side with stakeholders to deliver a nature-positive approach to business. A focused footprint, putting our people and products close to customers and consumers and their communities where we live, work, and play. With conscious to cutting edge innovations that reconcile the needs of people, planet, and profit. Supported by our robust environmental commitment to science-based targets. A passionate social strategy that elevates economies and respects the rights of people everywhere. And a comprehensive governance discipline that shows the world the why behind our how. Turning investment into stewardship, commerce into regeneration, and production into sustainable solutions for people and planet. Ashland, responsibly solving for a better world.

Good day and thank you for standing by. Welcome to the Ashland, Inc. fourth quarter 2022 earnings call. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode. After the speaker's presentation, there will be a question and answer session. To ask questions during the session, you will need to press star 1 1 on your telephone. You will then hear an automated message advising your hand is raised. Please be advised that today's conference is being recorded. I would now like to hand the conference over to your speaker today, Seth Morozek, Director, Investor Relations. Please go ahead.

Thank you, Bella. Hello, everyone, and welcome to Ashland's fourth quarter fiscal year 2022 earnings conference call and webcast. My name is Seth Morozek, Director, Ashland Investor Relations. Joining me on the call today are Guillermo Novo, Ashland Chair and Chief Executive Officer and Kevin Willis, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. We released preliminary results for the quarter ended September 30, 2022, at approximately 5 p.m. Eastern Time yesterday, November 7. The news release issued last night was furnished to the SEC in a Form 8-K. During today's call, we will reference slides that are currently being webcast on our website, Ashland.com, under the Investor Relations section. We encourage you to follow along with the webcast during the call. Please turn to slide two. As a reminder, during today's call, we will be making forward-looking statements on several matters, including our outlook for fiscal year 2023. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause future results or events to differ materially from today's projections. We believe any such statements are based on reasonable assumptions but cannot assure that such expectations will be achieved. Please refer to slide two of the presentation for more complete explanation of those risks and uncertainties and the limits applicable to forward-looking statements. You can also review our most recent Form 10-K under item 1A for a comprehensive discussion of the risk factors impacting our business. Please also note that we will be referring to certain actual and projected financial metrics of Ashland on an adjusted basis, which are non-GAAP financial measures. We will refer to these measures as adjusted and present them to supplement your understanding and assessment of the financial performance of our ongoing business. Non-GAAP measures should not be considered a substitute for or superior to financial measures calculated in accordance with GAAP. The most directly comparable GAAP measures as well as reconciliations of the non-GAAP measures to those gap measures are available on our website and in the appendix of today's slide presentation. Please turn to slide three. Guillermo will begin the call this morning with an overview of Ashland's performance and results in the fourth fiscal quarter. Next, Kevin will provide a more detailed review of financial results for the quarter. Guillermo will then provide additional commentary related to Ashland's financial results in fiscal year 2022. progress made related to our operating strategy, our goals for environmental, social, and governance commitments, and an overview of our financial outlook for fiscal year 2023. We will then open the line for your questions. Now, please turn to slide five, and I will turn the call over to Guillermo for his opening remarks.