[3] Born in Sofia, Bulgaria, on October 27, 1935, Popoff emigrated in 1941 with his father and mother, Eftim and Stoyanka Popoff and his sister Joan to Terre Haute, Indiana.

in chemistry in 1957, and an MBA from IU's Kelley School of Business in 1959.

[4] Popoff joined The Dow Chemical Company in 1959 and served in technical service and development, sales and marketing positions prior to becoming general manager of the Agricultural Products Department, president of Dow Chemical Europe in Zurich, Switzerland, and returning to Dow's Midland, Michigan, headquarters in 1985 to become chief executive officer and chairman of the board of directors.

He has served as director of American Express Co., Qwest Communications International Inc., United Technologies Corp. and Shin-Etsu Chemical Co. Ltd. and was director emeritus of the Indiana University Foundation.

In his tenure as the CEO of Dow Chemical, Popoff led the push to make the company environmentally sustainable.