American Coatings Association

At its recent summer meeting in Amsterdam, the International Paint and Printing Ink Council (IPPIC) elected its new president, Bill McPherson, recently retired president of the International Paint division of AkzoNobel. The president of IPPIC acts as the chairman of the meetings and is a recently retired executive from the industry. IPPIC seeks out retired industry leaders to benefit from their experience and leadership in order to provide focus to its mission and ensure value-added initiatives. The president serves a two year term.

McPherson succeeds Ed Donnelly, retired senior vice president of DuPont Performance Coatings, who served as IPPIC president for four years.

McPherson served as CEO or managing director of Courtaulds Chemicals and AkzoNobel businesses for some 24 years, during which time he increased return on capital employed, or ROCE, in 22 out of the 24 years. He retired from AkzoNobel in 2010 as president of its International Paint division.

McPherson spent ten years in research and development in Courtaulds’ synthetic fibers division, then three years as the strategy manager for acrylic fibers. He was posted to France as operations director for the Courtelle Fibers Division, and returned to the company’s flagship division in United Kingdom in late 1986 as CEO. During that time McPherson sat on the industry committee for the United Kingdom’s man-made fibers and textiles organization.

In 1991, McPherson became CEO of Courtaulds Chemicals, and joined the Courtaulds Executive Board in 1993. A year later he joined the coatings division as CEO of the Asia Pacific region, first in Australia, then in Singapore. McPherson was CEO during the start-up of many of the coatings operations in Asia until Courtaulds was purchased by AkzoNobel in July 1998.

At the time, the Asia market included all of Asia Pacific, including India and East Russia. During that acquisition period the Courtaulds Coatings businesses in Asia Pacific were the most profitable part of Courtaulds (ROCE above 50 percent), whereas AkzoNobel had no profitable unit in the region. McPherson was tasked with making that region’s business units profitable, and succeeded wildly.

In 2000, McPherson returned to the United Kingdom as managing director of Powder Coatings, and in 2004 took over responsibility for the Marine and Protective Coatings Business Unit (including Aerospace Coatings), during which time he served on the CEPE Board for two and a half years.

In 2008 McPherson chaired the Steering Group for the rationalization of the ICI headquarters in London in addition to serving as managing director of Powder Coatings and Marine and Protective Coatings.

McPherson holds a graduate degree in mathematics and chemistry from Aberdeen University, where he graduated with honors in 1970.

About IPPIC: IPPIC is comprised of paint and printing ink trade associations representing Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Europe, Japan, Mexico, and the United States. IPPIC provides a forum for information exchange and cooperation on the major issues and priorities facing the paint and printing ink industries worldwide. For information about IPPIC and the activities it is involved in on behalf of the global paint and coatings industry, go to www.ippic.org.