Editor’s note: The following industry professionals have recently received promotions or appointments. To submit your company’s personnel news for possible publication in CoatingsTech, email publications@paint.org with “Names in the News” in the subject line.
CEO Miguel Mantas will retire from allnex, effective June 30, 2025. Mantas has led the company since 2016. The company’s shareholder, PTT Global Chemical, has appointed CFO Duncan Taylor as interim CEO, in addition to his current responsibilities, while a search is conducted for a permanent successor.
Taylor has served as CFO since allnex’s formation in 2013. According to the company, he brings a wealth of experience in the coating resins industry, having held various senior roles at several global chemical companies.
SONGWON has announced Johannes Honnegar as CFO, succeeding Hans-Peter Wüest, who stepped down from his role as CFO on April 1, 2025. Honegger, who has been with the company since 2013 will report directly to the Group CEO, Jongho Park.
According to the company, Honegger’s expertise and extensive knowledge of SONGWON’s operations will ensure a seamless transition, maintains strategic continuity, and continuing to build on the company’s solid financial foundation.
Engineered Custom Coatings (ECC), a provider of specialized coatings solutions, has named Troy Murray as COO. According to the company, Murray brings more than 25 years of experience in coatings, mergers and acquisitions, and finance, along with a record of operational leadership and strategic growth to ECC.
Prior to joining ECC, Murray served as director of Strategic Projects at Lacerta Group. He was previously President of TMC Advisors, LLC, and has held leadership roles at Valentus Specialty Chemicals/Canlak Coatings, PoloPlaz Inc., Valspar, and Eaton Corporation.
BruggemannChemical U.S., Inc. has appointed Philip Simer as president of U.S. operations. According to the company, Simer has played a pivotal role in growing the company’s industrial business over the past several years and now steps into a broader leadership role, expanding his focus to include polymer additives.
Simer began his career as a chemist at Jain Chem Ltd., and later DSM before joining the company. He has a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of South Carolina Upstate and MBA from University of South Carolina Aiken.
Ali Shah has joined Carboline as vice president of Global Research, Development, and Innovation. Shah has over 22 years of experience in product innovation, having held leadership positions with global chemical companies, including Dow, Eastman, PPG, and Lubrizol. According to the company, his expertise reflects Carboline’s ongoing commitment to delivering cutting-edge solutions to the market.
Shah holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an MBA from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.