ditor’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.
Anne Ernst is joining Hempel A/S as executive vice president, head of Strategy & Execution, effective September 1, 2025. With this move, she becomes a member of Hempel’s Executive Group Management, which has expanded to nine members.
According to the company, Ernst will lead the newly established Strategy & Execution, driving alignment across strategic priorities and shareholder value creation. Ernst— who will report directly to Michael Hansen, group president and CEO— was formerly a partner at McKinsey & Company.
Brenntag SE has appointed Jens Birgersson as CEO and member of the Management Board, effective September 1, 2025. He succeeds Christian Kohlpaintner, who is stepping down after six years in the position.
With more than 20 years of management experience, most recently president and CEO of Rockwool Group, Denmark, Birgersson has also held various management positions in international market leading companies, including ABB and Imerys.
Beckers Group announced the appointment of Susanne Goldammer as COO. In this role, she will lead all operations, including production, Environment, Health & Safety (EHS), supply chain, procurement, and IT. With more than 25 years of international experience, Goldammer most recently served as vice president of Rolling Stock Mainline and Management Board spokesperson for Alstom Transportation Germany. She has also held senior positions at Linde and SCHOTT.
David Bloom has been appointed vice president of the Polymers Division at WACKER Chemical Corporation where he will oversee the Polymers business for the North and Central America (NCA)region. Bloom succeeds Mathias Wiedemann, who was elevated to president of WACKER Biosolutions on January 1, 2025.
Bloom has served in various leadership roles at WACKER, including as senior director of the company’s Consumer and Industrial Polymer business and marketing team in the NCA region. He has over 30 years of industry experience, including 17 years with WACKER.
AkzoNobel announced that Daniel Geiger Rocha Campos, is now Business Director Global Deco. Previously he served as executive director of the division in Asia Pacific and Latin America. Now Campos will assume global responsibility for the business unit. The division will now operate under the name Global Deco, bringing together all international activities in the Decorative Paints segment.
With this move, Guilherme Matte Ruschel, formerly general director of the business unit, has been appointed the new president of AkzoNobel in Brazil.
Campos will be based at AkzoNobel’s global headquarters in Amsterdam. Ruschel will continue to operate from Brazil, where he will be responsible for advancing the company’s strategic development in the region.
Stepan Company has named Corning Painter as a member of its board of directors. Currently CEO of Orion S.A., Painter also served as an executive vice president for Industrial Gases at Air Products and Chemicals. He is a certified professional engineer and holds a Chemical Engineering degree from Carnegie Mellon University.
BASF has announced a series of executive appointments. Christoph Wegner, president of the company’s Global Digital Services, Ludwigshafen, will assume responsibility for the Division Group Research, Ludwigshafen. The current president of the division, Helmut Winterling, has been appointed president, European Site & Verbund Management. He succeeds Uwe Liebelt. In addition, Dietrich Spandau, senior vice president, Corporate Human Resources, Ludwigshafen, will succeed Christoph Wegner as president.
The Powder Coating Institute announced the recent retirement of executive director Kevin Coursins, who served as head of the institute since 2020. While an executive search is underway for a permanent replacement, Troy Newport, publisher of The Powder Coating Institute’s trade publication Powder Coated Tough since 2016, will act as interim executive director.
The ChemQuest Group has announced the appointment of three new directors: Roudabeh (Rudi) Heshmatazad, John Giudici, and William (Bill) Worms.
Heshmatazad has over 25 years’ experience in the chemical industry, where she has held several senior positions. These include roles at BEHR Paint Co., Bosch Home Appliances Corp., and most recently Delta Faucet. She holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Chemistry from Azad Tehran University, an MBA from DeVry University, and a business strategy certification from Harvard Business School Online.
Giudici has more than 40 years of experience. He began his career as a design and development engineer with General Motors and has held leadership positions with manufacturers such as Meritor, Inc. and Northstar Aerospace. Giudici earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Kettering University and a master’s degree in Management in Manufacturing from Northwestern University.
Over 25 years, Worms held numerous roles at Bayer Material Science, before leaving to serve as executive director of SSPC: The Society for Protective Coatings. He was most recently president and CEO of KTA-Tator. Worms holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Psychology, as well as an MS in Industrial Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh.