The following industry professionals have recently received appointments or promotions.
Anna Bertona to Assume CEO Post at Azelis Group
The Azelis Group NV board of directors has appointed Anna Bertona as CEO, starting January 1, 2024. She will succeed Hans Joachim Müller, Ph.D., who has decided to retire at the end of the year after 10 years as CEO. Bertona has also been nominated to join the company’s board of directors.
Bertona has worked at Azelis for almost a decade, most recently as CEO and president, EMEA, since 2016.
“Having worked closely with Anna for many years, I am confident Azelis will continue to go from strength to strength under her leadership as CEO,” Müller said. “Anna’s success as CEO and president of Azelis EMEA is a testament to her capabilities as a business leader, and I know she will bring the same level of dedication and commitment to the role of Azelis CEO. I look forward to working with Anna in the coming months as she transitions into the group CEO role.”
Thomas L. Williams Joins Sherwin-Williams Board of Directors
The Sherwin-Williams Company has announced that its board of directors elected Thomas L. Williams to the now 10-member board. Williams was also appointed to the board’s Compensation and Management Development Committee.
Williams currently serves as executive chairman of Parker-Hannifin Corporation, a worldwide diversified manufacturer of motion and control technologies and systems for the mobile, industrial, and aerospace markets. He retired from the position of CEO at the company in January. Williams is also a director of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company.
“We are pleased to have Tom join our board of directors,” said John G. Morikis, chairman and CEO, Sherwin-Williams. “Tom has long been an established leader with more than 30 years of global experience in the industrial sector. In particular, his extensive and diverse operations expertise gained over the course of his career will provide invaluable perspective to the Board.”
PPG Appoints Chris Roberts, Xiaobing Nie, John Bruno to Top Positions
Chris Roberts
PPG announced the appointment of Christopher N. Roberts III, to its board of directors; Xiaobing Nie to president, PPG Asia Pacific; and John Bruno to vice president, finance.
Roberts is the executive vice president and general manager, global food and beverage, at Ecolab Inc. His appointment to the board of directors will be effective on October 18, and he will serve on board’s Audit and Sustainability and Innovation Committees. Roberts has served in his current role with Ecolab since November 2020. He has held leadership roles at Land O’Lakes, Inc., Dairy Foods, and Cargill, Incorporated.
Xiaobing Nie
Xiaobing Nie’s appointment to the president position of PPG Asia Pacific became effective on August 1. Nie will still be based in Shanghai, where she will maintain her current responsibilities in addition to those of her new role. She will report directly to Kevin Braun, senior vice president, industrial coatings segment, and functionally to Chancey Hagerty, senior vice president, automotive refinish coatings and executive sponsor of PPG’s Asia-Pacific region. Nie joined PPG in 2021 from DuPont, where she held several positions, including Asia-Pacific leader for the company’s Shelter division.
John Bruno
Bruno, who has been with PPG for 28 years, moved from his role of vice president, investor relations, to vice president, finance. He will continue to report to Vince Morales, PPG senior vice president and CFO. Bruno will also continue to serve as PPG’s primary investor relations contact until his successor is named. In his new role, Bruno will be responsible for influencing growth and strategy initiatives for all of PPG’s strategic business units, among other tasks.
Axalta Names Kevin Stein to Board of Directors
Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. has announced the appointment of Kevin Stein, Ph.D., president and CEO of TransDigm Group Incorporated, to Axalta’s board of directors as an independent director, effective September 1. Stein will serve on Axalta’s Environment, Health, Safety, and Sustainability and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committees as the board’s 10th member.
“We are extremely pleased to welcome Kevin to our Board of Directors as he is a dynamic executive with more than 30 years of progressive leadership experience. He is a seasoned public company CEO who has driven significant shareholder value creation. His global perspective and deep manufacturing experience with top-tier companies will better enable us to execute on our strategic growth plan,” said Rakesh Sachdev, chair of the board of directors, Axalta.
Stein currently serves as president and CEO of TransDigm Group, Incorporated—a designer, producer, and supplier of aircraft components—where he also serves on the board of directors.
NACD Announces Key Staff Promotions
National Association of Chemical Distributors (NACD) President and CEO Eric R. Byer has announced the promotion of six NACD staff members across key departments: Jennifer Gibson, senior vice president, Regulatory Affairs; Brian Callahan, vice president, Legislative Affairs; Doug Leigh, vice president, Legislative Affairs; Caroline Brooks, senior director, Responsible Distribution; Jenni Jenkins, senior director, Membership; and Analisa Puzzanghero, director, Regulatory Affairs.
These promotions follow the earlier additions of Gayle Ogletree as coordinator of Education Programs; Sean Corson as coordinator of Responsible Distribution; and Tyler Farrar as coordinator of Government Affairs.
PennWhite Limited Appoints Tobias Tasche as CEO
PennWhite Limited, a UK-based manufacturer of specialty chemicals, has announced the appointment of Tobias Tasche as CEO, effective as of July 24.
Tobias Tasche has 25 years of experience in the downstream oil products and specialty chemicals sectors. He previously worked for Shell International, Gulf Oil International, and more recently, for SIP Speciality Oils and Fluids. PennWhite particularly highlighted his expertise in general management, supply chain, and operations.
He will be based at PennWhite’s manufacturing location in the UK.
Delta Coatings Appoints Paul Symons as Director of Sales
Delta Coatings International, a Dubai-based waterproofing specialist and protective coatings system company, has appointed Paul Symons as director of sales to spearhead expansion in Oman, Saudi Arabia, and across the North Africa region, among other countries.
Responsibilities for the new role will include overseeing product launches and providing personalized service to existing and new clients in the United Arab Emirates and around the world. Symons, who will be based within the Dubai team, will have the task of developing growth strategies and widening Delta Coating’s network across the construction and built environment sectors.
Symons has business development experience spanning the protective coatings, lining solutions, and waterproofing sectors.
“Paul’s impressive career in business development immediately marked him out as a valuable addition to our MENA and international operations, at a time when we are looking to maximize opportunities in a rapidly developing market. Paul has exactly the right fit with strategic vision, technical knowledge, and industry awareness that we need to increase our work across the Middle East region as well as internationally,” said Belvin Marx, head of Delta Coatings in Dubai.
Hawk Adds Commercialization Executive
Hawk Research Laboratories, LLC (Hawk), a Wheeling, IL-based manufacturer of coatings and adhesives, has appointed Mike Kelliher as vice president of sales and marketing.
Kelliher has more than 25 years of sales and marketing leadership experience across a variety of surfaces and substrates, including stone, solid surface, and recycled materials. In his most recent role, Kelliher was responsible for leading the national sales efforts and building a wholesale distribution network at Trajus Surfaces/Alleanza Quartz.
In his new position, Kelliher will focus on building and executing the commercialization strategy across all of Hawk’s markets. His immediate focus will be on growing Hawk’s recent acquisition, Bonstone Materials, in the stone fabrication and restoration markets.