The following industry professionals have recently received appointments or promotions.
Petz
The Sherwin-Williams Company has announced that its Board of Directors has elected Heidi G. Petz to serve as the Company’s next CEO, effective Jan. 1. Petz, who has served as president and chief operating officer of Sherwin-Williams for the past two years, will assume the CEO duties currently held by Chairman and CEO John G. Morikis. Petz will continue to serve as president.
Morikis will continue to serve as executive chairman. In addition, the Board increased its size from 10 to 11 members and elected Petz to fill the resulting vacancy.
Petz joined the company in June 2017 in connection with the Valspar acquisition. Prior to joining Valspar in 2013, she held various leadership positions with Target Corporation, Newell Rubbermaid and PriceWaterhouseCoopers.
Van Baarle
LANXESS Corporation has announced the retirement of President and CEO Antonis Papadourakis. Frederique van Baarle, a member of the board of management and labor director of LANXESS AG, assumes the role of president and CEO for the company’s Americas region.
Since joining the company in 2011, Van Baarle has held various management and leadership roles with the company and brings more than 20 years of chemical industry experience to her new role. She previously led the company’s High Performance Materials business unit after heading a regional Engineering Plastics business line and serving in various management positions at Royal DSM before joining LANXESS.
Papadourakis, who joined the company as CEO in 2015, retires after more than 35 years in the chemical industry.
Knavish
PPG President and CEO Tim Knavish has been elected chair of the company’s Board of Directors and CEO. Knavish succeeds Michael McGarry, 65, who served as chairman and CEO from 2016 to 2022 and is retiring as executive chairman.
Knavish has served in his current role as president and CEO since January 1, 2023, and previously served as chief operating officer beginning in March 2022. Prior to being named chief operating officer, Knavish was executive vice president beginning in October 2019.
In other PPG news, Hugh Grant has stepped down as PPG independent lead director and announced his retirement from the board or directors. Grant joined the board in 2005 and has served on several committees. The Board has unanimously appointed board member Michael W. Lamach to succeed Grant as the new PPG independent lead director and chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee.
Arxada has announced the appointment of Sanjeev Rastogi as CEO. Marc Doyle, who has led Arxada since its foundation, will transition to a new role as a member of the Board of Directors.
Rastogi joined Arxada in April 2023 as president of the Consumer Microbial Control (CMC) business. Before joining Arxada, Rastogi served as senior vice president for Hexion’s Resins and was vice president of Honeywell’s Fluorine Products businesses. He has an MBA in finance from the Stern School of Business at New York University and a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Delaware.
Baricos
Sheboygan Paint Company has promoted Cynthia Baricos to vice president of operations. Baricos was previously the company’s vice president of research and development and will oversee the manufacturing functions, with a goal of supporting continuous improvement and delivering industrial coating solutions to customers.
Since joining the company in 2021, Baricos has led the research and development team to reduce quality control cycle time, increase new technology revenues and identify customer-focused solutions to nationwide raw material shortages. Under Baricos’ leadership, Sheboygan Paint Company earned its first patent for a catalyst that makes environmentally friendly paint more widely accessible.
Tablin-Wolf
Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. has announced that Brian Berube is retiring as senior vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary at the end of 2023. Alex Tablin-Wolf has been appointed his successor, effective January 1, 2024.
Tablin-Wolf joined Axalta in 2017 and currently serves as vice president and associate general counsel. He previously served as an associate in the corporate and securities practice groups of Fox Rothschild LLP and Blank Rome LLP. Tablin-Wolf earned his J.D., cum laude, from the Temple University Beasley School of Law.
Masco Corporation, manufacturers of branded home improvement and building products, has announced the election of Richard (Rick) Westenberg as vice president, chief financial officer, effective October 16, 2023.
Westenberg has more than 25 years of experience, including nearly 15 years of leading global finance organizations. Most recently, he served as vice president and chief financial officer (CFO) of General Motors North America. Prior to that, he served as vice president, finance, and CFO of SAIC-General Motors.
Westenberg holds an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business.
Charles
The Chemours Company has announced that Ron Charles is promoted to senior vice president of the People Function, as Susan Kelliher announces her retirement.
Charles, who has been with Chemours for six years, takes on his new role with 24 years of experience in human resources, manufacturing, and labor relations, including 18-plus years in the chemical industry. Before Chemours, Charles held various leadership positions with Phillips 66, Albemarle Corporation, Frito Lay, and Texas Instruments.
Kelliher has more than 30 years of human resources experience and has served since 2017 as a member of the Chemours executive team. Chemours says Kelliher implemented pay transparency and transformed its employee benefits by introducing offerings such as flexible work schedules, extended parental leave, an enhanced wellness program, student loan assistance, and adoption support.