Names in the News

The following industry professionals have recently received appointments or promotions.

Excelitas Technologies® Corp. has announced the appointment of Ron Keating as its new CEO and Ben Stas as chief financial officer (CFO). Keating and Stas succeed former CEO David Nislick and former CFO Jim Rao, who have announced their retirements.

Keating served the past nine years as president and CEO at Evoqua Water Technologies, which he took public in 2017. Stas served alongside Ron Keating at Evoqua as the executive vice president, CFO, and treasurer. The two also worked closely together at Kennametal, where they served in leadership positions before moving to Evoqua.

The BASF Board of Executive Directors has announced Marcelo Lu, senior vice president, Care Chemicals North America, has been appointed president for the Division of South and East Asia, ASEAN and ANZ, effective February 1. The current head of the division, Carola Richter, is leaving the company.

Klaus Welsch, president, Mega Projects Asia, is retiring December 31. Haryono Lim, senior vice president at the new BASF Verbund site in China, will succeed him. He will be based in Zhanjiang.

Nouryon announced the appointment of Michael Zacka to the company’s Board of Directors as an independent director. With Zacka’s appointment, the Board has expanded from 11 to 12 members, five of whom are independent.

Currently, Zacka is president, Flexibles Europe, Middle East, and Africa for the global packaging company Amcor plc, headquartered in Zurich. Zacka joined Amcor in July 2017 as chief commercial officer, and from November 2017 to July 2019, he assumed additional responsibility as president of Amcor’s Flexible Packaging business in Asia Pacific.

Axalta Coating Systems has appointed Mary S. Zappone, current CEO of Sundyne LLC, to Axalta’s Board of Directors as an independent director. Zappone will serve on two committees: the Audit and the Environment, Health, Safety, and Sustainability. Axalta also announced that Steven M. Chapman will not stand for re-election at Axalta’s 2024 Annual General Meeting of Members.

Zappone has served as CEO of Sundyne since July 2021. She has more than 20 years of leadership experience in growing industrial companies across a variety of sectors including chemical, energy infrastructure, manufacturing and distribution, and equipment rental.

Sheboygan Paint Company announced the appointment of Samantha Moran to technical director. In this role, Moran will direct the Research & Development team and oversee the work of chemists and technicians in the company’s laboratories in both Cedartown, GA, and Sheboygan, WI.

Moran has been part of the Sheboygan Paint Company R&D Team for more than seven years and has successfully guided more than 1,000 lab projects and managed the launch of innovative new lab equipment. She was also a key player in the filing of Sheboygan Paint Company’s first patent, for a catalyst that makes environmentally friendly paint more accessible across commercial industries.