Paint and Coatings Industry News

Main News Page

PPG Names EHS VP, Asia-Pacific Coatings Chief

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

More items for Coating Materials

PPG Industries has announced the appointment of Diane Kappas as vice president, environment, health and safety (EHS), effective Oct. 1.

Kappas will succeed John Richter, who has been named vice president of operations for coatings, Asia/Pacific, at PPG’s China headquarters in Shanghai.

Diane Kappas

As vice president, EHS, Kappas will lead all aspects of PPG’s global environmental affairs and corporate sustainability programs.

“To this role, Diane brings extensive experience in PPG’s manufacturing and commercial operations, including broad exposure to many EHS programs and concepts,” said Michael H. McGarry, senior vice president, Commodity Chemicals.

Diane Kappas will lead PPG’s global environmental affairs.

Kappas joined PPG in 1986 as an engineer trainee in industrial coatings and progressed through a series of coatings manufacturing roles at PPG sites in Springdale, PA; Oak Creek, WI; Dover, DE; and East Point, GA.

In 1998, she was named manager, corporate diversity; in 2001, she became plant manager of the company’s specialty chemicals facility in Barberton, OH. In 2004, she became director, supply chain, automotive replacement glass and North America refinish; in 2007, she assumed her current assignment as business director, TESLIN products, in the silicas business.

Kappas holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and an MBA from Duquesne University.

John Richter

Richter holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the University of Pittsburgh.

He joined PPG in 1975 and progressed through assignments with U.S. coatings manufacturing and engineering in East Point, GA.; Oak Creek, WI; Torrance, CA; Circleville and Cleveland, OH; and Springdale, PA.

New Asia Pacific coatings VP John Richter will be based in Shanghai.

In 1999, he assumed manufacturing responsibility for the industrial coatings business; in 2003, he was named global operations director, Original Equipment Manufacturing coatings, with responsibility for PPG’s operations and supply chain for automotive, industrial and packaging coatings.  Richter became vice president of EHS in January 2010.