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PPG Names Several New Leadership Appointments
At the beginning of the month, global coatings company PPG (Pittsburgh) announced several leadership personnel appointments, effective immediately.
According to the release, current Senior Vice President, Protective and Marine Coatings (PMC) and President, PPG Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) Ram Vadlamannati will transition to lead a newly created PPG operations organization, while maintaining executive oversight accountability of PPG’s EMEA region. He will report to PPG President and Chief Executive Officer Tim Knavish.
PPG reports that the operations organization will encompass supply chain, operational excellence, manufacturing operations, procurement, and environment, health and safety functions.
Additionally, current Senior Vice President, Packaging Coatings Amy Ericson will reportedly become senior vice president, PMC, succeeding Vadlamannati. She will also assume executive oversight accountability for PPG’s Latin America region.
Reporting to Knavish, Ericson is anticipated to continue leading PPG’s packaging coatings business on an interim basis, until a new leader for the business is announced.
Kevin Braun, Vice President, Global Industrial Coatings and Interim Industrial Segment Leader, will assume executive oversight responsibility for the following PPG businesses: global automotive coatings, specialty coatings and materials, and packaging coatings. Braun also plans to continue to lead PPG’s global industrial coatings business.
Finally, Vice President, Global Automotive Refinish, Chancey Hagerty will continue in his current role and assume executive oversight accountability for the Asia Pacific region, PPG reports.
“Congratulations to these PPG leaders on their expanded responsibilities and new roles,” said Knavish. “We are pleased to have a talented group of leaders with broad, proven experience, which provides continuity in driving our global business strategies and delivering shareholder value.
“I look forward to working with the entire PPG leadership team and our more than 50,000 PPG People around the world to drive our purpose forward – We Protect and Beautify the World.”
PPG CEO Change
Effective Jan. 1, former chief operating officer Tim Knavish is now President and Chief Executive Officer as former CEO Michael McGarry retired at the end of the year. McGarry became Executive Chairman, but also announced to the PPG Board of Directors his intention to retire as Executive Chairman and as a Director of the company, effective Oct. 1, 2023.
Knavish was appointed to COO in March of last year. As of Oct. 20, Knavish also joined the Board of Directors.
Knavish first joined PPG in 1987, at the company’s global headquarters in Pittsburgh. Throughout the years, Knavish advanced through roles of increasing responsibility in several key businesses and functions, including serving as plant manager for the East Point, Georgia, architectural coatings manufacturing facility.
In 2005, Knavish moved to Australia to serve as managing director, Australia and New Zealand coatings, and general manager, automotive finish. Knavish returned to the U.S. in 2007 to assume responsibility for automotive coatings, Americas.
Afterwards, in 2010, he was named a vice president before being appointed to global vice president, protective and marine coatings, in 2012 and senior vice president automotive coatings in 2016. The following year, Knavish again returned to Pittsburgh to serve as PPG’s senior vice president, industrial coatings, but was also responsible for the global supply management function and for PPG’s Asia Pacific region.
In 2019, Knavish was named senior vice president, architectural coatings and president, PPG EMEA, before being appointed to his role as executive vice president later that year. He was responsible for PPG’s global architectural coatings businesses; the global automotive refinish business; the Latin America region; and the digital and information technology functions.
A Pittsburgh native, Knavish earned both a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh. He currently serves on the board of directors of the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania.
