People in Composites: June 2021

Vestas appoints new chief sales officer and Vestas North America president

Vestas’ (Aarhus, Denmark) announced as of June 1 that, after almost ten years as the company’s chief sales officer, Juan Araluce y Martinez de Azagra will be succeeded by Javier Rodriguez Diez, who currently serves as president of Vestas Mediterranean. 

The appointment of Javier Rodriguez Diez as Vestas’ new chief sales officer is effective July 1, and follows Vestas’ succession planning, entailing Javier Rodriguez Diez will become part of Vestas’ Executive Management with commercial and sales responsibility across onshore and offshore wind globally as well as relocate to Copenhagen with immediate effect.

“The wind industry would not have grown at the speed it has in the last decade without Juan Araluce’s tremendous contribution to making wind projects more profitable, which has been key to making Vestas a global leader in sustainable energy solutions,” says Henrik Andersen, group president and CEO. “Replacing Juan is tough and big shoes to fill, but we are excited that we have such a strong internal replacement in Javier Rodriguez Diez who has the track record, experience and business acumen to lead Vestas’ commercial and sales organisation towards our vision. A key part of this journey is getting even closer to our customers than we are today, and with the establishment of Vestas Latin America, we want to grow profitably by strengthening our footprint and reach in the region to the benefit of our customers.”

Juan Araluce has spent almost 15 years in Vestas and is said to have played a key part in recreating customers’ trust in the company during the company’s turnaround in 2012-2014. Since then, Juan Araluce has led Vestas’ sales and construction business, grown order intake from 7.4 gigawatts (GW) in 2011 to 17.2 GW in 2020 and deliveries from 5.2 GW to 17.2 GW during the same period.

As president of Vestas Mediterranean, Javier Rodriguez Diez will be replaced by Jose Luis Jimeno, currently SVP of Global Service Commercial, who have previously served as SVP of Service in Vestas Mediterranean. At the same time, Laura Beane, currently chief renewables officer of Engie North America (La Défense, France), will become president of Vestas North America on July 1, succeeding Eduardo Medina Sanchez, who will leave the company by end of August.

The appointment of Laura Beane follows a period of preparing Vestas North America for the expected future growth in the U.S. market in the coming years. Laura Beane joins Vestas from leadership roles in Engie, Avangrid (Orange, Conn., U.S.) and PacifiCorp (Portland, Ore., U.S.) and begins her onboarding and succession with Eduardo Medina Sanchez immediately. Eduardo Ricotta Torres Costa, who currently serves as head of Sales for Latin America, has been appointed regional president of Vestas Latin America effective Jan. 1, 2022.

Solvay announces Michael Finelli’s new role as president and chief North America officer

Michael Finneli, Solvay president and chief North America officer

On June 1 Solvay (Alpharetta, Ga., U.S.) announced that Michael Finelli, previously president of Solvay’s Specialty Polymers unit, has been promoted to a new role as president, group growth initiatives, effective immediately, and chief North America officer, effective as of September 2021.

In his new dual role, he will lead all aspects globally of Solvay’s strategic growth platforms including batteries, green hydrogen and thermoplastic composites, and manage Solvay's operations in the U.S. and Canada. He will report directly to CEO Ilham Kadri, and will be based in Alpharetta, Ga., an important hub for Solvay in North America, which is a key commercial, research and manufacturing region for the group.

“Mike is a proven leader and I’m thrilled that he has taken on these important roles to accelerate the development of our global growth platforms as part of our G.R.O.W. strategy and lead our North American operations, an important region for Solvay,” explains Ilham Kadri, CEO of Solvay. “Our growth platforms are critical to driving Solvay’s future solutions to the benefit of people, planet and profit and will be the key to our long-term commercial success.”

Previously, Finelli was president of Solvay’s Specialty Polymers global business unit since 2018. Before taking that role, he was the business director for specialty polymers for two years where he was responsible for the unit’s business lines and development as well as marketing activities. He has held commercial leadership and business management roles in North America and Europe.

In his new role for North America, Finelli will replace Michael Lacey, currently president of Solvay North America, who will retire in September and whose long-standing service to the group dates more than 30 years.

Carmelo Lo Faro appointed president of Solvay’s materials segment

Carmelo Lo Faro, president of Solvay’s materials segment.

On June 7 Solvay announced that Carmelo Lo Faro, previously president of Solvay’s Composite Materials business unit, is promoted to a new role as president of Solvay’s materials segment, effective immediately. The materials segment includes both the specialty polymers and composite materials businesses, and has been identified as the primary segment for growth and investment as part of Solvay's G.R.O.W. strategy launched in 2019. In his new role, he will have commercial and operational oversight on both businesses.

“I am delighted that Carmelo will be leading our materials segment,” says Solvay CEO Ilham Kadri. “He brings more than 20 years of experience in research and innovation, strategy, business development and general management in advanced materials, which will be invaluable in helping us deliver high-margin growth, progress innovation with our customers and drive sustainability in key markets.”

Lo Faro joined Solvay as part of its 2015 acquisition of Cytec Industries (Woodland Park, N.J., U.S.), which reportedly strengthened the foundation for Solvay’s world-leading composite materials business today. He takes over responsibility for Solvay’s specialty polymers unit from Michael Finelli, who has taken on a new role to lead Solvay’s strategic growth platforms.

CW also had the opportunity to talk to Lo Faro on Episode 34 of CW Talks.

Astro Aerospace appoints Horizon CEO and Co-Founder Brandon Robinson as President

Astro Aerospace (Dallas, Texas, U.S.) has announced that Patricia Trompeter, currently a member of Astro’s Board of Directors, has agreed to take on the role of CEO.

Astro Aerospace says that Trompeter has had a love for aviation since grade school and will bring that passion to advocate for the Astro business. Trompeter brings more than 16 years of experience in mergers and acquisitions and 15 years in financial management experience to the position. After graduating from Marquette University’s Business Administration program with a major in finance and economics, Trompeter spent a large portion of her career holding a variety of executive positions at GE Capital (Watford, U.K.) including CFO, controller, operations leader, quality leader and mergers and acquisitions. During her career at GE Capital, Trompeter participated in more than $17 billion in acquisitions and transactions, earning her a reputation of professional excellence. After leaving GE Capital, she focused on non-profit ventures and family before co-founding an independent investment and advisory firm growing innovative technologies in emerging markets.

Bruce Bent will assume the role of executive chairman to assist in implementing the Astro business plan developed over the past two years.

The company also announces that Horizon Aircraft Inc. (Lindsay, Ontario, Canada; recently acquired by Astro) co-founder and CEO Brandon Robinson has been appointed president of Astro Aerospace. Robinson holds a mechanical engineering degree from the Royal Military College of Canada, is a CF-18 Fighter Pilot Top Gun graduate, has an MBA from Royal Roads University and has led more than $400 million in complex engineering projects.

Teton Simulation appoints advisor for Channel Strategy

Teton Simulation's Sander Tuijt, advisor for Channel Strategy.

On June 8, 3D printing simulation expert Teton Simulation (Layramie, Wyo., U.S.) announced the appointment of Sander Tuijt as advisor for Channel Strategy, effective immediately.

“We have proven that Smart Slice solves a large problem in the additive space, and now it’s time to grow our presence globally,” says Doug Kenik, CEO, Teton Simulation. “Sander’s experience in building efficient, reliable and tightly knit channels is a perfect match for the next evolution for our company. We’re excited to have Sander join the Teton team.”

Previously, Sander Tuijt served as senior vice president of Market Development with Ultimaker, leading the strategy, implementation and expansion of its B2B and go-to-market approach, as well as setting up a global distribution and sales network from scratch to a fully integrated and aligned global sales partner network.

“Technology that solves complex problems and makes life simpler is inspiring,” says Sander Tuijt. “This belief, along with working with great people and companies, drove us at Ultimaker when we built the world’s first globe-spanning partner network for affordable 3D printer solutions.

“It’s that same belief that deeply motivates me to today commit to Teton Simulation's growth,” Tuijt continues. “Given the opportunities, I’m delighted to guide and mobilize the channel that will make Teton Simulation software available to anybody who’s serious about 3D printing in the industry.”

Michelman announces leadership transition

Dr. Richard Michelman (right) and Steven J. Shifman (left).

Michelman’s (Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.) Dr. Richard (Rick) I. Michelman will become the organization’s next president and CEO, effective Jan. 1, 2022. At that time, long-time leader, Steven J. Shifman, president and CEO since 2003, will assume the role of executive chairman.

Founded in 1949, Michelman says it has been an industry leader for more than seven decades in developing and applying sustainable and water-based surface modification technology. This leadership transition assures that the company will continue to be family-owned and managed for the long term.

“I am proud of having led and grown our company globally for nearly 20 years,” says Shiftman. “Moreover, I have strived to lead the company so that our ability to grow sustainably for good has been enhanced. Michelman is comprised of hundreds of values-based and purpose-driven associates, and I am appreciative that we continue to leave a positive impact on the communities we serve and the world around us.”

Shifman led the company’s global expansion throughout his tenure. It now maintains production facilities in North America, Europe and Asia, product development and technical service centers in several major global markets and a worldwide team of more than 400 highly trained professionals.

“Rick is uniquely qualified to serve as Michelman’s next president. His leadership, customer relationships and proven performance make him the natural choice to succeed me,” Shifman continues. “He has been with the company for more than 25 years, acquiring broad operation and market knowledge by serving in many organizational roles, most recently as CTO and executive vice president for Americas and the Printing and Packaging business segment. Furthermore, his background as a chemist gives him a true understanding of the sustainable solutions Michelman continues to innovate globally.”

According to Dr. Michelman, Shifman is leaving the company in a solid position. “We are set up to be more vital and impactful than ever before, and I am ready to lead the business into the future as the coatings, printing and packaging, and fibers and composites markets continue to need our sustainable solutions,” Dr. Michelman says. 

The leadership transition will take place over the next six months, and will be completed by Jan. 1, 2022.

Boston Materials releases management update

Boston Materials (Boston, Mass., U.S.) reports that Kedar Murthy, former chief commercialization officer, has left the company. His responsibilities have been assumed by Karl Hawes, who has worked as a consultant with Boston Materials for the last two years. Hawes’ title will be VP of sales and marketing.

CTC appoints additional CEO

Composite Technology Center/CTC GmbH (Stade, Germany) has announced that former COO Marc Fette has now been appointed as an additional CEO of CTC alongside Prof. Dr.-Ing. Axel Herrmann. 

The whole CTC team wishes him every success and looks forward to further cooperation.

Engineering Technology Corp. introduces new general manager

Engineering Technology Corp. general manager Marc Courteau.

On June 24 Engineering Technology Corp. (Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.) – a filament winding and composite solution company announced that Marc Courteau has been promoted to general manager. In his new role, Courteau will be responsible for the company’s global strategy, research and development and business operations.

Mr. Courteau’s prior role at Engineering Technology Corp. was engineering supervisor. Under his leadership, the engineering team reportedly developed a strong portfolio of standard filament winders that are cost-effective and reliable. His focus on standard production parts, usability and lowered maintenance costs have been well received by new and existing customers, the company notes. Courteau has worked for Engineering Technology Corp. since 2014, starting as a project manager. He received a Master’s Degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Utah.

“I am excited about leading our team into new technologies and markets while maintaining our industry-leading reliability and customer service. Engineering Technology Corp. has a long and successful history, and I am committed to providing sustainable growth for the company and make it a great place to work for our employees,” says Courteau.