People in composites: May 2024

Carbon ThreeSixty appoints head of aerospace

Dr. Nick Shotton-Gale, Carbon ThreeSixty head of aerospace.

Carbon ThreeSixty (Chippenham, U.K.), a manufacturer of structural composite components, announces Dr. Nick Shotton-Gale as its new head of aerospace.

Shotton-Gale has a doctorate in materials science and has worked within the composites industry for 14 years. He brings a wealth of knowledge and will lead a dedicated team to support and accelerate the growth of Carbon ThreeSixty within the aerospace industry, expanding the company’s expertise in resin transfer molding (RTM), compression molding and filament winding.

Shotton-Gale’s appointment underpins Carbon ThreeSixty’s commitment to expanding its presence in the aerospace composites market. The company is investing in new R&D and manufacturing capabilities to develop next-generation composite products that meet the industry’s demanding requirements.

“I am excited to be joining Carbon ThreeSixty at such a pivotal time in the company’s growth,” says Shotton-Gale. “I am confident that our products can play a significant role in helping aerospace manufacturers to develop lighter, stronger and more fuel-efficient aircraft.”

Zoltek welcomes new CEO

Global industrial-grade carbon fiber manufacturer Zoltek (St. Louis, Mo., U.S.), has appointed Toshiyuki Kondo as its new chief executive officer (CEO). Kondo has replaced Nobuya Ando, effective April 2024.

Toshiyuki Kondo, Zoltek CEO.

Kondo, a native of Nagoya, Japan, brings more than three decades of experience in the carbon fiber industry with the Toray Group (Tokyo, Japan). He joined Toray in 1985 as a chemist, quickly rising through the company’s ranks as general manager for various departments. In June 2009, Kondo became president and CEO of Toray Composites America Inc., leading the company as the sole supplier of carbon fiber prepreg for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. He continued his success as CEO of Toray Carbon Fibers America, expanding the company's carbon fiber applications. Most recently, Kondo served as CEO of Toray Advanced Composites (formerly Tencate Advanced Composites), guiding the organization through a period of growth and transformation.

“We welcome Mr. Kondo as our new CEO,” says David Purcell, executive vice president of Zoltek. “His extensive experience in the carbon fiber industry, deep technical background and focus on manufacturing excellence will improve the quality and cost-competitiveness of our PX35 carbon fiber. His composites background will also be a great asset in supporting the growth we expect in our carbon pultrusion business.”

Syensqo CEO joins EU Cefic leaders

In early May, Dr. Ilham Kadri, CEO of Syensqo (Alpharetta, Ga., U.S. and Brussels, Belgium) becomes Cefic president, succeeding Dr. Martin Brudermüller. Cefic, the European Chemical Industry Council, is a forum of large, medium and small chemical companies across Europe.

Kadri has Moroccan-French roots and professional experience across four continents. During her 30-year career, she has held various positions at leading companies. Her responsibilities have included R&D, strategy, business and digital in industries spanning automotive, aerospace, oil and gas, mining, water desalination, construction, consumer goods, food service, hospitality and healthcare. She served as Cefic’s vice president prior to her new role.

Dr. Ilham Kadri, Cefic president.

Kadri holds a degree in chemical engineering from L’École des Hauts Polymères in Strasbourg, and a PhD in macromolecular physico-chemistry from Strasbourg’s Louis Pasteur University.

“I am honored to take on this role, in what is a pivotal moment for Europe and Europeans, industry at large and the European chemical industry itself,” Kadri says. “I look forward to supporting the next generation of European politicians and the new European Commission Leadership.”

Toray Advanced Composites announces new executive leadership

Toray Advanced Composites (TAC, Morgan Hill, Calif., U.S.) has formally announces a key leadership transition, with Scott Unger as the new global CEO and Steve Cease as the new managing director, USA, and global CTO.

Scott Unger, Toray Advanced Composites global CEO.

Unger has more than 30 years of experience at the senior level in the composites industry, having co-founded the Morgan Hill, California, site in 1990, bringing new advanced composite products and technology innovation to the market before its acquisition by TenCate in 1999, and then Toray in 2018. He has continued to drive the business forward with dedication to excellence and innovation. Unger will succeed Toshiyuki Kondo after previously operating as the division’s managing director and global CEO. Kondo, in turn, is transitioning into a new executive leadership role within the Toray Group, at Zoltek.

“I am thrilled and humbled to lead our group toward our collective vision of innovation and excellence in next-generation composite material technologies,” says Unger. “With an incredible team spanning our global operations, together, we’re dedicated to supporting our customers and the industry with an unparalleled focus on meeting the demands of today and tomorrow.”

Steve Cease, Toray Advanced Composites managing director, USA.

Steve Cease, who succeeds Unger as Global CTO and U.S. managing director, brings 30 years of advanced composite materials and parts experience in technology, operations and business development. In addition to his extensive thermoset background, Cease is a recognized champion for the growth of thermoplastic composites. In 2020, he joined TAC as the VP of technology and strategic marketing.

“We are experiencing a high-rate production paradigm shift, with new advancements in material technology being pivotal in providing a solid foundation enabling sustainable environmental and economic growth,” Cease. “I am excited to advance Toray technology platforms and execute our industrialization strategy.”

Mito Materials reports board of directors updates

Specialty chemical company Mito Material Solutions (Indianapolis, Ind., U.S.) has announced updates to the company’s board of directors.

Leaving the board is Mito co-founder Kevin Keith. The common board seat will now be held by COO Mahdi Ghazizadeh, PhD. Ghazizadeh leads the Mito technical team in innovation and commercialization of new and existing products; he has nearly 20 years of experience with large corporations such as Huntsman and startup environments developing new materials for aerospace, defense, oil and gas, rail and automotive applications. Ghazizadeh holds a PhD in nanoengineering – polymer composites from North Carolina A&T State University.

Continuing with the board is Rich Diemer, a respected chemicals industry senior finance executive with a proven track record of working within leadership teams that created significant shareholder value. Diemer is currently co-founder and managing director of CAV Angels. He has served as the CFO at two public (Albemarle and PolyOne Corp.) and one sponsor-owned (Trinseo LLC f/k/a Styron LLC) global materials companies. After 17 years in public accounting, Diemer joined Allied-Signal Inc. He was VP-corporate controller during the merger with Honeywell, then became CFO of Honeywell’s Specialty Materials segment. During his tenure, Diemer has played a key role in creating more than $7 billion of shareholder value.

Mahdi Ghazizadeh, PhD, Mito COO.

Also continuing with the board is Joel Neale, global commercial director, advanced polymer technologies at Ingevity; Neale has been with Ingevity for 5 years. Prior to Ingevity, he was regional business manager with Perstorp Group, a specialty chemicals company focusing on the global resins and coatings, engineered fluids and animal nutrition markets. Neale is a graduate of The University of Liverpool with a master’s degree in chemistry.

Joining Mito’s board is Miguel Galvez, co-founder and CEO/president of NBD Nanotechnologies, a venture-backed advanced chemical manufacturer. Galvez was the inventor of one of the key products NBD developed called invisiPrint, and he holds several patents under his name. As CEO, he also raised more than $15 million in equity venture financing from leading investors in the chemical industry including BASF and Henkel. He grew the company into a multi-million dollar manufacturer of chemical goods and was able to achieve gross margins of more than 90% selling to leading OEMs in the electronics industry, including Lenovo and Microsoft. In 2022, NBD Nano was acquired by Henkel Corp. After the acquisition, Galvez continued to run the InvisiPrint business while working in M&A strategy, co-leading a search into advanced coatings.

Since leaving Henkel in late 2023 Galvez has worked as a venture partner at Republic Capital, leading investments into deeptech startups. He works with founders across the advanced material and chemical industries.

“We are excited to add Miguel to Mito’s board. As a fellow founder who successfully grew and exited a business, his experience in guiding this stage of Mito’s growth is critical,” Haley Marie Keith, CEO of Mito, says. “Our entire board offers a depth of knowledge in chemical manufacturing. We appreciate all of their efforts to help Mito succeed.”

RTX names chief sustainability officer

Phill Godfrey, Collins Aerospace chief sustainability officer (CSO).

RTX’s (Arlington, Va., U.S.) Collins Aerospace (Charlotte, N.C., U.S.) has named Phill Godfrey chief sustainability officer (CSO). Godfrey succeeds former Collins CSO LeAnn Ridgeway, following her retirement. In his new role, Godfrey will lead the execution of sustainable strategy across Collins’ six strategic business units.

As CSO, Godfrey is responsible for implementing Collins’ sustainable technology roadmap; engaging with customers, policymakers and partners across the industry; and working to embed sustainable practices within Collins’ operations and supply chain. In addition, he represents Collins on the RTX Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) committee.

Over the course of nearly 30 years in the aerospace industry, Godfrey has cultivated a collaborative and strong leadership style through many different change management and functional roles. Most recently, he served as Collins’ director of sustainability strategy, reporting to the CSO and charged with developing Collins-wide sustainability strategies for stakeholder engagement. Prior to that, Godfrey held positions of increasing responsibility across multiple Collins businesses, including actuation, engine controls and aftermarket. His breadth of experience gives Godfrey a vantage point from which to implement company-wide sustainability strategies.

Godfrey has been recognized by the International Aerospace Environmental Group (IAEG) for creating and leading international teams working toward voluntary sustainability standards in the aerospace industry supply chain. He holds a bachelor’s degree in physics and a master’s degree in manufacturing systems from the University of Nottingham.

“Two of my favorite things are aerospace and sustainability, and I’m looking forward to advancing both in my new role,” says Godfrey. “I know that the work we do today will make aviation more sustainable and I’m excited to accelerate that journey.”

Daher appoints general manager for Florida aerostructures operations

Stephen Stasiak, Daher U.S general manager.

Stephen Stasiak has been appointed as the general manager of Daher’s (Nantes, France) U.S. facility at Stuart, Florida, which is one of the company’s largest industrial sites worldwide, producing aerostructures for Boeing and Gulfstream Aerospace. Stasiak reports to Alain-Jory Barthe, the CEO of Daher’s Industry division.

Stasiak’s career in the aerospace and defense sectors included vice president and general manager positions at Safran, Viking Air and L3 Harris. A graduate of Webster University with a master’s degree in business and finance, he was a U.S. Army aviator, flying OH-58 Kiowa helicopters.

Daher’s operation at Stuart builds aerostructures for the Boeing 767 and 777 airliners, the KC-46 aerial tanker, as well as for Gulfstream’s 650 business jet.

TFP announces new managing director to catalyze strategic growth

Andy Walton, managing director of TFP and TFP Hydrogen Products.

Technical Fibre Products Ltd. (TFP, Burneside, U.K.), part of the James Cropper group and a manufacturer of advanced materials, has announced the appointment of Andy Walton as managing director of both TFP and TFP Hydrogen Products.

Walton has more than 30 years of experience in the chemicals, sustainable solutions and advanced materials sector. He has led multiple global businesses to deliver high-performance solutions to OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers within aerospace, automotive, energy and industrial end markets. Walton, who will assume his post as managing director on July 29, 2024, has a track record of driving significant growth through the positioning of disruptive technologies, P&L management, organizational development and growth in new business.

He joins from Victrex plc, where he was strategic business unit director, transport. In this role, Walton successfully led the integration of two separate business units of aerospace and automotive into one transport business, achieving growth in revenue and profitability while delivering sustainable innovative solutions to leading automotive and aerospace companies. Prior to this, Walton worked in senior roles for Huntsman plc and Innovia Films Ltd. in the U.K., Brussels, Belgium and Switzerland.

Walton’s key priorities will be to execute on the Advanced Materials strategic growth plan, including identifying short-term growth opportunities and supporting an implementation plan for capturing mid- to long-term growth in hydrogen, aerospace and automotive markets.

“We are delighted to have Andy joining the Advanced Materials business,” says Steve Adams, CEO of James Cropper Plc. “His wealth of experience in value creation and integration will strengthen the leadership team and we have no doubt that he is the right person to identify and enact on growth opportunities for James Cropper Advanced Materials. We look forward to working with him to deliver our strategic goals.”

Bedford Reinforced Plasics mourns passing of founder and CEO

Melvin Stahl in front of the Bedford South facility.

Bedford Reinforced Plastics (Bedford, Pa., U.S.) is saddened to announce the passing of Melvin Stahl. The company founder and CEO passed away on May 22, 2024, at the age of 88. Stahl started the fiberglass-reinforced plastics manufacturing company in 1974. His passing comes as the company marks 50 years of business.

Under Stahl’s leadership, Bedford has expanded from a small barn in rural Bedford County with 12 employees to a full-service supplier of fiberglass-reinforced polymer (GFRP) products to a global market. Today, the family-owned company has more than 200 employees and 200,000 square feet of manufacturing and fabrication space at two facilities. It produces $60 million in annual revenue in the same township where Stahl’s vision began.

Stahl was raised in Bedford, Pennsylvania. He attended Bedford High School before enlisting in the U.S. Army in 1956. While stationed in Germany, Sgt. Stahl met and married his wife, Carin, before returning to Bedford permanently.

An avid outdoorsman, Stahl enjoyed spending time with family and watching the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was active in the community as a member of the Bedford Masons Lodge and Elks Lodge. Stahl also remained active in the family business, with sons Brian and Allen serving as president and vice president, respectively.

Those left to honor Stahl include his wife of 65 years, Carin, sister Eileen (Joe), two sons Brian and Allen, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews, along with the entire Bedford Reinforced Plastics family.