People in Composites: September 2020

Toray Advanced Composites names CEO, Assistant General Manager for Torayca Division

Toshiyuki Kondo, Toray Advanced Composites’ new CEO.

Toray Advanced Composites (Morgan Hill, Calif., U.S.) announces the appointment of Toshiyuki Kondo as its CEO, effective September 16. Mr. Kondo takes over the position from Keisuke Ishii, who had been CEO since July 2018, when Toray Industries, Inc., purchased the Advanced Composites Division of TenCate. Mr. Ishii will transition to Toray’s Torayca division, where he will serve as the Assistant General Manager.

Mr. Kondo has served Toray most recently as the director of its Advanced Composites divisions. His career with Toray spans more than 30 years, during which he has acted in a variety of leadership roles that focused on the technological development and manufacturing of advanced composite materials, as well as the management of Toray’s advanced composite materials-related companies.

“It is an honor and a privilege to serve now as the CEO of Toray Advanced Composites,” says Mr. Kondo. “The company has a legacy of excellence in composites innovation and customer-focused development and is committed to maintaining its leadership position. We have an extraordinary team, and there’s potential for growth in all the markets the company serves. It’s a very exciting time for Toray and the industry.”

Mr. Ishii says that the success the company achieved during his tenure was the result of the collaboration of many people to advance the company’s mission — colleagues, customers, business partners, government officials and the local community. “I am grateful for their contributions and to have had the opportunity to work with all of them.”

Teijin Aramid appoints new CFO

Teijin Aramid (Arnhem, Netherlands) announced on Sept. 15 the appointment of Isabelle Damen as the company’s new Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Isabelle Damen succeeds Peter ter Horst, who was named CEO of Teijin Aramid earlier this year.

Isabelle Damen has worked in finance for more than 20 years and brings international experience to Teijin Aramid. Previously, Damen held the position of Finance Director Global Powertrain at Sensata Technologies. Isabelle will work closely with the management team and her colleagues to meet Teijin Aramid’s long-term growth and sustainability goals. 

"Isabelle Damen is a fantastic addition to the Teijin Aramid team. We are pleased that our management team is now complete,” says Peter ter Horst, CEO Teijin Aramid. “She is a true leader who has demonstrated focus on sustainable business growth and values the development of people, not just as a manager but also outside of office hours as a mentor. Her strategic counsel and hands-on mentality will prove invaluable as we grow to meet the world’s demand for aramid.”

As per Sept. 1 2020, Teijin Aramid’s management team will consist of: Peter ter Horst (CEO), Isabelle Damen (CFO), Erik Delnoij (Director Marketing and Sales), Edward Groen (Director Operations), Daisuke Ozaki (Director Research & Technology), Jan Roos (Director Energy Transition and Sustainable Development), Han Veldman (Director Human Resources & Organization) and Robert van Riessen (Director Global IT).

IDI Composites International introduces new Global Director Of Automotive Business Development

Eric Haiss, IDI Composites International global director of Automotive Business Development

IDI Composites International (IDI; Noblesville, Ind., U.S.) welcomes Eric  Haiss as Global Director of Automotive Business Development. With his experience and expertise in the automotive industry and IDI’s global manufacturing capacity and material technologies, Eric is said to be uniquely positioned to lead IDI’s strategic business development efforts in the automotive market.

“We are very excited for Eric to join the IDI team. With his extensive experience and focus in this role, Eric will be integral in our commitment to automotive OEMs and Tier 1s to find collaborative global solutions that address their needs of today and tomorrow,” says Tom Merrell, CEO.

Eric comes to IDI with more than 20 years of experience in the automotive industry. For 11 years, he has been dedicated to the promotion and adoption of composite materials for automotive applications, and has reportedly led cutting-edge programs such as the conceptual development and launch of the General Motors CarbonPro Pick-up Box. Additionally he has experience working with global OEMs and, in addition to North America, he has championed comprehensive business development strategies in Europe and Asia.

Eric will develop and execute IDI’s automotive market objectives and directly engage with automotive OEMs and Tier 1s. IDI looks forward to Eric continuing the company’s tradition of excellence. 

Tighitco expands leadership team in Aerostructures Division

Tighitco Inc. (Ladson, S.C. U.S.) announces the appointment of Tawne Castorina to Chief Technical Fellow and Terrence M. Maher as Vice President and General Manager of the Aerostructures Division. According to the company,  this expansion of the Aerostructures Division demonstrates a commitment to the changing needs of the aerospace industry and its customers.

“The expansion of our Aerostructures Division comes at an exciting yet challenging time in the aviation industry,” says Kenneth P. Rusterholz, president and CEO. “Their technical knowledge and industry contributions will allow us to capitalize on the strength of the Tighitco brand as we continue to innovate and grow.”

Castorina will transition from his current vice president and general manager role to focus his technical knowledge, innovation and creative problem solving on fulfilling customers’ visions. He also has a proven track record of engineering excellence. The engineering/quality departments within the Aerostructures Division will report to his office in the Berlin, Connecticut, facility.

Maher comes to Tighitco with a broad range of experience from Leonardo DRS Naval Power Systems, Lockheed Martin Corp., and Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. where he was chief procurement officer for Commercial Programs and Components. His experience operating procedures, program dynamics and customer relationships is said to complement Tighitco’s current Aerostructures leadership team and will be leveraged as the company moves into the 2021 planning cycle. Maher will be based at the Berlin, Connecticut, facility.

Vestas appoints new presidents for Vestas North America and Mediterranean

To transition to its goals of executing at unprecedented levels of activity, adjusting its commercial focus, Eduardo Medina, currently President of Vestas Mediterranean, has been appointed President of Vestas North America. Simultaneously, Javier Rodriguez Diez, currently Senior Vice President (VP) of Global Sales and Key Account Management, will supersede Eduardo Medina as President of Vestas Mediterranean. Eduardo Medina replaces Chris Brown, who has successfully led Vestas North America since 2012 and will leave the company to pursue his own enterprise.

According to Vestas, since joining as president of Vestas Mediterranean in 2018, Eduardo Medina has led the business unit to achieve significant sales growth and increased operational efficiency across a very large and diverse set of markets. Under Eduardo Medina’s tenure, Vestas Mediterranean has improved its execution and sustained its overall market leadership across the region’s 27 markets, including strengthening relationships with global strategic customers with a strong presence in the U.S.

To replace Eduardo Medina as president of Vestas Mediterranean, Vestas has appointed Javier Rodriguez Diez who has previously served as senior VP, Head of Sales, Vestas Mediterranean. Over the past 20 years, Javier Rodriguez Diez has held various positions in Vestas Mediterranean and brings knowledge of all markets and the breadth of Vestas Mediterranean’s value chain, making him the natural successor to Eduardo Medina as president of Vestas Mediterranean says Vestas. 

Eduardo Medina is expected to relocate to the U.S. as soon as current immigration restrictions in U.S. related to COVID-19 allow. Until then, Eduardo Medina will remain based in Spain.

HRC Group welcomes Scott Tolson

New HRC VP Scott Tolson

Scott Tolson, former CEO of Sigmatex (Runcorn, Chesire, U.K.), an experienced executive in the composite industry, officially joined HRC (Shanghai, China) as Vice President of the group company on Sept. 1. In this new position, he will mainly be in charge of the development and implementation of HRC’s global strategy for business growth and the discovery of new business opportunities.

Scott Tolson has more than 30 years’ experience in the composite industry. Over the course of his 24-year career with Sigmatex, Tolson grew the business from a local U.K. operation to a global leader in carbon fiber textiles with facilities in California and South Carolina, the U.K. and Shanghai, China.

Mr. Tolson is also a board member of Composites UK, as well as the Aerospace Technology Institute. In joining, Mr. Tolson will not only significantly strengthen and widen the alliance between HRC and the key partners along the composite industrial chain worldwide, but also further build HRC as a global leader for holistic composite lightweight solutions.