Personnel Changes
in Communications
at BASF’s Coatings
Division
Christiane Weiser-Zimmermann has
been named head of global communications at BASF’s Coatings division. She
succeeds Martin Rissmann, who became
head of the global communications unit
at the Performance Materials division on
January 1, 2014. Weiser-Zimmermann
joins BASF from U.S. chemical company
DuPont, where she held several communication positions.
Christiane Weiser-Zimmermann
worked at the Office of Historic Urban
and Landscape Research in Bonn and
the Office for Archeology of the State
of Saxony in Dresden. In 1997, she be-
came the press officer at Herberts, a
paint manufacturer based in Wuppertal.
After DuPont acquired Herberts, she held
various communications positions at the
U.S. chemical company and starting in
2006, was the leader of Issues & Crisis
Programs EMEA
Rissmann worked as a research
staff member at the German Federal
Chancellery and at the German Bundestag.
In 1994, he joined BASF, where he as-
sumed responsibility for Public Affairs
and Political Communications. In
1998, Rissmann transferred to BASF
Corporation in Mount Olive, New
Jersey. He became head of the Global
Communications unit of BASF´s Coatings
division in 2003.
Coatings Research Group
Names Executive Director
The Coatings Research Group, Inc.,
(CGRI) the international association of
32 paint manufacturers located across 12
countries, has announced that Richard
Scott will succeed Jackie Savoca as the
organization’s sixth executive director
effective.
Scott has more than 25 years of experience in the paint industry. He has
held multiple positions in R&D, quality
and sales for Sherwin-Williams, Cook
Paint and BYK. Most recently Scott
was the North American business line
manager – paint and coatings for the
Instruments Division of BYK Additives
& Instruments. Prior to that he was the
global director of key accounts.
DuPont Names Sternberg
to Lead Global Automotive
R&D
Jeffrey Sternberg has been named DuPont
global automotive technology director.
In this role, he is charged to bring the
breadth of DuPont advanced materials as
well as renewably sourced materials and
fuels to the auto industry as it continues
to develop low emission, fuel efficient vehicles that are safe, affordable and fun to
drive, according to the company.
Sternberg joined DuPont in 1988 as
a synthesis chemist for DuPont Crop
Protection. He held several roles in the
Crop Protection business before advancing to management. In 2006, he joined
Central Research & Development,
Materials Science and Engineering, where
he led a group focused on developing materials solutions for photovoltaics that
improve conversion efficiency, lower cost
and extend system lifetime
AkzoNobel India Appoints
Managing Director
The Board of Directors of AkzoNobel
India Limited recently approved the
appointment of Jayakumar (Jay)
Krishnaswamy as managing director of
the company.
Jayakumar Krishnaswamy replaces
Amit Jain, who, upon taking on a larger
role within the AkzoNobel group, had
stepped down from his role as managing
director of the company. However, Jain
continues his association with the company as a non-executive director on the
board of AkzoNobel India.
Krishnaswamy joined AkzoNobel
India in February 2011 as director,
Supply Chain. Until then and since 1994
he has served in Hindustan Unilever, barring a short stint from 2007-2009, where
he worked with cement major, Lafarge.
Krishnaswamy has worked in the automotive, food, home and personal care and
coatings industries and has strong leadership experience in operational transformation as well as change management.
“The appointment of Jayakumar
Krishnaswamy augments the existing
leadership of AkzoNobel India and rais-
es the bar,” said Nihal Kaviratne CBE,
chairman, AkzoNobel India. “Apart
from infusing new energy to the Board,
his appointment clearly demonstrates
the company’s commitment to recognize
and reward outstanding leadership capa-
bility, hard work and performance. I am
confident that his ongoing contributions
will go a long way in creating a world-
class organization.”
Orion Engineered Carbons
Appoints Coatings Technical
Marketing Manager
Mark Dingeldein has been appointed marketing manager, Americas, for
the Pigments Business Line at Orion
Engineered Carbons. His responsibilities
include sales and technical support of
carbon black pigments in the paint and
coatings industry.
He brings more than 15 years
of experience to his new role.
Previously, he formulated resins and
pigment dispersions for the coatings and graphic arts industries. He
worked at Nexeo Solutions LLC as
technical sales representative and
Emerald Hilton-Davis as technical
manager of graphic arts dispersions.
Thomas Papasso has been appointed coatings marketing manager
for Business Line Pigments, Americas,
of Orion Engineered Carbons. His responsibilities include developing market strategy and managing product and
key account management for coatings
accounts in the Americas. Experience
at Sherwin-Williams, Evonik Degussa
Corporation, DB Becker and Orion has
enabled Paposso to bring over 15 years
of coatings experience to his new role
at Orion.
Estron Names New
Business Manager for
Europe and the Middle East
Estron Chemicalhas appointed Tony
Pledger to the position of business manager for Europe and the Middle East.
This new position is an important element of Estron’s strategy for continuing
growth outside of North America, the
company stated.
