PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--PPG (NYSE: PPG) today announced the appointment of Jaime Irick as vice president, architectural coatings, U.S. and Canada. He will report to Tim Knavish, PPG senior vice president, architectural coatings and president, Europe, Middle East and Africa. Irick will succeed Dave Cole, current PPG vice president, architectural coatings, U.S. and Canada (AC USCA), who has announced his intent to retire, effective July 31, 2019.
Irick joins PPG from the Life Fitness Division of Brunswick Corp., a global leader in the commercial fitness equipment industry, where he served as president. At Life Fitness, Irick transformed the company’s business strategy and portfolio to focus on digital solutions that provided enhanced experiences for consumers and improved profitability for fitness facilities. He also built a culture of operational excellence, which focused on driving continuous business process improvement across manufacturing, new product introduction and sales, and incorporated Lean Six Sigma methodologies.
Prior to joining Life Fitness, Irick worked for General Electric Company (GE) as chief commercial officer, Current, powered by GE. Before that, he served as vice president, GE Lighting North America; president and chief executive officer of GE Lighting Solutions; general manager, GE Power Sensing; director of sales, GE Security; and director, Corporate Initiatives Group, GE.
“Jaime’s wide-ranging leadership, innovation and experience will be invaluable in his new role at PPG,” said Knavish.
Upon graduation from West Point, Irick was commissioned as a second lieutenant. He successfully completed several of the U.S. Army’s most prestigious and challenging leadership courses, including Airborne School, Ranger School, and the Scout Platoon Leader Course. He also earned a master of business administration (MBA) degree from Harvard University.
Cole joined PPG’s chemicals business in 1981 and held various sales positions in the chlor-alkali and specialty chemicals businesses through 1990, when he moved to Transitions Optical, PPG’s former joint venture with Essilor International. Starting as sales and marketing manager, Americas, Cole advanced to become director of sales and business development, Americas, and then general manager, Americas, Australia and New Zealand, before being named president of Transitions Optical in 2011. In 2014, Cole rejoined PPG as vice president, packaging coatings, and he was named vice president, AC USCA, in December 2015.
“During his 38-year career with PPG, Dave has delivered tremendous value to employees, customers, shareholders and communities,” said Knavish. “He is widely known for his excellent leadership, employee engagement, customer focus, strategic vision and innovation capabilities. In addition, Dave’s high-energy and engaging personality have made him not only a trusted colleague, but also a friend to many throughout PPG.”
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