PPG Announces New Management Assignments

PPG has announced that J. Rich Alexander, senior vice president, coatings, will assume responsibility for the automotive aftermarket, and William A. Wulfsohn, senior vice president, coatings, will assume responsibility for industrial coatings and Asia, PPG Industries officials announced today in a series of management assignments effective July 1.
With the July 1 retirement of Garry Goudy, senior vice president, automotive aftermarket, Alexander will become responsible for the automotive refinish, automotive replacement glass and insurance and services business units. In addition, Alexander will assume responsibility for Latin America and retain responsibility for PPG’s aerospace and architectural coatings businesses.
Alexander’s responsibilities for industrial coatings and Asia will move to Wulfsohn, who will retain responsibility for automotive OEM and packaging coatings, and Europe. In addition, Wulfsohn will move to PPG’s corporate headquarters in Pittsburgh. Meanwhile, Michael H. McGarry, vice president, chlor-alkali and derivatives, will relocate to PPG’s new European headquarters in Switzerland, becoming vice president, coatings, Europe, and managing director, PPG Europe.
In a separate move, Richard C. Elias, vice president, optical products, will report to Charles E. Bunch, PPG’s chairman and chief executive officer, and join the company’s operating committee.
Alexander joined PPG in 1978 as a sales representative in Detroit and held several sales and marketing positions before being named general manager of fiber glass electronics and specialty materials in 1996, and general manager, fiber glass reinforcements, in 1997. He was appointed global general manager, general industrial coatings, in 2000. Alexander then was elected vice president, industrial coatings, in 2002, and to his current position in April 2005.
Wulfsohn joined PPG as vice president, coatings, and managing director, PPG Europe, in 2003, and was appointed senior vice president, coatings, in 2005. Before PPG, Wulfsohn worked for Morton International in Chicago as vice president and general manager, automotive coatings; for Rohm & Haas in Chicago as vice president, automotive coatings business director; and for Honeywell in Richmond, Va., as vice president and general manager, nylon system.