“Ron has spent his career building global industrial businesses and helping teams turn strategy into measurable results,” said Steve Shifman, Executive Chairman of the Board at Michelman. “He asks direct questions, listens carefully, and brings valuable perspective on how to build on our strengths as we expand into new markets and applications. That approach, along with his experience in growth and organizational change, will serve Michelman well.”

Sabina Chatterjee joined the ChemQuest Group as executive vice president. Chatterjee will oversee ChemQuest’s Business Strategy & Transformation and M&A Advisory pillars, working closely with Charmain Daniel Murad and CEO Robert Lovegrove to expand the firm’s advisory services. Chatterjee, a chemical engineer by training, spent 15 years at Wells Fargo prior to joining ChemQuest, most recently serving as managing director in Investment Banking.

“I’ve known Sabina for decades — she is an industry veteran with established relationships, and I’m thrilled to welcome her to our executive team during this next phase of accelerated growth,” Murad said.

Chatterjee holds an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management and a BS/BE from New York University and Stevens Institute of Technology.

The ChemQuest Group also announced that Anthony J. Wilson has joined the firm as director. Wilson’s career includes extensive experience developing and implementing growth strategies and product and revenue development for manufacturing and industrial companies such as Palomar Technologies, V-Tek Inc., and Advantek Inc. He also has extensive leadership experience in the paint and coatings industry, including leadership of international marketing activities in architectural coatings and floor covering markets for Sherwin-Williams. Wilson is a Lean Six Sigma Champion and Total Quality Management certified.

“With a combination of deep market knowledge and practical business, marketing, and operational insight, A.J. is a fantastic addition to our team,” said Murad. “He has a keen understanding of strategic planning and organizational management, as well as operations and product development. His input will be invaluable in support of a wide range of global projects.”

Mueller Coatings has appointed Mike Gianfrancesco as vice president of operations. In this role, Gianfrancesco will oversee and strengthen Mueller Coatings’ organizational alignment and processes. He brings over 20 years of manufacturing leadership experience, including senior leadership roles at Integer Holdings, Precision Coating, and Tegra Medical. Gianfrancesco most recently served as Enterprise Technology Segment Lead for Medical Coatings at Integer Holdings.

“I’m excited to welcome Mike Gianfrancesco as the new Vice President of Operations at Mueller Coatings. His experience leading manufacturing operations, developing strong teams, and working in specialty coatings makes him a great fit for this role, and I’m looking forward to the coating knowledge, leadership, and fresh perspective he’ll bring as we continue to grow,” said Glenn Mueller, President and CEO of Mueller Coatings.

Gianfrancesco holds a Master of Science in Technology Leadership from Brown University and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering Technology from Wentworth Institute of Technology.

Bloomgren has also led and supported communications efforts in the private sector, including in nuclear energy, renewable energy development, sustainability, and efforts to address plastic waste. He worked at strategic communications firms in Washington, D.C., advising companies and organizations across the energy, retail, nonprofit, and other sectors.

PPG has appointed Alisha Bellezza — currently senior vice president, global automotive coatings and packaging coatings — to senior vice president, Industrial Coatings segment.��In addition to continuing to lead the global automotive coatings business, Bellezza will oversee PPG’s industrial coatings, packaging coatings and specialty products businesses.

PPG has also named Chancey Hagerty — currently senior vice president, global automotive refinish coatings and aerospace — to senior vice president, Performance Coatings segment. Hagerty will oversee the aerospace, protective and marine coatings and traffic solutions businesses.

In������徱�پ��Dz�, Henrik Bergström — currently PPG’s senior vice president, global architectural coatings — has been named PPG’s senior vice president, Global Architectural Coatings segment. All PPG changes are effective Sept. 1, 2026.��

Fenix Group named Peter Kirton as Chief Executive Officer. Kirton’s coatings industry experience includes work in the business and industrial markets, including as CEO of Sheboygan Paint Company. In addition, Fenix Group named John Czarnik as Chief Operating Officer. A certified Lean Six Sigma Champion, Cznarik holds over 30 years of leadership experience in manufacturing, operations, and supply chain management.

Effective Aug. 1, 2026, IMCD Group has appointed Vlad Miller as its new president for the United States. Miller has been with IMCD US since 2018, when he joined as vice president of Finance. In 2022, his role expanded to cover Operations. Most recently, he led the U.S. business on an interim basis for five months. Miller’s professional background includes senior finance roles at Sherwin-Williams. He holds a Master of Science Degree in Financial Management from the University of London and a Bachelor’s degree in Management, Finance and Economics from Case Western Reserve University.

“Vlad knows IMCD in the US inside out: its people, its partners, and what it takes to grow here. The past five months have shown his commercial and business acumen, and I am confident he and the team will keep building on that strong foundation,” said IMCD’s Andreas Igerl, President Americas and Chief Commercial Officer.

Ross Widenor has joined the ChemQuest Group as director. Widenor’s professional experience includes roles in strategic R&D, innovation, and sustainability business initiatives with organizations such as Bridgestone Americas. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Chemical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University.

“Ross is an energetic and dynamic strategist. His significant expertise in global business strategy, innovation, and program management will be invaluable as our client base continues to expand. I am excited to work with him and see how he translates his knowledge and experience in support of our client’s needs around the world,” said Daniel Murad, ChemQuest chairman.

Under the Acetylene Purchase Agreement, HydroGraph USA will purchase acetylene for its Bellville facility directly from Western International via pipeline for an initial t10-year term, with options for renewal.

Reportedly, the Bellville facility will leverage Western International’s acetylene production, storage, transportation and distribution infrastructure, including a dedicated pipeline connection supplying feedstock directly to HydroGraph’s manufacturing operations.

The certification followed comprehensive audits of Elinor Coatings’ operational practices, documentation, manufacturing controls, customer processes, and continuous improvement systems.

“Achieving ISO 9001:2015 and AS9100D (2016) reinforces our promise to our partners and customers: to operate with precision, consistency, and an unwavering focus on quality. It positions us to support the industry with even greater confidence as we continue to grow,” said Holly Anderson, CEO of Elinor Coatings.

Elinor Coatings plans to use these certifications to expand capabilities, strengthen partnerships, and drive future innovations in surface protection and corrosion resistant technologies.

“We are confident that our expanded platform will drive innovation, new product development, and technological advancements,” said Terence Yu, OXERRA Group CEO. “Our customers and stakeholders will directly benefit from enhanced supply chain sustainability, strengthened support to the market, and our strategic investment.”

Customers will continue to engage directly with OXERRA through its established commercial, technical, and customer service channels. OXERRA will remain responsible for customer relationships, product quality assurance, technical support, and market facing coordination across its global network.

“H.M. Royal has long been a trusted partner in the rubber, plastics adhesives, sealants, and protective coatings spaces, and this marks an important step forward for our Performance Materials business,” said Matthew Oliver, senior vice president of Performance Materials for Univar Solutions.

According to the company, Tioxide has recruited more than 60 employees since its establishment in April and plans to create 60 additional roles in this second phase of recruitment. Recruitment has focused on positions related to production, engineering and technical specialists.

“We are proud to be creating high-quality jobs and supporting the local economy and are looking forward to supplying premium products to customers around the world,” said Karen Askwith, Managing Director at Tioxide.

“This expansion is a reflection of the relationships we’ve built with our customers,” said Debora Hense-Hric, technical director. “As their needs have evolved, we’ve applied our technical expertise to their coatings’ formulation needs. The added facility helps us continue supporting them in the ways they’ve come to expect.”

According to the company, the newly acquired space allows Stonebridge to enhance operational efficiency, increase capacity, and further develop its growing capabilities in custom coatings manufacturing.

“Lubrizol introduced CPVC technology to India more than two decades ago, and since then, we have witnessed strong growth of the market alongside the country’s expanding economy,” said Abhishek Shrivastav, managing director, Lubrizol IMEA. “With the commissioning of this world-class facility in Vilayat, we are strengthening our manufacturing capabilities in India by following a local-for-local approach. This investment underscores our long-term commitment to India by enabling consistent access to high-quality, locally produced materials backed by Lubrizol’s global standards of innovation, reliability, and performance.”

According to APC, the company is implementing Albert’s AI-native operating system for chemistry and materials science to centralize experimental data, capture institutional knowledge, and enable more efficient collaboration across research teams. As the company continues to expand its footprint, the investment supports a more connected and scalable innovation environment.

“Innovation in polymer coatings is driven by the quality of our scientific insight. As our research programs expand, having a structured platform to capture and analyze experimental knowledge allows our team to move faster, build on prior work, and continue advancing the performance of next-generation coating technologies,” said Jeremy Pasatta, vice president of Technology and Process, Advanced Polymer Coatings. “Using Albert’s AI capabilities, we’ve been able to cut development time in half—screening out unnecessary experiments and reaching optimized formulations much faster.”

“Innovative companies like APC demonstrate how structured scientific data and AI-driven tools can transform R&D by empowering scientists with tools that connect experimentation and insight. Organizations can accelerate innovation while leveraging knowledge to drive long-term competitive advantage,” said Nick Talken, CEO, Albert Invent.