Kinisky will focus on growth across the Saint-Gobain family of companies in North America
Malvern, Pa., May 1, 2017 – Saint-Gobain, one of the world’s largest building materials companies and manufacturer of innovative material solutions, has announced the appointment of Thomas Kinisky as President and Chief Executive Officer of Saint-Gobain Corporation (Saint-Gobain’s North American holding company).
As President and CEO of Saint-Gobain Corporation, Kinisky is Saint-Gobain’s North American representative overseeing the family of companies in the United States and Canada, which are key geographies within Saint-Gobain’s global portfolio. Kinisky was also appointed Senior Vice President for Saint-Gobain and is a member of the company’s Global Management Committee.
Kinisky assumed the position earlier this year, succeeding John Crowe, who most recently served as President and CEO of Saint-Gobain and CertainTeed Corporations. Benoit Bazin filled the role as President and CEO of CertainTeed in addition to continuing to serve as the global President of the Construction Products Sector and Senior Vice President for Saint-Gobain.
Thomas Kinisky. Credit: Saint-Gobain
“With more than 30 years of experience in research and development and as an executive of several global businesses’ operations at Saint-Gobain, Tom is uniquely positioned to lead Saint-Gobain’s businesses in North America. This is especially true given that the company is specifically focused on creating materials, systems, and solutions that address the next generation of challenges facing society in an effort to enhance the well-being of people everywhere,” said Pierre-André de Chalendar, Chairman and CEO of Saint-Gobain.
Kinisky’s overriding focus is on enabling sustainable, profitable growth across the full range of Saint-Gobain companies operating in North America, including CertainTeed Corporation, Saint-Gobain Abrasives, Saint-Gobain ADFORS, Vetrotech Saint-Gobain, Saint-Gobain Glass, SageGlass, Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics, and Saint-Gobain Ceramics. Kinisky asserts that the company’s focus on growth will come from a balanced strategy that combines increased investments in research and development, employee training and development, talent acquisition, and strategic external acquisitions.
“Saint-Gobain has been one of the top global innovators for more than 350 years, and North America will continue to play a vital role in the company’s innovation legacy, which includes a host of products and materials we rely on in our homes, offices, hospitals, and even other planets to make these spaces healthy, energy efficient, accessible, safe, and aesthetic,” said Kinisky. “The key to continuing our storied history of innovation will lie in our ability to unlock the innovation potential of our entire workforce and to attract top talent to join that effort. I believe this passion to embed innovation in everything we do can and will lead to disruptive solutions for our customers that will benefit the world at large.”
Kinisky joined Norton Company (which was acquired by Saint-Gobain in 1990) in 1989. He spent over a decade working in research and development in various roles, including Vice President of Technology and New Business Development for the company’s Abrasives Division, before assuming the role as President for two Saint-Gobain businesses: Saint-Gobain Crystals (2002) and Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics (2008).
Kinisky’s most recent position as President of Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics gave him responsibility for over 6,000 employees across 57 manufacturing facilities in 22 countries. Over the course of nearly 10 years, he expanded that business’s offering of innovative materials in markets such as aerospace, transportation, and health care. Today, within the Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics business, one of every two products sold were developed within the last five years.
Kinisky holds a Bachelor of Science in chemistry from Pace University and a Master of Science in materials science from New York University (Polytechnic University). He has authored many technical publications and holds five U.S. patents. Throughout his career, Kinisky has been active in technology education as an industrial adviser to the engineering programs at several universities.
About Saint-Gobain in North America
Saint-Gobain, the world leader in sustainable environments, has designed and manufactured high-performance building materials that improve the lives of people all over the world. From The Hall of Mirrors at Versailles and the glass pyramid at the Louvre to the Statue of Liberty and the World Trade Center and even components that allow the Mars Rover Curiosity to seek out life on another planet, Saint-Gobain has been a part of the fabric of human history, advancement, and improvement.
In North America, the company upholds this rich history of innovation by making a material difference in the spaces where people work, live, play, heal, and learn. Along with its North American headquarters in Malvern, Pennsylvania, Saint-Gobain has approximately 150 locations in North America and more than 14,000 employees. In the United States and Canada, Saint-Gobain reported sales of approximately $5.8 billion in 2016. Experience our innovation, wonders, and advancements by visiting www.saint-gobain-northamerica.com, and connect with Saint-Gobain North America on Facebook and Twitter.
About Saint-Gobain
Saint-Gobain designs, manufactures, and distributes materials and solutions, which are key ingredients in the well-being of each of us and the future of all. They can be found everywhere in our living places and our daily lives: in buildings, transportation, infrastructure, and in many industrial applications. They provide comfort, performance, and safety while addressing the challenges of sustainable construction, resource efficiency, and climate change.
$43.3 billion in sales in 2016
Operates in 68 countries
More than 170,000 employees
www.saint-gobain.com
@saintgobain
