PPG Announces Leadership Appointments

PPG announced the appointment of Diane Kappas, current VP, protective and marine coatings (PMC), Americas, as VP, Americas, automotive original equipment manufacturer (OEM) coatings, effective Sept. 1. Juanjo Ardid, currently GM, global adhesives and sealants, will become VP, PMC, U.S. and Canada, effective Aug. 1. Ardid will report to Ram Vadlamannati, SVP, PMC, and Kappas will report to Rebecca Liebert, SVP, automotive coatings. Kappas will replace Matt Marek, who has announced his intent to retire, effective Sept. 1.

Kappas joined PPG in 1986 as a resin process engineer in PPG’s industrial and packaging coatings businesses at the Springdale, PA, and Oak Creek, WI, facilities. She held various roles in architectural coatings including purchasing, operations management, technical and quality control management in Pittsburgh, PA; Dover, DE; and East Point, GA. In 1998, Kappas was named corporate diversity manager, corporate human resources. She became plant manager of PPG’s specialty chemicals manufacturing facility at Barberton, OH, in 2001, and in 2004, was named supply chain director, automotive replacement glass. In this role, she had additional responsibility as supply chain director, automotive refinish, North America. In 2007, Kappas became business director, TESLIN products. She was appointed VP, environment, health and safety (EHS) in 2011, with global leadership responsibilities for the EHS function and corporate sustainability. In late 2013, Kappas moved into her most recent role as VP, PMC, Americas.

Ardid joined PPG in 1992 as a finance analyst at PPG Iberica in Rubi, Spain. Over his more than 25-year career with PPG, he has progressed through sales and marketing positions of increasing responsibility in industrial coatings and automotive OEM coatings in Spain, France and Switzerland. In 2008, Ardid was appointed market director automotive parts and accessories decorative and in 2013 added responsibility for all Central Europe automotive OEM accounts. Ardid was appointed to his current role as general manager, global adhesives and sealants in April 2015, where he was accountable to grow a newly combined adhesives and sealants business and was responsible for the integration of Revocoat.

Marek joined PPG in 1994, through the acquisition of Nalco, as a market manager, pretreatment products, OEM coatings, based in Troy, MI. He held roles in automotive specialty products, industrial pretreatment and mill-applied products prior to moving to Pittsburgh as director, raw materials purchasing. In 2002, Marek joined the industrial coatings business as general manager. He returned to Michigan and the OEM coatings business in 2007 as GM global automotive parts and accessories-decorative, and commercial vehicles, and was appointed president of PPG Kansai Automotive Finishes, in March, 2009. In 2014, he was appointed to his current position.