PPG Announces Leadership Appointments

PPG announced the following executive appointments, effective March 1, 2020:

Chancey Hagerty, current VP, global industrial coatings, will become VP, global automotive refinish coatings. Reporting to Tim Knavish, PPG executive VP, he will continue to be a member of the Operating Committee. Hagerty will succeed Gary Danowski, current VP, global automotive refinish, who has announced his intent to retire, effective March 1.

Kevin Braun, current VP, industrial coatings, Americas, will become VP, global industrial coatings. Braun will report to Rebecca Liebert, PPG executive VP, and join the Operating Committee.

Andrew Carroll, current global technical director, industrial coatings, will become VP, industrial coatings, Americas. Carroll will report to Braun and will become an officer of PPG.

“Gary has been the embodiment of a PPG leader throughout his 38-year career – a true team player who rose to any challenge,” said Michael H. McGarry, PPG chairman and CEO. “His leadership in five businesses has strengthened the organization and allowed PPG to serve customers in new ways. We thank Gary for his many years of tremendous service and congratulate Chancey, Kevin and Andrew on their key leadership positions.  We are pleased to have a talented group of leaders with broad, proven experience, which provides continuity in driving our global business strategies and delivering shareholder value.”

Hagerty began his 24-year PPG career in 1996 at the company’s former chemical plant in Natrium, West Virginia, and in 1998 assumed a plant-engineering role at the industrial coatings facility in Springdale, Pennsylvania. 

He moved into sales for industrial coatings in 2001 and since then has held positions of increasing responsibility within both the industrial and automotive original equipment manufacturing (OEM) coatings business units. After a successful assignment in Rolle, Switzerland, as general manager, industrial coatings, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Hagerty returned to the U.S. to his current role in January 2019.

Braun began his 29-year PPG career in 1991 at the Springdale facility. He has since held several commercial roles in industrial coatings, fiberglass and architectural coatings in the U.S. 

Braun has also served as GM, silica products and GM, architectural coatings, Australia and New Zealand.

Carroll began his 29-year PPG career in 1991 at the Allison Park, Penn., facility in research and development. 

He also served as director of mergers and acquisitions for the automotive refinish business and director of product management for industrial coatings. Previously, Carroll had several commercial and technical roles within the automotive OEM coatings and refinish business units.

Danowski joined PPG in 1982 as a production engineer at PPG’s former Crestline, Ohio, automotive glass fabrication plant, now part of Vitro Automotive Glass. He relocated to Detroit in 1988 as an automotive glass sales engineer and in 1991 was appointed superintendent of engineering at PPG’s former automotive glass plant in Evansville, Indiana. 

In 1994, he moved to Paris as director, market development, for PPG’s European glass business.

He then returned to the U.S. in 1997 as plant manager of PPG’s former Meadville, Penn., glass manufacturing facility. He was appointed director, new products and services, flat glass, in 2001; director, production, automotive OEM glass, in 2003; and director, global operations, aerospace, in 2007. He was named VP, performance glazings, in 2009. In 2011, he relocated to PPG’s European headquarters in Rolle, Switzerland, for his role as VP, automotive refinish, EMEA. In 2017, Danowski became VP, global automotive OEM coatings, and in July 2018, he assumed his current role as VP, global automotive refinish.