COLUMBIA, Md., April 26, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- W. R. Grace & Co. (NYSE:GRA) today announced the appointment of Sandra Wisniewski as President, Grace Materials Technologies, the business segment which produces and sells specialty materials, including silica-based and silica-alumina-based materials used in coatings, consumer, industrial, and pharmaceutical applications. The $400 million segment achieved record volumes and gross margins in 2016.
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Wisniewski comes to Grace from SunTech Medical, where she was President and Chief Executive Officer. Previously, she served as a General Manager and Vice President at Sanofi, a global healthcare technology company. Sandra spent most of her career with Baxter International in various roles, including general management, sales, marketing, R&D, global project management, manufacturing, and operations. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MBA in Marketing, Finance, and Business Strategy from Northwestern University.
“Sandra has a strong record of success growing the businesses she has run,” said Grace President and Chief Operating Officer Hudson La Force. “Her strengths as a leader and experiences in sophisticated global industries align well with our growth opportunities in Materials Technologies.”
Wisniewski’s appointment rounds out the leadership team for Grace’s three businesses. Thomas Petti is President of Refining Technologies and Albert J. Beninati, Jr. is President of Specialty Catalysts. Grace reports results for Refining Technologies and Specialty Catalysts under its Catalysts Technologies segment.
About Grace
Built on talent, technology, and trust, Grace is a leading global supplier of catalysts and engineered materials. The company’s two industry-leading business segments—Catalysts Technologies and Materials Technologies—provide innovative products, technologies, and services that enhance the products and processes of our customer partners around the world. With approximately 3,700 employees, Grace operates and/or sells to customers in over 60 countries. More information about Grace is available at grace.com.
This announcement contains forward-looking statements. Such statements generally include the words “will,” “plans,” “intends,” “targets,” “expects,” “outlook,” or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, expected financial positions and results of operations. For these statements, Grace claims the protections of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. Grace is subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause its actual results to differ materially from its projections or forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to materially differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements include, without limitation: risks related to foreign operations, raw material and energy costs; research and development effectiveness; acquisition success; developments affecting indebtedness; pension obligations; Grace’s legal and environmental proceedings; environmental regulatory compliance costs; customer and supplier relationships; inability to retain key personnel; and those additional factors set forth in Grace's most recent Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K, which have been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and are readily available on the internet at www.sec.gov. Reported results should not be considered as an indication of future performance. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on Grace's projections and forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date thereof. Grace undertakes no obligation to publicly release any revision to the projections and forward-looking statements.