Air Products appoints new President of Industrial Gases

Air Products has appointed Marie Ffolkes to the position of President, Industrial Gases – Americas, effective 18 May 2015. Ffolkes comes to Air Products with 20 years of manufacturing experience and has held senior executive positions with advancing responsibilities at several companies during that time. Ffolkes will report to Corning Painter, Executive Vice President – Industrial Gases, who held the new position on an interim basis until an appointment was made.

"We are pleased to welcome Marie to our team at this exciting time in our company," said Painter. "Marie has demonstrated success throughout her career working around the world with some very notable companies. She will be a valuable addition to Air Products at this time as we continue our transformation. We look forward to Marie, through her global experience and demonstrated leadership, making an important contribution to the success of the Industrial Gases – Americas reporting segment and our overall corporation."

At Air Products, Ffolkes will be responsible for driving the strategy and profitability of the Industrial Gases – Americas business segment, one of the company's largest business areas, to achieve its primary business objectives and ensure growth, in addition to directing long range business planning efforts. As this is a new position within Air Products, Ffolkes will be responsible for leading change and transformation within this business segment by helping to combine the various industrial gases businesses into one unit, a change from the previous structure. Across North and South America, Ffolkes will have accountability for safety, plant operations, distribution, supply chain, procurement, sales, marketing, as well as regional operations.

Ffolkes joins Air Products most recently from Tenneco, Inc. where she was Global Vice President and General Manager of its Global Elastomer & Ride Performance Group responsible for growth, planning and directing all activities across two business units. Prior to Tenneco, she was with Johnson Controls, Inc. as Vice President and General Manager for its South American Region's Automotive Group based in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Ffolkes also formerly worked for General Electric Company in a variety of roles, including senior manager, Global Mergers & Acquisitions – GE Healthcare. She graduated from GE's Financial Management Programme (FMP). Ffolkes holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a B.S. from Brooklyn College.

Adapted from press release by Rosalie Starling

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/gas-processing/23042015/air-products-appoints-new-president-of-industrial-gases-649/