David Kohler named president of Kohler Co.
The Kohler Company board of directors, at its annual meeting, elected David Kohler president and chief operating officer of the Kohler Company.
David Kohler is the son of Herbert V. Kohler Jr., who is the chairman of the board and the chief executive officer of the Kohler Company. Herbert Kohler Jr. was also the president of the company, prior to his son’s election to that post.
In his new role David Kohler, 42, will still report to Herbert Kohler Jr., 70, who remains in the top position in the company. Previously David Kohler oversaw the company’s Kitchen & Bath Group and Technical Services division. In his new role he will also oversee the company’s Global Power Group and Interiors Group.
Herbert Kohler Jr. will continue to oversee the company’s other division, the Hospitality and Real Estate Group.
David Kohler is the fourth generation of family leadership of the Kohler Company. The company was founded by John Michael Kohler, who is the grandfather of Herbert Kohler Jr. and the great grandfather of David Kohler.
David Kohler began working for the Kohler Company on summer jobs in 1983 and 1985 as a stable helper and as a caster of Wellworth bowls. He graduated from Duke University in 1988 and then worked for the company for two years as a planning analyst and as a foreman in the iron foundry. Then he went to the Kellogg School of Management and received his MBA in 1992. He worked in a management program as a fine china buyer for Dayton Hudson in Minneapolis. Then he rejoined Kohler Co. in 1993 as director of fixtures marketing for plumbing and safety products. He became vice president of sales in 1995, senior vice president of Plumbing North America in 1996, group president of Kitchen & Bath in 1999 and executive vice president in 2007. He was elected to the company’s board of directors in 1999 and to its executive committee in 2007.
The Kohler Co. board also elected Jim Westdorp as group president of the Kitchen & Bath Group, succeeding David Kohler in that role, and Jeffrey Mueller was elected president of Global Faucets, replacing Westdorp in that role.
Sensient names new president and COO
Milwaukee-based Sensient Technologies Corp. announced that its board of directors has elected Neil Cracknell as president and chief operating officer.
Cracknell joined the company in 1994 as manager of sales and marketing for the Colors Europe division. He has held numerous management positions in his 15 years with the company. Most recently, he was president of the firm’s Flavors & Fragrances Group.
"(Cracknell) brings proven management skills to his new position,” said Kenneth P. Manning, chairman and CEO.
In addition, Robert Wilkins, president of the company’s Asia Pacific division, was elected as an officer of the company. Wilkins joined Sensient in September 2003 as sales manager of the company’s Australian operation. In July 2005 he was promoted to president of the Asia Pacific operation.
Snap-On CEO adds chairman title
Nicholas Pinchuk, the president and chief executive officer of Kenosha-based Snap-On Inc. was elected chairman by the company’s board of directors. He succeeds Jack Michaels in the role. Michaels term with the board of directors ended. "We are extremely pleased to have Nick as Snap-on’s chairman, president and chief executive officer, and look forward to him continuing to build on the foundation he has laid during his past seven years with the company," said W. Dudley Lehman, chairman of the company’s Corporate Governance & Nominating Committee. "Nick’s election as chairman is a further indication of the board’s confidence in his leadership."
Pinchuk joined Snap-on in 2002 as senior vice president and president of Snap-on’s Worldwide Commercial and Industrial Group. He was named president and chief operating officer in April 2007, when he was also appointed to Snap-on’s board of directors. In December 2007, he was named president and chief executive officer.
"I feel extraordinarily privileged to be part of the Snap-on team. We’ve made substantial progress over the last few years, and I look forward to continuing that work with the support of the board, our associates, our franchisees and all of our company’s stakeholders," said Pinchuk. "We thank Jack Michaels for his special leadership and significant contributions to the Snap-on family."
Wisconsin Lutheran to inaugurate new president
Daniel W. Johnson, Ph.D., was recently inaugurated as the third full-time president of Wisconsin Lutheran College in Wauwatosa.
Johnson has served in multiple levels of education during the past 20 years. Most recently, he served as the head administrator at Arizona Lutheran Academy, Phoenix, Ariz. for nine years before accepting the position at Wisconsin Lutheran.
Johnson grew up in Illinois and Arizona, and is a lifelong active member of Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, the church body with which Wisconsin Lutheran College is affiliated. He and his wife, Jana, have three children.
