Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. announced that its Board of Directors has named Robert Bryant chief executive officer on a permanent basis, effective immediately. He had been serving as interim CEO since October 2018. Bryant was also appointed to serve on Axalta’s Board of Directors.
Bryant has served as executive vice president and chief financial officer of Axalta since 2013. He was previously chief financial officer and senior vice president of Roll Global LLC. Before joining Roll Global in 2007, he was executive vice president of strategy, new business development and information technology at Grupo Industrial Saltillo, S.A.B. de C.V. Bryant graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. degree in economics from the University of Florida and received his M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School.
“Over the past two months, Robert has seamlessly stepped into the role of interim CEO and led the company in a challenging market environment,” said Charlie Shaver, Axalta’s chairman of the board. “Having worked closely with him over the past six years, I am extremely confident in his ability to lead Axalta effectively as our permanent CEO. The board and I look forward to seeing Axalta build on its success and continue to thrive under Robert’s leadership.”
Added Bryant, “I appreciate the board’s confidence in me and am honored to continue working alongside a talented management team and dedicated employees to build on Axalta’s well-deserved reputation for customer service and innovation.”
Axalta also announced today that Sean Lannon has been named chief financial officer on a permanent basis, effective immediately. He had been serving as vice president and interim chief financial officer since October 2018.
Prior to serving as vice president and interim chief financial officer of Axalta, Lannon served as vice president, corporate finance and global controller of Axalta since 2016, and was vice president and global controller from 2013 until that promotion. He was previously vice president, global controller of Trinseo. Before joining Trinseo in 2011, he was the senior manager, financial reporting at Endo Pharmaceuticals. Lannon began his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he spent more than nine years within the organization’s audit practice. Lannon graduated with a B.A. in accounting from Philadelphia University. He is a certified public accountant.
“Sean’s business and financial acumen, years of experience working in increasingly senior finance roles at Axalta, and extensive background in financial reporting make him a great fit to succeed me as Axalta’s CFO,” said Bryant. “I am very excited to continue working with Sean to grow Axalta and build shareholder value over the long term.”
