Business News
Sun Chemical Names Rudi Lenz Chief Executive Officer and President
Thursday 03. January 2008 - Sun Chemical, the worlds leading manufacturer of printing inks and organic pigments, appointed Rudi Lenz as its Chief Executive Officer and President, effective January 1, 2008. Dr. Koji Oe, President of Dainippon Ink and Chemicals of Japan, Sun Chemicals parent company, made the announcement on behalf of the Sun Chemical Board of Directors.
Mr. Lenz assumes leadership of Sun Chemical after serving as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and Sun Chemical Board member since 2002. Mr. Lenz succeeds Dr. David Hill, who announced his retirement in late 2007.
“Mr. Lenz assumes the CEO and President role at an important time for Sun Chemical, and I have every confidence that he will lead Sun to even greater success despite very challenging times in the industry globally,” Dr. Oe said.
“My number one focus will be on ensuring that Sun Chemicals global resources are working for our customers,” Lenz said. “We became the world leader in inks and color pigments by delivering the highest quality products with consistency and reliability and by providing innovative solutions to the challenges our customers face. That same commitment continues today and will drive our growth in the future.”
Before joining Sun Chemical in 2002, Mr. Lenz served as President and CEO of Fairchild Aircraft Incorporated, a division of Fairchild Dornier Corporation of San Antonio, Texas. Under Mr. Lenzs leadership, Fairchild Aircraft increased revenues, improved overall customer satisfaction, and significantly increased income.
Mr. Lenz began his career in accounting and tax with the German Internal Revenue Service in 1976. In 1980, he joined Garrett Corporation as an accounting manager in Frankfurt, Germany. He was promoted to Controller and then promoted through a series of financial and accounting positions, ultimately leading the financial and administrative functions as CFO of Garrett GmbH. Following the acquisitions that formed AlliedSignal Corporation, Mr. Lenz became the CFO for AlliedSignal Germanys aerospace, automotive, specialty chemicals, plastics, and engineered materials businesses. He then was promoted to the position of Vice President, Finance – Aerospace Services, AlliedSignal, in Phoenix, Arizona.
In 1997, Mr. Lenz joined Fairchild Dornier Corporation as Executive Vice President and CFO. There he improved the companys financial management capabilities and was instrumental in the integration of Fairchild and Dornier. He was promoted to President and CEO of Fairchild Aircraft in January 2001 and resigned in February 2002 to join Sun Chemical.
A native of Germany, Mr. Lenz earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance & Taxes from the University of Edenkoben. He earned a masters degree in business & administration from the University of Wiesbaden.