PPG Hires New Senior VP for Automotive Coatings

PPG has appointed Rebecca Liebert as senior vice president, automotive coatings, to succeed Gary Danowski, who will become vice president, global automotive refinish. Danowski is replacing John Outcalt, who has announced his intent to retire, effective August 1.

Liebert joins PPG from Honeywell UOP, where she served as president and chief executive officer. During her career with Honeywell, she also served as senior vice president and general manager, catalyst absorbents and specialties, UOP; senior vice president and general manager, gas processing and hydrogen; and vice president and general manager, electronics materials. Prior to joining Honeywell, she was president, Reynolds Food packaging, Alcoa KAMA. She began her career as a Six Sigma Top Gun development engineer with Nova Chemicals. At PPG, Liebert will also oversee the Latin America region and will join the company’s operating committee.

Danowski joined PPG in 1982 as a production engineer at a former automotive glass fabrication plant. He held various roles as an automotive glass sales engineer and superintendent of engineering. In 1994, he moved to Paris as director, market development, for PPG’s European glass business, returning to the United States in 1997 as plant manager of PPG’s former Meadville, Pennsylvania, glass manufacturing facility. He was appointed director, new products and services, flat glass, in 2001; director, production, automotive OEM glass, in 2003; and director, global operations, aerospace, in 2007. He was named vice president, performance glazings, in 2009. In 2011, Danowski relocated to PPG’s European headquarters in Rolle, Switzerland, for his role as vice president, automotive refinish, EMEA; and in 2017, he became vice president, automotive coatings.