Koppers Announces Election, Retirements
Written by Jennifer McLawhorn, Managing Editor
Left to right: Stephanie Apostolou, Leslie Hyde, Joseph Dowd.
Courtesy of Koppers
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - Koppers announces the election of Stephanie Apostolou as Chief Legal and Sustainability Officer and Secretary as well as the retirements of Senior Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer Leslie Hyde and Global Vice President Zero Harm Joseph Dowd.
Stephanie Apostolou joined Koppers back in 2011 as Corporate Counsel and has served as Deputy General Counsel and Assistant Secretary. In 2020, she was named General Counsel Secretary. In her new role as Chief Legal and Sustainability Officer and Secretary, she will be “responsible for overseeing all aspects of the company’s Legal, Sustainability, Zero Harm, Risk Management and Strategic Planning functions, in addition to coordinating matters relating to the Board of Directors.”
Koppers Chief Executive Officer Leroy Ball stated, “In Stephanie’s thirteen years at Koppers, she has grown tremendously as a leader and met every challenge along the way. Stephanie possesses a valuable blend of curiosity and caring that makes her the perfect successor for leading Sustainability and Zero Harm at Koppers. In addition, she has been heavily involved in every major decision made at Koppers in the past five years and knows our businesses like few others, which makes her uniquely qualified to also oversee our Risk Management and Strategic Planning processes. I have every confidence Stephanie will excel in her expanded responsibilities and carry on the proud tradition established by her predecessors.”
Senior Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer Leslie Hyde will retire effective March 31, 2025. Effective immediately, Hyde will serve as Assistant to the CEO to ensure “a smooth transition.” Leslie Hyde has been with Koppers for 25 years and held several key roles that encompass “legal, environmental, risk management, safety and health, product stewardship, and strategic planning.”
In the beginning of her career with Koppers, she “built Koppers environmental programs, developed a global enterprise risk management system and implemented the compliance systems instrumental in achieving certifications for the ISO14001 standard and the Responsible care Management System.” In 2020, Hyde became Koppers’ first Chief Sustainability Officer where she was able to develop a comprehensive sustainability program and “reporting mechanism that made Koppers a nationally recognized leader in the space.”
Global Vice President Zero Harm Joseph Dowd will retire effective February 28, 2025. Similar to Hyde, Dowd will also serve as Assistant to the CEO effective immediately. In 2012, Dowd joined Koppers as Vice President North American Carbon Materials and Chemicals before becoming Vice President Global Safety, Health, Environmental and Process Excellence in 2016. In 2020, Dowd stepped into the role of Global Vice President Zero Harm. In this role, he established Zero Harm “as a foundational principle at Koppers,” and “introduced a Zero Harm Leadership Forum, dedicated to safety principles and practices, established in-person training workshops for employees at all operating locations, instituted Life Saving Rules, and deployed a new technology platform to track safety, health, and environmental metrics.”
Koppers CEO Ball said, “Leslie and Joe embody the style of caring, compassionate leaders we aim to develop at Koppers, and they both will be sorely missed. Whether inspiring colleagues to go beyond what they thought possible, or devoting time and talent to make an impact in their community, they served as fabulous role models for what I expect from leaders at Koppers. Their legacy of establishing Sustainability and Zero Harm as cornerstones of our Koppers culture will leave a lasting impact on current and future stakeholders for years to come.”
