Hillenbrand resigns as Koppers board chair

Written by Kyra Senese, Managing Editor
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David Hillenbrand

David Hillenbrand has resigned from Koppers Holdings Inc. as chairman of the Board, effective Oct. 11, 2018.  

Hillenbrand served as chairman of the board for a decade and has been a member of the Board since November of 2004, cited personal and health-related reasons for his decision to resign.

The Board has elected Stephen Tritch as chairman of the Board and cut down the size of the Board from 11 to 10 directors.

Tritch has also served as a member of the Koppers Board since 2009, most recently serving as the chairman of the Management Development and Compensation Committee and as a member of the Strategy and Risk Committee, Audit Committee and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.

“It is with deep regret that I must end my nearly twenty-year association with Koppers for health reasons,” said Outgoing Chairman of the Board Hillenbrand. “It has been an inestimable privilege to have served this great company, its committed employees, talented management team and superb Board of Directors. I am highly confident in the continued success of Koppers and believe that this will be a seamless transition.”

Tritch said taking on the role of chairman is an honor.

“I look forward to leading the Board,” Tritch said. “We very much appreciate David’s leadership as well as his many contributions over the years. We move forward with great enthusiasm and look to enhance the value of the company for all our key stakeholders.”

In addition to his years on the Koppers Board, Hillenbrand served as the president and CEO of Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh from 2005 through 2011 and from January 2013 through June 2014.

Before that, he retired from Bayer AG in August 2003, where he was executive vice president, Bayer Polymers. He also served as president and CEO of Bayer’s Canadian operations, Bayer, Inc., for eight years.

President and CEO Leroy Ball added, “Speaking for the entire Board, we wish David the best and thank him for his expert leadership and steady hand in guiding our company.  Looking ahead, we are pleased to have Steve leading our highly-accomplished board as we continue to evaluate opportunities for growth and focus on executing our strategic priorities.”

Koppers said Tritch brings to extensive experience the leadership role. He retired as the chairman of Westinghouse Electric Company in July 2010, having served as chairman and CEO of Westinghouse since 2002.

He currently serves as Board Chairman of Charah Solutions, Inc., a public company providing environmental and maintenance services to the power generation industry.

Tritch serves on the Board of Trustees for the University of Pittsburgh, as well as its Board of Visitors at the Swanson School of Engineering. Tritch also serves on the Board of Directors of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, having previously served as the First Vice Chair for six years.

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