Jon Hatfield

General Manager at PPG

Rolle, Vaud, Switzerland

About

Executive all-rounder with a talent for simplifying chaos, reshaping organizations and delivering step-change results. 25 years of making things happen in the chemicals and coatings industry Currently proud to lead the PPG Aerospace business in EMEA. Serving the needs of OEM’s, airlines and the aftermarket, this dedicated team provides peace of mind to aviation customers through the quality of our coatings and sealants Situational leader with excellent learning agility with achievements in sales, manufacturing and procurement. Process-orientated, technically adept and well-suited to B2B optimization Operated at 3 majors (PPG, Rohm and Haas, Courtaulds) and fluent in matrix environments. Culturally sensitive and active on the international business stage since 2004 Dual UK and Swiss citizen. Raised in the North of England and now based in Vaud, Switzerland. Have also resided and worked in France and the United States. Expertise covers: - General management within global corporations - Commercial leadership across diverse industries, geographies and channels - Establishing the case for change and delivering organizational transformations - Building, engaging and developing high performance teams - Global sourcing of direct materials, indirect services and logistics - Managing operations throughout the product life-cycle (design, build, operate, outsource) PPG is a global supplier of paint, coatings and specialty materials with a purpose to protect and beautify the world. Through innovation, sustainability and color leadership, PPG serves the evolving needs of the industrial, transportation, consumer products and construction sectors. This through providing product and service solutions to manufacturers, end-users and aftermarkets. PPG is a Fortune 500 company with 46,000 employees. 17,000 of whom work in EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa)

Experience

  • PPG (17 yrs 10 mos)
    • General Manager, Aerospace EMEA
      May 2025 - Present · 1 yr 3 mos

      o Leadership of >600 people to serve the growing needs of the Aviation industry (OEM, Tiers, Airlines, MRO). Accountable for the overall business performance

    • Automotive Refinish Business Director, North EMEA
      Jan 2021 - Apr 2025 · 4 yrs 4 mos

      o Business leadership of a multi-functional team of >300 to achieve >$300 million in sales from 3 complex segments (vehicle repair/aftermarket, commercial transportation, light industrial coatings). This through hybrid sales channels across 20+ countries o Generated above industry growth through product launches and new-to-market digital offerings. >$10 million of new sales gained in both 2023 and 2024 through rapidly executed go-to-market plans. 2020 to 2024: Sales CAGR >5%, Earnings CAGR >10%. Results significantly exceeding pre-COVID levels o Transformed 7 operating territories into a single, leveraged, regional organization. This enabling both increased sales effectiveness and a double-digit improvement in percentage overhead costs o Significantly increased the level of employee engagement. Lifted the organization from the 25th to the 65th engagement percentile (Gallup Q12). The resulting ratio of actively engaged to disengaged employees was above 20 (Gallup global average is 1.8)

    • Procurement Director, EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa)
      Sep 2018 - Dec 2020 · 2 yrs 4 mos

      o General management and leadership of the EMEA procurement team (>100 FTE, >$2.5 billion) that served all the business units of PPG. Reported to the Global CPO and the EMEA President. Member of the European Leadership Team (ELT) and the executive sponsor for a Global Business Services centre in Poland o >70 MM$ of savings (cost out) and >20MM$ working capital improvement through a variety of sourcing tactics from longer-term partnerships to reverse auctions o Reshaped the function through two restructuring rounds towards a 10% reduction in cost to serve. This resulted in 1 of 3 positions (including strategic roles) being located in Wroclaw, Poland. Additionally recruited non-procurement internal talent to improve the credibility, business partnering and commercial diversity of the function o Successful turnaround of a cross-business unit project to migrate >100 customer service, supply chain and data positions to a Global Business Services centre. Recovered situation from -50% behind to +20% ahead. Plan signed off by CEO Procurement was previously referred to as Global Supply Management (GSM) within PPG

  • Rohm and Haas (9 yrs 7 mos)
    • Global Procurement Strategist, Raw Materials
      Nov 2005 - Sep 2008 · 2 yrs 11 mos

      o Category management of chemical commodities and specialties o Extensive use of strategic frameworks and emerging market sourcing The Rohm and Haas Company was a manufacturer of speciality chemicals for end use markets such as building and construction, electronic devices, packaging, household and personal care products. Prior to being purchased by Dow in 2009, it was a Fortune 500 listed company.

    • European Procurement Toll Manager
      Apr 2004 - Oct 2005 · 1 yr 7 mos

      o Evaluation and consolidation of outsourced operations

    • Production Manager
      Mar 2003 - Mar 2004 · 1 yr 1 mo

      o Implementation of performance management at a unionized facility o Design of a modified working arrangement towards a double-digit reduction in labour costs

  • Courtaulds PLC (Full-time · 2 yrs 8 mos)
    • Project Engineer
      Jan 1999 - Mar 1999 · 3 mos

      o IEC (6)1508 technical safety assessment that enabled increased asset utilization (Cellulosics) Courtaulds PLC manufactured fibers, yarns, films, coatings, chemicals, packaging and performance materials and sealants. Prior to being purchased by Akzo Nobel in 1998, it was listed on the FTSE 100

    • Project Chemical Engineer
      Mar 1998 - Dec 1998 · 10 mos

      o Commissioning/start-up lead for a first-in-industry purification technology (Flame Retardants)

    • Technical Assistant
      Aug 1996 - Mar 1998 · 1 yr 8 mos

      o Continuous improvement projects (Extrusion)

  • Industrial Placement at Courtaulds PLC
    Jul 1994 - Aug 1995 · 1 yr 2 mos

    o Design and feasibility of new chemical production processes (Cellulosics)