Alumnus Sam Smolik appointed to Axalta Board of Directors
Originally published on BusinessWire.
Alumnus Samuel Smolik (B.S. ChE ‘75) has been appointed to Axalta Coating Systems Board of Directors, a leading global provider of liquid and powder coatings. Smolik is the senior vice president of Americas Manufacturing at LyondellBasell Industries, one of the world’s largest plastics, chemical and refining companies serving companies in the packaging, electronics, automotive parts, home furnishing, construction materials and biofuels sectors.
Axalta is a leading global company focused solely on coatings and providing customers with innovative and sustainable solutions. With 150 years of experience in the coatings industry, Axalta serves more than 100,000 customers in 130 countries with state-of-the-art coatings, application systems and technology.
“Sam’s broad management experience and his extensive operations expertise will make strong contributions to the Board,” said Charlie Shaver, Axalta’s Chairman and CEO. “Sam’s wealth of expertise gained during his career working at some of the world’s leading chemical and oil and gas companies will provide valuable insights into how we can continue to accelerate continuous improvement in our global operations. His deep knowledge of environmental, health and safety systems will prove especially valuable as we continue to reinforce our health and safety protocols as well as our commitment to respect the environment and maintain the sustainability of our operations.”
Before assuming his current position at LyondellBasell Industries in 2015, Smolik was the vice president of Global Health, Safety, Environment and Operational Excellence at the company. From 2005 through 2009, he was the vice president of Global Downstream Health, Safety, Security and Environment at Royal Dutch Shell and before that held a similar position at Shell Chemical. Between 1975 and 2004 Smolik held a number of positions of increasing responsibility at The Dow Chemical Company, including a role during its merger with Union Carbide, before attaining his final position as the vice president of Global Environment, Health, Safety and Security.
Smolik has been a member of the American Fuels & Petrochemical Manufacturers Association, the American Chemistry Council’s Responsible Care Committee, and The Conference Board’s Chief EH&S Officers Council among other affiliations.
He has been an active alumnus of the department and of the Cockrell School of Engineering as a member of the Cockrell School of Engineering External Advisory Board and participated as a Texas ChE centennial symposium speaker and as a centennial silver-level partner.
Tags: alumnus, Axalta, Axalta Coating Systems, Board of Directors, chemical engineering, External Advisory Board, LyondellBasell Industries, McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, Samuel Smolik, Texas ChE, Texas ChE Centennial, The University of Texas at Austin, UT Austin