Stewart Bacon, Chairman of the Board of Purolator Holdings Ltd., is pleased to announce the appointment of Thomas Schmitt as Purolator’s President and CEO. Mr. Schmitt’s appointment is effective September 9, 2010.
Mr. Schmitt’s appointment as Purolator’s President and CEO comes at the conclusion of an extensive search conducted by the Board with the assistance of a leading international executive search firm. The search included consideration of CEOs and other senior executives from leading companies around the world. Through this search, the Board considered a number of exceptionally talented candidates.
“The Board is delighted to have selected Tom as Purolator’s next President and CEO,” says Mr. Bacon. “Tom is an exceptional leader, experienced in our industry, whose customer focus and passion for performance excellence make him the ideal candidate to lead Purolator.”
“I have the utmost respect for Purolator as a Canadian industry leader and am excited about the opportunity to lead this great company,” says Mr. Schmitt. “I am looking forward to meeting and working with the team at Purolator.”
Mr. Schmitt joins Purolator from FedEx Corporation, where he held several executive roles of increasing responsibility over the last 12 years. As Senior Vice-President of FedEx Solutions, he led an integrated FedEx division providing turnkey customized solutions for strategic customers.
Previously, as President and CEO of FedEx’s Global Supply Chain Services, he was responsible for FedEx’s global logistics and supply chain services. Under his leadership, FedEx launched FedEx Critical Inventory Logistics in 2006. Prior to joining FedEx, Mr. Schmitt spent eight years with McKinsey & Company, where he worked with Fortune 500 companies, providing strategic development and operations expertise for the transportation, logistics, retail, utilities and telecom industries.
Mr. Schmitt graduated with first class honours from Middlesex University in the United Kingdom, and he later earned an MBA at the Harvard Business School, where he graduated as a Baker Scholar at the top of his class.
On behalf of the Board, Mr. Bacon also takes this opportunity to thank Bill Henderson for his significant contribution to Purolator during his interim term as President and CEO. Over the last several months, Purolator has made significant progress in the areas of strategy development, internal controls and cost management. “The Board is very grateful for Bill’s exceptional work and looks forward to his continued contribution to Purolator as a key member of the senior management team,” says Mr. Bacon.
As Purolator’s President and CEO, Mr. Schmitt will also serve as a member of the Board.
