Tenneco Inc. announced that its board of directors has appointed Kevin Baird as chief operating officer, effective Aug. 3. In this role, Baird joins the executive leadership team and will lead and support critical strategic and operations initiatives that deliver margin expansion and cash generation improvements.
“I am pleased to welcome Kevin to Tenneco and the addition of his automotive industry, global operations management, and private equity background to the deep experience and strength of our executive leadership team,” said Brian Kesseler, Tenneco CEO. “He brings a proven track record of delivering strong top and bottom-line results, driving cash flow and increasing return on invested capital.”
Baird joins Tenneco from Guardian Industries, a wholly owned subsidiary of Koch Industries, Inc., where he served since 2014 as president and CEO of its Guardian Glass business, a producer of high-performance glass for architectural, transportation and technical applications. Baird joined Guardian in 2008 as CEO of SRG Global, Inc., the company’s automotive trim business.
“Tenneco is a strong company, and I’m excited to join such a talented and experienced leadership team,” Baird said. “The breadth of Tenneco’s product and technologies, as well as its global scale and portfolio of leading brands, is unique within the automotive industry, and I’m looking forward to helping the company capitalize on its outstanding opportunities for further profitable growth and increased value for shareholders.”
Before joining Guardian, Baird served on the operations team of private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management, and prior to that, as CEO and board member of Qualitor, an automotive braking systems supplier. He began his career at Federal-Mogul, where he spent more than 15 years in operations and management positions of increasing responsibility, including vice president and general management roles in the Powertrain Systems business.
“The reestablishment of the COO role brings further global experience and support to our team’s performance focus on margin expansion and cash generation,” added Kesseler. “Kevin’s unique background and skill set, including global hands-on experience in some of our business segments, makes him an ideal business partner and will enable him to quickly contribute to improved operating results.”
Tenneco also announced that its board of directors has appointed Matti Masanovich as chief financial officer (CFO), effective Aug. 10, 2020. He will succeed interim CFO Ken Trammell.
Masanovich brings to Tenneco more than a quarter-century of global experience in roles with original equipment and aftermarket automotive companies including a history of driving turnaround initiatives for private equity sponsors and value creation for shareholders.
“I am pleased to welcome Matti to Tenneco and look forward to his business partnership and strong leadership of our global finance function in his role as CFO,” said Kesseler. “Matti’s addition further strengthens the deep experience of our executive leadership team. His expertise in leading business and financial strategy, operations execution and capital allocation planning enhances our capabilities in delivering on our performance focus of margin expansion, cash generation and value creation for our shareholders.”
Before joining Tenneco, Masanovich was CFO of Superior Industries International Inc., a leading global supplier of light vehicle aluminum wheels for the original equipment and aftermarket. Prior to that, he was the senior vice president and CFO at General Cable Corp., a publicly listed global wire and cable solutions manufacturing company.
“I’m excited to join the team at this important point in the company’s history,” said Masanovich. “I’ve always admired Tenneco’s diverse growth opportunities and look forward to working with the management team to help the Company achieve its strategic objectives.”
Before joining General Cable Corp., Masanovich served in various roles at International Automotive Components as vice president and controller, Aptiv (formerly Delphi Automotive), an automotive technology company, including the global vice president of finance, Packard Electrical and Electronic Architecture Division in Shanghai, China. His other automotive supplier experience includes roles at EMCON Technologies, Dura Automotive, Collins and Aikman and Federal-Mogul.
“On behalf of the entire Tenneco team, I want to thank Ken Trammell, our outgoing interim CFO and longtime Tenneco executive team member, for his leadership and contributions over the years but especially during the current market challenges our company and industry are navigating,” added Kesseler.
Trammell will remain with the company for a sufficient time period to help facilitate a smooth transition for Masanovich.
