Axalta Coating Systems has appointed automotive industry veteran Jan Bertsch to the company’s board of directors, where she will serve on the Axalta Audit Committee as an independent director. The role will take effect on 13 September with Elizabeth Lempres stepping down as a member of the board, effective 15 September.
“We are pleased to welcome Jan to our board of directors and look forward to benefitting from her tremendous expertise as an operationally focused CFO with a strong track record of value creation and asset optimisation,” said Bill Cook, Axalta’s Board Chair. “Axalta will benefit from Jan’s deep financial and information technology expertise and global perspective as we execute on our strategic growth plan and deliver value for our shareholders.”
“On behalf of our entire board, I want to thank Liz for her leadership and dedication to Axalta,” Cook added. “Liz’s diverse global strategy experience has helped to guide Axalta’s continued evolution and growth trajectory. Her many contributions to the board and the company are greatly appreciated.”
Prior to her retirement in 2019, Bertsch was Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of O-I Glass, where she was responsible for global finance and IT functions, delivering solutions that enabled collaboration across the enterprise. She previously served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Sigma Aldrich, and prior to joining that company in 2012, Bertsch spent more than 30 years in a variety of finance and IT leadership roles for automotive companies including as Senior Vice President, Treasurer and Chief Information Officer of Chrysler, and in leadership positions at BorgWarner, Visteon, and Ford.
Bertsch currently serves as independent chair of the board of BWX Technologies, an aerospace and defence company, and as a director on the board of Regal Rexnord, a manufacturer of industrial and powertrain solutions.
She previously served as a member of the board and chair of the audit committee at Meritor, a manufacturer of construction machinery and heavy truck components now a part of Cummins, the Cisco Board of Advisors, Microsoft Advisory Board, and CIO Executive Board.
Bertsch earned a Bachelor in Finance from Wayne State University and an MBA from Eastern Michigan University.