Axalta has announced that Jun Liao will join the company as Regional President Asia-Pacific, reporting directly to CEO Robert Bryant. Effective 15 July, Liao will manage Axalta’s business operations in the Asia-Pacific region and drive the company’s growth strategy in the region.
“Asia Pacific represents one of the largest and most dynamic growth markets for Axalta, with significant opportunities across all our lines of business,” said Bryant. “Jun brings a deep understanding of the region and local markets, as well as established relationships with many customers in the region. He’s an exceptional leader known for being highly collaborative and leading high-performing teams toward commercial and operational success. I am very excited to welcome Jun to our team.”
Axalta says Liao is an accomplished chemical industry and industrial materials executive with more than 30 years’ experience driving multinational business in the Asia-Pacific region. He joins Axalta from Bekaert, a steel wire transformation and coatings company where he served in senior roles since 2014. He was most recently Executive Vice President and Divisional CEO of Bekaert’s Specialty Businesses globally and President of Bekaert China. Liao served the transportation, construction, energy and semiconductor markets globally and across Asia Pacific.
Before his appointment at Bekaert, Liao held leadership positions at Solvay and Dow Corning after commencing his career with GE Plastics. He received a BS in Metals Physics and an MS in Materials Science from Central South University (China) before earning a PhD and an MBA from the University of Michigan.
“Axalta is in a tremendous position to accelerate growth in China and the Asia-Pacific region with its innovative products, people and technology,” said Liao. “It’s an exciting time to join the company as the markets for refinish, industrial and mobility coatings present enormous opportunities. I’m looking forward to helping Axalta expand its business and presence across the region and partnering with global business unit leadership to deliver exceptional products and services to new and established customers.”