James Sullivan has been elected as Kopper’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, and Leslie Hyde has been elected as Kopper’s senior vice president and chief sustainability officer, with both changes effective Jan. 1, 2020.
Sullivan joined Koppers as vice president of business development in June 2013. Subsequently, he held the role of senior vice president, global carbon materials and chemicals from April 2014 to May 2018. Most recently, he served as senior vice president, railroad products and services and global carbon materials and chemicals from May 2018 through December 2019. Prior to joining Koppers, Sullivan served as senior vice president, Americas at Calgon Carbon Corporation where he also held various management positions in the areas of operations, marketing, sales and research and development.
Hyde joined Koppers in 1999 as manager of environmental affairs and continued to progress into various leadership roles including safety, health and environmental responsibilities. Most recently, she served as vice president, corporate strategy and risk management from November 2017 through December 2019. Prior to joining Koppers, she held various manufacturing and consulting roles as well as having served 10 years on active duty with the United States Army.
"Jim Sullivan has done an amazing job of leading the turnaround of our CMC business over the last five years and is the ideal person to take on leadership of Koppers operations,” said President and CEO Leroy Ball. “His ability to analyze complex issues and implement action plans with a strong sense of urgency, combined with his talent for motivating people, will help take our company to the next level. It is time for Koppers to add a senior role in sustainability and we are fortunate that we have someone as talented and passionate about the subject as Leslie Hyde. We have made great strides over the last five years in creating a more sustainable company, but we still have numerous opportunities to expand our efforts in this area. With my support, she will champion those efforts and push our company to reach for more aspirational targets to position us for long-term success."
