Owens Corning, a world leader in building materials and glass fiber reinforcements, announced 26 August 2008 the appointment of Karel K. Czanderna as group president of building materials. The buildin…
Owens Corning, a world leader in building materials and glass fiber reinforcements, announced 26 August 2008 the appointment of Karel K. Czanderna as group president of building materials. The building materials group includes Owens Corning“s insulation, roofing and asphalt, masonry products and construction services businesses. “I am pleased to have Karel join our team”, said Mike Thaman, chairman and chief executive officer. “Karel brings great leadership experience from well-respected, global companies. She has a proven track record of innovating in response to market change. “Her winning approach to customers and strong leadership values are a great fit for our customers and our people”, said Mr. Thaman. Before joining Owens Corning in 2008, Ms. Czanderna held various executive management positions. She was most recently vice president of the Cooking Products and Outdoor Kitchens businesses at Whirlpool Corporation, responsible for Jenn-Air, KitchenAid, Whirlpool, Maytag and Amana branded cooking appliances. As vice president and general manager of KitchenAid at Whirlpool, she designed and executed the largest simultaneous all-kitchen product launch in the history of the major appliance industry. Ms. Czanderna spent 18 years at Eastman Kodak Company, serving as vice president and general manager of the Portrait Photography Business, and as a vice president and general manager in the Copier and Printer business. During her tenure at Eastman Kodak, she led the consolidation of a fragmented market by developing a transition path to new technology that became the industry standard. Ms. Czanderna attended executive education at Harvard University“s business school. She holds a bachelor“s degree in physics from Clarkson University and a doctorate in materials science and engineering from Cornell University.