Andres Lopez has been named Chief Executive Officer of Owens-Illinois (O-I), effective from the 1st January 2016.
O-I's Board of Directors affirmed Mr. Lopez's appointment at its October board meeting, marking the final step in the CEO succession process.
Current Chairman and CEO Al Stroucken will retain the role of Executive Chairman of the Board from the 1st January, until the annual shareholder meeting in May 2016.
As Chief Operating Officer of the company, Mr. Lopez has been responsible for O-I's business and operations in all of the company's geographic regions.
He led the negotiations resulting in the recent $2.15 billion acquisition of Vitro's food and beverage business in Mexico, Bolivia and the U.S.
Glass International interviewed Mr. Lopez regarding the Vitro takeover in our July/August issue (p21).
Mr. Lopez joined O-I in 1986 in Colombia, and has held several leadership positions including Country General Manager in Peru; Vice President of Manufacturing for O-I North America; and Global Vice President of Manufacturing and Engineering.
From 2009 to 2014, he served as President of O-I South America.
Under Mr. Lopez's leadership, the region increased segment operating income and cash generation through revenue growth, operational performance improvement, asset optimisation and spending reduction.
The region also successfully integrated several acquisitions.
In 2014, Mr. Lopez was named President of O-I Americas, adding responsibility for O-I's North American operations, where he launched initiatives to improve safety, operational and commercial performance, and cost competitiveness.
He was named Chief Operating Officer in February 2015.
"Over the last year Andres and I have worked closely together to transition all responsibilities for the company," said Mr. Stroucken.
"The Board is confident that Andres' passion and his strategic vision for the company will propel O-I successfully into the future."
