Board of Directors

Gary Hendrickson, a director since May 2017, is the Chairman of our board of directors, a position he has held since May 2017. Mr. Hendrickson previously served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Valspar Corporation, a global paint and coatings manufacturer, from June 2011 to June 2017, and was its President and Chief Operating Officer from February 2008 until June 2011. Mr. Hendrickson held various executive leadership roles with the Valspar Corporation from 2001 until 2017, including positions with responsibilities for the Asia Pacific operations. Mr. Hendrickson also serves as a director of Polaris Industries Inc., a publicly traded global manufacturer and seller of off-road vehicles, including all-terrain vehicles and snowmobiles and Waters Corporation, a leading specialty measurement company and pioneer of chromatography, mass spectrometry and thermal analysis innovations serving the life, materials and food sciences. Mr. Hendrickson’s experience as President and Chief Executive Officer of a global company provides expertise in corporate leadership and development and execution of business growth strategy. He also brings to the board of directors significant global experience and knowledge of competitive strategy.

Jesse Singh, a director since he joined us in June 2016, is our Chief Executive Officer and President. Prior to joining us, Mr. Singh worked for 14 years at the 3M Company, a manufacturer and marketer of a range of products and services through its safety & industrial, transportation & electronics, health care and consumer segments, and served in numerous leadership roles at 3M, including Chief Commercial Officer, President of 3M’s Health Information Systems business and VP of the Stationery and Office supplies business, which included the iconic Post-it and Scotch Brands. During his career at 3M, Mr. Singh was involved in running 3M’s worldwide, customer-facing operations, which was comprised of 4,000 shared services, 12,000 sales and 5,000 marketing professionals. He also served as CEO of 3M’s joint venture in Japan and led 3M’s global electronics materials business. Mr. Singh brings to our board of directors extensive senior leadership experience and a comprehensive knowledge of our business and perspective of our day-to-day operations.

Sallie B. Bailey, a director since November 2018, previously served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Louisiana-Pacific Corporation, a leading manufacturer of engineered wood building products for residential, industrial and light commercial construction, from December 2011 to July 2018. Prior to working for Louisiana-Pacific Corporation, Ms. Bailey worked as the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Ferro Corporation, a global specialty materials company, from January 2007 to July 2010 following an eleven year career at The Timken Company, a global producer of engineered bearings and alloy steel, in various senior management positions of increasing responsibility, lastly as Senior Vice President, Finance and Controller between 2003 and 2006. Ms. Bailey also currently serves as a director of L3 Harris Technologies, Inc., a technology company, defense contractor and information technology services provider. Ms. Bailey brings to our board of directors a broad knowledge of corporate finance, strategic planning, banking relationships, operations, complex information technology and other systems, enterprise risk management and investor relations gained through prior service as a senior executive of large global manufacturing companies, including as chief financial officer, and she also has knowledge of and experience with complex financial and accounting functions and internal controls.

Fumbi Chima, a director since November 2020, is the CIO at BECU. Ms. Chima has a successful history of transformation in turnaround and high growth Environments. Ms. Chima brings decades of experience leading companies in the retail and financial sectors, including adidas, Walmart, Burberry, FOX Networks, American Express and most recently adidas. In addition to technology, Ms. Chima’s experience showcases a dedication to diversity, women’s empowerment and inclusion. In a previous role, she developed mentoring opportunities for women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Currently, she serves on the corporate boards for Africa Prudential and Work & Co, holds advisory roles for SAP Executive Advisory and Apptio EMEA Advisory, and is on the board of Women at Risk International Foundation. 

Howard Heckes, a director since November 2020, is the President & CEO of Masonite International Corporation. Mr. Heckes has a successful history of driving growth and margin improvement at the companies he has led. Mr. Heckes most recently served as Chief Executive Officer of Energy Management Collaborative, a privately held company providing LED lighting and controls and IoT conversion systems and service solutions based in Plymouth, Minnesota. In this role he implemented efficient and scalable business systems and processes to support the Company’s rapid organic growth. Prior to Energy Management Collaborative, Mr. Heckes spent nine years at Valspar, from 2008 to 2017, where he served as Executive Vice President and President of Global Coatings, with responsibility for M&A strategy and delivering financial objectives for the entire Industrial Coatings portfolio. He also previously served as Valspar’s Senior Vice President, Global Consumer, with responsibility for leading Valspar’s Global Consumer Products portfolio, which included major branded consumer paint companies across the U.S., China, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

Ms. Li, a director since November 2021, is a Partner in the Private Equity Group of Ares Management Corporation, where she has served as an investment professional since August 2007. Ms. Li also serves on the boards of City Ventures LLC and the parent entity of Resource Label Group and previously served on the boards of National Veterinary Associates, Inc. and Jacuzzi Brands Corporation. Ms. Li brings to the Board over fourteen years of experience managing and evaluating investments by the Ares Private Equity Group, and she has assisted and advised us in various capacities since 2018 as a representative of the Ares Private Equity Group. Ms. Li’s deep understanding of our history and our business has led the Board to conclude that she will be an invaluable member.

Mr. Nagel, a director since November 2021, is a seasoned executive having provided products and services to the residential and non-residential construction markets while he served as the executive chairman of the board of directors of Acuity Brands, Inc., or Acuity Brands, from February 2020 to the end of 2020, and, previously, as Acuity Brand’s chairman and chief executive officer from September 2004 to January 2020, as Acuity Brand’s president from August 2005 to August 2019 and as Acuity’s vice chairman and chief financial officer from January 2004 to August 2004. While at Acuity Brands, Mr. Nagel focused on enhancing shareholder value by introducing new technologies, expanding markets served through organic growth and acquisitions and driving company-wide productivity. We believe that Mr. Nagel will be a strong contributor to our ability to achieve our strategic and operational goals.

Blake Sumler, a director since January 2020, is a Managing Director at OTPP and leads OTPP’s Diversified Industrials and Business Services team in the Private Capital group. Mr. Sumler joined OTPP in 2013 and has worked in private equity for more than 15 years. Prior to joining OTPP, Mr. Sumler was a Senior Vice President at Callisto Capital, a mid-market Toronto-based private equity firm focusing on buyouts and growth capital investments in Canada. Mr. Sumler’s varied work experience includes hedge fund investing at a Toronto-based firm, equity research at RBC Dominion Securities and debt syndication at Newcourt Capital. He currently serves on the boards of PODS Enterprises LLC and GFL Environmental Inc. Mr. Sumler is a CPA and a CFA charterholder. He holds a BA (Chartered Accounting) and a Master of Accounting from the University of Waterloo. Additionally, he is a graduate of the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Ashfaq Qadri, a director since February 2019, is a Senior Principal of OTPP and has served in that role since March 2017. Mr. Qadri joined OTPP in 2016 with more than a decade of experience in private equity and investment banking. In his role as a Senior Principal, he is responsible for execution and portfolio management for direct private equity investments in the industrials and energy sectors. He is currently involved with OTPP’s investments in Hawkwood Energy LLC and KANATA Energy Group Ltd., and serves on the board of KANATA Energy Group Ltd., a privately funded midstream infrastructure and service company. Prior to joining OTPP, Mr. Qadri was a Vice President at Morgan Stanley Private Equity from 2012 to 2014, with roles based in both New York and London. He also previously worked in Morgan Stanley’s Investment Banking division in New York. Mr. Qadri has an in-depth understanding of our business and has years of experience managing and evaluating investments in companies operating in various industries, including in the industrial and energy sectors. His understanding of our business and broad experience led us to conclude that he should serve as a director on our board.

Bennett Rosenthal, a director since 2013, is a Co-Founder of Ares, a Director and Partner of Ares and Co-Head of the Ares Private Equity Group. He is a member of the Ares Executive Management Committee and the firm’s Management Committee. Mr. Rosenthal additionally serves as the Co-Chairman of the board of directors of Ares Capital Corporation, a specialty finance company that provides debt and equity financing solutions to U.S. middle market companies and power generation projects. Mr. Rosenthal also is a member of the Ares Private Equity Group’s Corporate Opportunities and Special Opportunities Investment Committees. Mr. Rosenthal joined Ares in 1998 from Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc. where he served as a Managing Director in the Global Leveraged Finance Group. He currently serves on the boards of directors of City Ventures, LLC, a homebuilder in California coastal communities, and the parent entities of Aspen Dental Management, Inc., a dental practice management company, CHG Healthcare Holdings L.P., a healthcare staffing services company, DuPage Medical Group, Ltd., an independent multi-specialty physician group, National Veterinary Associates, Inc., an owner and operator of freestanding veterinary hospitals, and other private companies. Mr. Rosenthal’s previous board of directors experience includes, Dawn Holdings, Inc., Hangar, Inc. Maidenform Brands, Inc. and Nortek, Inc. We believe that Mr. Rosenthal’s extensive experience in the financial industry as well as the management of private equity in particular and his experience as a director of other public and private companies give the board of directors valuable insight.

Brian Spaly, a director since August 2020, is the founder and former Chief Executive Officer of Trunk Club, a personal styling startup focused on making it easy for men and women to discover and acquire stylish clothing without the hassles of the traditional shopping experience. Mr. Spaly led the company during its acquisition by Nordstrom (NYSE: JWN) in August 2014. From 2006 to 2009, Mr. Spaly was the founder of Bonobos, a men’s clothing company famous for the best-fitting pants on earth, which was acquired by Walmart (NYSE: WMT) in July 2017. Since 2018, he has served as a member of the board of directors of Deckers Brands (NYSE:DECK), a global portfolio of footwear brands such as UGG, Hoka, Teva and Sanuk. Mr. Spaly also currently serves as Executive Chairman of the Tecovas, Inc. board of directors as well as several other early stage growth company boards. Mr. Spaly holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Princeton University and an M.B.A. from Stanford University Graduate School of Business. We believe that Mr. Spaly’s experience leading high-growth companies as CEO and public companies as a board member, along with his proven digital and direct marketing experience will benefit AZEK as we continue to focus on growing our business and further differentiating our leading product offering.