Ravi Saligram has been appointed president and chief executive officer at Newell Brands in Hoboken, effective Oct. 2.
He will join Newell Brands from his current position as chief executive and director of Canadian industrial auctioneer Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers Inc., which he’s held for five years.
Prior to that, he spent three years as chief executive at OfficeMax and seven years as president and international chief globalization officer at global food service company Aramark Corp. He also held various general and brand management positions at S.C. Johnson & Son Inc., both domestically and overseas, for 11 years.
Michael Polk announced his retirement from the Hoboken-based company in March. – NEWELL BRANDS
“Ravi is an exceptional business leader and a proven chief executive officer with a track record of building diverse leadership teams while delivering high quality performance in complex multi-unit organizations,” said Patrick Campbell, chairman of the board, in a statement. “He has an impressive history of driving shareholder value during his prior CEO roles, and he has successfully executed multiple digital transformations during his career. He is noted for his leadership in consumer-facing and digital businesses and has lived and worked in multiple international environments.”
Companies under Saligram’s leadership have achieved national and international recognition multiple times. Ritchie Bros. was recognized as one of British Columbia’s Top Employers in 2018; OfficeMax was recognized by Ethisphere as one of the world’s most ethical companies, two years in a row; and S.C. Johnson Korea was named one of the three best foreign managed companies in Korea by KBS TV. In addition, in 2018 Saligram was named a CEO of the Year by Business in Vancouver, as well as the Best in Biz Executive of the Year.
“I am confident that Newell, with its iconic brands and a compelling product portfolio, is ripe for building a strong growth platform that drives shareholder value through the creative intersection of design, innovation, e-commerce and efficiencies,” Saligram said in a statement.
Newell, known for consumer goods brands like Paper Mate, Sharpie and Elmer’s, began its CEO transition in March when then-President and CEO Richard Polk announced his retirement effective at the end of the second quarter. Chief Financial Officer Christopher Peterson was tapped as interim CEO, effective June 28.
