Brings Significant Leadership Experience and Track Record of Enhancing Shareholder Value
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BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Michigan, July 28, 2016 – The TriMas Corporation (NASDAQ: TRS) Board of Directors today announced that Thomas A. Amato, 52, has been appointed president and chief executive officer, effective immediately, succeeding David M. Wathen, who has stepped down from these positions and from the TriMas Board of Directors. Amato will also be appointed to the TriMas Board of Directors.
Amato brings more than 25 years of broad industrial experience, having served in several leadership positions at global, multi-billion dollar businesses. Most recently, he served as chief executive officer and president of Metaldyne, LLC, a $1.1 billion engineered products manufacturing company with 25 facilities in 13 countries, and co-president and chief integration officer of Metaldyne Performance Group, a $3 billion global manufacturing company formed in mid-2014 and taken public in the same year (NYSE: MPG). Under Amato’s leadership, Metaldyne, LLC significantly increased its revenue and earnings, and he oversaw several company sale and merger transactions, contributing to significant equity returns for shareholders. Additionally, through implementing a focused sales strategy, the company enjoyed consecutive record years of new business bookings, with a cumulative $1 billion of awards. He has worked as a chief executive officer for notable private equity firms, including The Carlyle Group, one of the largest private equity firms in the world, and American Securities, a fast-growing private equity firm driven by a commitment to its core values. After earning his MBA, Amato joined MascoTech and its TriMas subsidiary, where he worked in a number of leadership roles, one of which was serving as the TriMas head of business development.
“Thomas is an accomplished executive with a strong track record of driving performance and we are very pleased to welcome him back to TriMas,” said Samuel Valenti III, chairman of the Board of Directors at TriMas. “While the Company has made great strides in its strategic growth and margin improvement initiatives, we welcome new leadership to position TriMas to deliver enhanced value for shareholders over the long-term.”
“TriMas has a great portfolio of businesses with market-leading brands and products, and solid customer relationships, and I am excited to join the team,” said Amato. “Based on my preliminary assessment, I am confident we can identify and pursue significant opportunities to enhance the future performance of the Company, and I look forward to working with the talented global team to achieve TriMas’ untapped potential.”
“After thorough succession planning and a comprehensive search process, assisted by Spencer Stuart, an executive search firm, we are delighted that we were able to recruit someone of Thomas’s stature and experience to lead TriMas,” continued Valenti. “On behalf of the TriMas Board, I would like to thank Dave Wathen for his dedication, accomplishments and numerous contributions to TriMas. We wish him well in his future endeavors.”
In addition to his role as chief executive officer at Metaldyne, LLC and co-president of Metaldyne Performance Group, Amato served in various other roles of increasing responsibility. Prior to Metaldyne, he worked at AsahiTec, a publicly traded Japan-based company, as co-chief executive officer, and Metaldyne Corporation as its chief executive officer, and several other executive leadership roles. Prior to this, he worked at MascoTech in positions of increasing responsibility, and successfully completed several acquisitions and divestitures. During this time, one of his roles was head of business development for TriMas. He began his career in 1987 at Imperial Chemical Industries, a large multinational company, as an applications development engineer and, eventually, a group leader. Amato obtained a Master of Business Administration from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich., and a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Wayne State University in Detroit, Mich.
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