:: Our Leadership ::

Unsolicited Ideas

From time to time, Newell Rubbermaid does post specific requests for technology and innovation challenges on our Web site under Technology Assets on the “Our Company” page. There are several requirements to responding to a technology request – for instance, your idea must be patented or patent-pending with a published patent application, and it must specifically relate to one or more of the listed areas of Technology Interests. Detailed information on how to respond to a specific request for information or innovation challenge is provided on our Web site. Responses will only be reviewed if they are submitted in accordance with the requirements on the specific request.

If you do send us any unsolicited ideas or suggestions, you agree that there is no confidential relationship with respect to such information and that Newell Rubbermaid has no obligation, including financial, to you in connection therewith. You expressly disclaim and waive all rights in any such information or unsolicited ideas that you submit to Newell Rubbermaid and agree that Newell Rubbermaid will be free to use it in any way without any obligation or payment to you. Furthermore, you represent that you are free to disclose such information and that no other party has any rights in the information.

As a global marketer of consumer and commercial products that touch millions of people every day where they work, live and play, our consumers are at the heart of all we do. Our leadership team maintains this focus and commitment by actively championing the company's long-term vision and strategy, providing our brands with hands-on guidance and bringing our values to the forefront of our daily activities. The leadership team’s years of experience in global, high-impact product development and marketing are the foundation for our success today and in future generations.

Mark D. Ketchum
President & CEO

With over three decades of experience in operations, marketing, brand management and general management, Mark Ketchum has grown and transformed businesses by leveraging consumer insight and strong leadership.

Mark was appointed Newell Rubbermaid's President and CEO in October 2005 and has been a Director of the company since December 2004. He is also a Director of Kraft Foods Inc.

Mark's vision for a "new Newell Rubbermaid" is to become a global company of Brands That Matter™ and great people, known for best-in-class results. Under his leadership, the company is:

     • Strengthening the portfolio to consist of fewer, faster growing, more profitable and more
       global businesses
     • Changing the business model to one that focuses on consumer understanding,
       innovation and brand building
     • Driving best cost and efficiency through restructuring manufacturing and the supply chain,
       and leveraging "One Newell Rubbermaid" for scale and best-in-class practices

Previously, in a 33-year career at Procter & Gamble, Mark built several of that company's largest global brands, including Pampers, Bounty and Charmin. He was President of Global Baby and Family Care from 1999 to 2004, President of North American Paper Products from 1996 to 1999 and Vice President/General Manager of U.S. Tissue and Towels from 1990 to 1996. His early career was spent in various operational roles in the company's paper division from 1971 to 1984 before he transitioned into brand management and marketing.

Mark is a 1971 graduate of Cornell University with a degree in industrial engineering.

Hartley Blaha
President, Corporate Development

Buddy Blaha joined Newell Rubbermaid in October 2003, bringing with him a long history of global mergers and acquisitions experience. Under his leadership, the company has significantly transformed its portfolio while building an exceptional organizational capability to source, evaluate, execute and integrate potential transactions that augment the company's strategic objectives. Prior to assuming his current role, Buddy spent 16 years at Lehman Brothers in both New York and London and was most recently Managing Director, Mergers & Acquisitions.

Buddy holds a degree in commerce from the University of Virginia.

William A. Burke III
Group President, Tools, Hardware & Commercial Products

Bill Burke joined Newell Rubbermaid in 2003 as the President of Lenox. Under his leadership, the brand averaged double-digit sales growth and became a significant platform for international expansion through strong branding, innovation, end-user conversion and channel penetration. Prior to Newell Rubbermaid, Bill served as vice President/General Manager of the Product Service Division and Global Vice President of Marketing at Black & Decker.

Bill received his bachelor's degree and Master of Business Administration from Loyola College.

Paul G. Boitmann
President, Sales Operations and Global Wal-Mart

Paul Boitmann joined Newell Rubbermaid in 2001 as President of the The Home Depot Division, bringing more than 18 years of sales, marketing, worldwide recruiting and sales training experience to the company. In this role, Paul assembled and led a field sales and management team that averaged double-digit annual sales growth for four consecutive years.

In January 2005, Paul was promoted to President, Sales Operations, North America, and in 2007, he was promoted to President, Sales Operations and Global Wal-Mart, expanding his sales leadership across all businesses and geographies.

He is credited with implementing operations and sales processes disciplines, which have led to significant sales, profitability gains and sales synergies across the organization.

Jay D. Gould
Group President, Home & Family

Jay Gould joined Newell Rubbermaid in May 2006 as President of Graco, bringing more than 20 years of brand management and general management experience. At Newell Rubbermaid, Jay has built significant organizational capability and delivered strong sales and income growth for the company's global baby and parenting products business.

Prior to Newell Rubbermaid, Jay held senior marketing and general management roles at The Campbell Soup Co., The Coca-Cola Co. and General Mills Inc.

Jay is a graduate of the Harvard Business School and the University of Dayton.

Dale L. Matschullat
Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary

Dale Matschullat joined Newell Rubbermaid in 1989 as Vice President - General Counsel and added the Corporate Secretary role in 2003. He has also served the company as Vice President of Finance. Before coming to Newell Rubbermaid, Dale was Vice President and General Counsel for Allis-Chalmers Corporation.

Dale earned his undergraduate and law degrees from Stanford University.

Penny McIntyre
Group President, Office Products

Penny McIntyre joined Newell Rubbermaid in 2009 with 27 years of global consumer packaged goods experience at S.C. Johnson and The Coca-Cola Company. Her early career at S.C. Johnson included assignments in the U.S., Canada, and Tokyo, Japan on many of their well known brands including Windex. The past 11 years of her career have been with The Coca-Cola Company including leadership roles in Moscow, Johannesburg, London and the U.S. Most recently, she was the Senior Vice President, Non Carbonated and New Beverages Business Unit, and since 2007 the Senior Vice President & General Manager, Water, Tea and Coffee, Coca-Cola North America.

A native of Canada, Penny graduated with honors from the University of Western Ontario with a degree in Business Administration.

Magnus R. Nicolin
President, Newell Rubbermaid Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) and Newell Rubbermaid Asia Pacific (APAC)

Magnus Nicolin joined Newell Rubbermaid in May 2006. Of Swedish nationality, Magnus has held several positions in France, the U.K., Canada and the U.S.

Previously he was President and CEO of Esselte, a $1.2 billion leader in office supplies worldwide. Magnus became CEO after he led the buy-out of Esselte from the Stockholm and London stock-exchanges in June 2002. He then led the transformation of the company, including rationalizing the brand portfolio, shifting manufacturing to achieve best cost position, improving working capital turns twofold and accelerating growth.

In December 2005, he sold the fast-growing Dymo division to Newell Rubbermaid, reshaped the remaining office supplies portfolio, repaid all LBO debt and provided a dividend to the private equity sponsor J.W. Childs. Shortly thereafter he left Esselte.

During his 25-year career, he has also held global leadership roles with Pitney Bowes, Bayer AG and McKinsey & Co.

Magnus has a bachelor’s degree from the Stockholm School of Economics and a Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School – University of Pennsylvania.

J. Patrick Robinson
Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer

Pat Robinson joined Newell Rubbermaid in May 2001 as Vice President - Controller, bringing with him more than 20 years of financial experience. Prior to Newell Rubbermaid, Pat joined Black & Decker, beginning in 1983 as a Budget Analyst in the U.S. Power Tools Division. He moved quickly through increasing levels of responsibility until his appointment as Vice President of Finance, Worldwide Power Tools for Black & Decker. In 2000, he was appointed Chief Financial Officer of AirClic.

Pat earned his Master of Business Administration in finance from Loyola College in 1992.

Juan Eduardo Senf
President, Latin America

Eduardo Senf joined Newell Rubbermaid in January 2004 as the President of Rubbermaid/Irwin Latin America and the Caribbean. In this role, Eduardo led our Latin American businesses to achieve double-digit income growth and increased our brands' regional platform through aggressive branding campaigns and channel marketing. Prior to Newell Rubbermaid, Eduardo was President of the South American region at Master Foods.

Eduardo has bachelor's degrees in mechanical engineering and production engineering from FEI – Sao Paulo, Brazil. He completed his postgraduate studies in finance and business at the University of Anahuac – Mexico.

Gordon C. Steele
Senior Vice President – Program Management Office and Chief Information Officer

Gordon Steele joined Newell Rubbermaid in August 2005 as Vice President and Chief Information Officer, bringing more than 16 years of senior management experience in information technology. Most recently, he was Vice President and CIO for Global Information Technology at Nike, where he led the successful implementation of SAP on a global basis. Gordon has also served in leadership capacities with Mentor Graphics Corporation, Warwick Financial Systems, US Bancorp and Fred Meyer Savings & Loan. Gordon is responsible for leading and managing all global information technology strategies and activities for Newell Rubbermaid, with an emphasis on overseeing a smooth transition from legacy systems to SAP.

Gordon earned his bachelor's degree from Western Oregon University/Oregon State University.

James M. Sweet
Executive Vice President of Human Resources

Jim Sweet joined Newell Rubbermaid in January 2004 as Group Vice President of Human Resources for the Sharpie/Calphalon Group, bringing more than 20 years of human resource experience with diverse global companies. He was President and Co-Founder of Capital H Inc., a human resource services company with operations in three states. Prior to that he held top-level human resource posts with the Kohler Co., Keystone International and the Brady Corporation. He is a veteran of the U.S. Navy Nuclear Submarine Service and taught at the Wisconsin School of Electronics.

Jim holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing and management from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Ted Woehrle
Senior Vice President, Marketing and Brand Management

Ted Woehrle joined Newell Rubbermaid in 2007 to lead transformational change in consumer understanding, marketing and branding at Newell Rubbermaid.

Previously, Ted held several pivotal marketing and general management leadership positions in a 24-year career at Procter & Gamble. Most recently, he was vice president of marketing for North America, where he led the communication planning, media buying and direct marketing efforts for P&G's $32 billion portfolio of North American brands, including Tide, Crest, Pantene, Pampers and Gillette. In 2005, he was a key leader on the P&G team and named "Marketer of the Year" by Advertising Age magazine and "Media Client of the Year" by Media magazine. In a previous assignment, he led the development and expansion of P&G's innovative word-of-mouth marketing group, Tremor.

Ted's early career with P&G included several brand manager, marketing director and general manager assignments in the Food & Beverage and Family Care business groups. He also served the marketing community outside the company on the board of directors of the Ad Council and as a committee chair for the Association of National Advertisers.