Fred E. Festa

Biography

 Grace has completed 23 acquisitions and seven divestitures under Fred's leadership. The company's portfolio was rebalanced, expanding the breadth of the catalysts business and increasing polypropylene catalysts revenue more than $200 million in less than five years.  The silica-related Materials Technologies segment was solidified and entered into pharmaceutical applications. Prior to the 2016 separation, the Construction Products unit expanded through new technologies and bolt-on acquisitions. Grace expanded its geographic platform, increasing emerging region sales from 21 percent to over 38 percent of total sales. Fred began his career at General Electric (GE), where he spent 12 years in financial management positions at five business units. He completed GE's Financial Management Training Program and its benchmark General Management Course. Fred graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from the State University of New York at Oswego. Fred also has served since 2008 as an independent director of NVR, one of the largest home builders in the United States.    

Research Interest

 Financial and  Bussiness Management