Morrisville, PA (USA) – November 28, 2017 – Gelest, Inc., a recognized world leader in customized, highly specialized organosilicon compounds, metal-organic compounds, and silicone materials, announces the appointment of Ken Gayer as chief executive officer (CEO).   

Gayer brings more than 20 years of global chemical industry leadership experience to his new role at Gelest. Most recently, Gayer served as Business President of Honeywell Specialty Products of Honeywell International. Prior to his latest role, he had a long tenure at Honeywell in a variety of leadership positions including Vice President and General Manager at Honeywell Fluorine Products; Vice President of Procurement, Customer Service, Trade Compliance, Transportation and Logistics; and Global Business Director of Foam and Industrial Products. Prior to Honeywell, Gayer held leadership roles at McKinsey & Company and the Polaroid Corporation, and served as a Lieutenant in the United States Navy Nuclear Submarine Force.

He holds an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management, a Masters in Chemical Engineering from MIT, and a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

Barry Arkles, who founded Gelest in 1991, will remain with Gelest as Chief Technology Officer and as Chairman of the Board of Directors.

“We enthusiastically welcome Ken to Gelest,” said Barry Arkles, Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Gelest. “Ken has extensive leadership experience in our field, and he has a proven track record of driving excellence across commercial and operations functions. His leadership will serve Gelest well in its next phase of growth.”

“We see many opportunities for Gelest to continue to build on its exceptional technology and client service capabilities and to partner with its customers to find new ways to address their most pressing needs,” said Andre Moura, Managing Director at New Mountain Capital, which invested in Gelest in March 2017. “We are confident in Ken’s ability to grow Gelest, and we see a bright future for all of Gelest’s stakeholders.”

“Gelest is an established leader in silane, silicone and metal-organic chemistries, with a more than 25-year legacy of innovation and deep customer partnerships,” Gayer said. “I am excited about this opportunity, and I look forward to working closely with our employees, customers, suppliers and communities in the years to come.”

In his role as CEO, Gayer will oversee Gelest’s operations across its product portfolio and end markets. He will be based at Gelest’s corporate headquarters in Morrisville, PA.   

About Gelest

Gelest, headquartered in Morrisville, Pennsylvania, is recognized worldwide as an innovator, manufacturer and supplier of commercial and research quantities of organosilicon compounds, metal-organic compounds and silicones. Gelest serves advanced technology markets through a materials science-driven approach. The company provides focused technical development and application support for personal care, semiconductors, medical materials, pharmaceutical synthesis, diagnostics and separation science, and specialty polymeric materials: “Gelest – Enabling Your Technology.”
www.gelest.com.

About New Mountain Capital

New Mountain Capital is a New York based investment firm that emphasizes business building and growth, rather than debt, as it pursues long-term capital appreciation. The firm currently manages private equity, public equity, and credit funds with approximately $22 billion in aggregate capital commitments. New Mountain seeks out what it believes to be the highest quality growth leaders in carefully selected industry sectors and then works intensively with management to build the value of these companies. www.newmountaincapital.com.

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