Columbus McKinnon Appoints Flowserve Leader as its New CEO

BUFFALO, NY — Columbus McKinnon Corporation, a designer and manufacturer of motion control products, technologies, automated systems and services for material handling, announced Thursday that its board of directors has appointed David Wilson as president and chief executive officer effective June 1. In conjunction with his appointment, Wilson will also be elected to serve on the board of directors of the company.

WilsonWilson, 51, is the president of the Pumps Division of Flowserve Corporation, a provider of flow control products and services for the global infrastructure markets. He assumed this role in July 2018 as a result of the combination of the industrial pumps division and the engineered pumps division. The pumps division is Flowserve’s largest division. From September 2017 to July 2018, he was president of the industrial pumps division.

"I am thrilled to become the president and CEO of Columbus McKinnon Corporation," Wilson said. "CMCO is an industry leader with excellent brands and strong customer relationships that is moving into a new chapter of strategic growth. While we are currently in unprecedented times with the pandemic, the team has acted quickly to adjust its operations to the current market environment while also pursuing select strategic initiatives that will advance its Blueprint for Growth strategy. I look forward to the opportunity to help us navigate through this period while we also build a sustainable growth platform that focuses on market segmentation, innovative product development and acquisitions.”

Before his tenure at Flowserve, Wilson advanced to significant leadership roles at SPX Corporation and its spin-off SPX FLOW, Inc. over a nearly 20-year period. As president of several businesses within SPX, Wilson developed innovative growth initiatives, implemented business simplification processes and restructurings, led acquisition and portfolio management strategies and defined strategic visions for the businesses. He ran global operations and resided in both Asia and Europe for several years. Wilson began his career as an engineer for Polaroid Corporation, rapidly advancing into leadership roles. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

“I am extremely pleased that David will be leading Columbus McKinnon as our next president and chief executive officer," said Richard Fleming, the company's chairman and interim CEO. "After a thorough and extensive search, he became our candidate of choice because of his proven success with operational excellence and customer-centric commercial growth. Further, he brings to Columbus McKinnon superior international and business development skills and a demonstrated track record for delivering results. We believe that David will successfully advance our Blueprint for Growth strategy to become the leading industrial technology company in safe and productive motion control. In addition, we expect that his strong leadership capabilities will take our performance culture to even higher levels.”