Leadership Changes in Wire and Cable Industry
Southwire Names New CEO
Southwire has appointed Ganesh Ramaswamy as its next president and CEO, marking a planned leadership transition from longtime leader Rich Stinson. Ramaswamy brings more than 25 years of global leadership experience across industrial, energy, building technologies, and healthcare sectors.
Most recently, Ramaswamy served as executive vice president of industrial & energy technology at Baker Hughes and sits on PACCAR Inc.’s board as an independent director. His career includes senior leadership positions at Johnson Controls, Danaher (including Videojet and Beckman Coulter Diagnostics), Hoya’s Pentax Medical, and GE Healthcare. He holds engineering degrees from the University of Kerala and Auburn University, a PhD in mechanical engineering & applied mechanics from the University of Pennsylvania, and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.
The company describes Ramaswamy as having a strong track record of driving growth, transformation and innovation that positions him well to lead Southwire forward. During his 10-year tenure, Stinson guided the company through significant organic growth and strategic acquisitions while expanding its scope into a broader electrical solutions provider. Under Stinson’s leadership, Southwire strengthened its financial position, advanced an ambitious sustainability agenda toward carbon neutrality and earned multiple recognitions for its culture, innovation and leadership in electrification. The Carrollton, Georgia-based company ranks as one of North America’s largest wire and cable manufacturers.
Rautomead Announces Leadership Team
Following a restructuring that included a small number of voluntary redundancies, Rautomead now operates with a six-person leadership team. Stephen Hall serves as managing director after joining the company in 2024 from FLEXcon, where he worked for 17 years.
Lee Macnamara leads sales and marketing, bringing 21 years of experience from FLEXcon. Ryan Nish manages operations after joining in 2025, having previously worked in engineering positions for Rubberatkins for 11 years. Lorraine Macdonald heads finance since joining in 2025. Mervyn Cooper serves as innovations manager, rejoining Rautomead in 2025 after previously working as a project engineer from 1984 to 1991. Jan Barclay oversees strategic operations as chief of staff, having joined the company in 1983 as an executive personal assistant. The Dundee, Angus, Scotland-based company manufactures continuous-casting equipment for processing nonferrous metals and alloys.
AFL Promotes Justin Quinn
AFL has promoted Justin Quinn to product line manager for premise cables. Quinn joined the company as a product development engineer in 2012 and held positions including process engineering manager and cable development manager. He previously worked for seven years at Prysmian as a senior engineer and holds a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Clemson University. The Duncan, South Carolina-based company, a subsidiary of Japan’s Fujikura, Ltd., specializes in fiber optic and related cable products for communications and energy networks.
Tri Star Metals Announces Executive Promotions
Tri Star Metals has promoted Ryan Snyder to vice president of manufacturing. Snyder joined the company 13 years ago and brings more than 30 years of wire drawing and manufacturing leadership experience.
The company also promoted Russ Davis to vice president of plant maintenance and engineering. Davis began his career in the U.S. Navy’s Nuclear Submarine Program and over the past 11 years delivered exceptional results. The Aurora, Illinois-based company, with its main manufacturing campus in Freeport, Illinois, manufactures and distributes stainless steel, nickel alloy, and aluminum wire and bar domestically.
Premix Group USA Expands U.S. Sales Leadership
Premix Group USA has appointed Matt James as its new director of sales, tasking him with expanding the company’s compounds presence in the U.S., where it recently opened its first U.S. compounds plant in Charlotte, North Carolina. James brings decades of leadership and expertise in the plastics industry, previously serving in a sales leadership role at Techmer PM. His background includes a wide range of sales, engineering, and managerial positions across the plastics sector. The Finland-based company supplies electrically conductive and semiconductive polymer compounds.
Schlatter North America Promotes Mark Hall
Schlatter North America has promoted Mark Hall to general manager. Hall joined the company in 2021 and served as North American sales manager. He brings 36 years of experience in manufacturing and engineering, including time at Automated Industrial Machinery Inc. (AIM Inc.) from 2015 to 2019. Hall studied business management, marketing and related subjects at DeVry Institute of Technology. The Rockford, Illinois-based company, part of Germany’s Schlatter Group, supplies wire processing lines, cold rolling lines, multidraft drawing lines, stretching and respooling lines, and wire welding equipment.
REELEX Packaging Solutions Advances Billy Head
REELEX Packaging Solutions recently promoted Billy Head to sales manager. Head joined the company in 2017 and worked as an electrical assembler and field service technician. The U.S. Marine Corps veteran advanced last year to a sales manager position officially titled international sales & business development. The Patterson, New York-based company provides a range of packaging equipment to the wire and cable industry.
Amphenol Network Solutions Adds Strategic Account Manager
Jessica Stamer has joined Amphenol Network Solutions as strategic account sales manager – hyperscale. She brings about 15 years of industry experience, previously working for Google Fiber, AT&T, Tillson, Stewart and UC Syntergetic. Stamer holds a B.S. degree in civil engineering from North Carolina State University. The Liberty Lake, Washington-based company, part of Amphenol Corporation, provides solutions for telecom, broadband and data center networks.
Obituary
James John Joseph Jr.
James John Joseph Jr., of Williamsburg, Pennsylvania, a widely respected authority in industrial liquid filtration (primarily metalworking coolants) who went by Jim, died Oct. 21, 2025, at age 90.
The WAI Life Member launched Joseph Marketing in 1986, offering consulting services to major metalworking and automotive manufacturers. As an inventor, he developed advanced cross-flow filtration systems and invented the Cross Flow Filter that extends life and improves efficiency in industrial applications. His focus included nonwoven roll media, cross-flow and semiconductive filtration concepts and coolant maintenance.
Joseph spoke at WAI industry events and contributed widely in the tribology and metalworking fluids world, writing articles for International Filtration News and other trade publications. He authored Coolant/Metalworking Fluids Filtration, which reached its third edition in 2024. Trade journals in tribology and lubrication continued to review and cite his work in 2024–2025, underscoring his continued relevance late in life. He continued to work in 2025 and remained in contact with WAI staff.
Joseph’s wife, Marjorie Castle Joseph, predeceased him. Survivors include two children, Lynn Joseph and Jim Joseph, two grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
