Andy Harris
Andy Harris is a proven CEO and board member leading private equity backed “invest and grow” ventures. Andy was President and CEO of Accella Performance Materials from 2012 to 2017. Under Andy’s leadership, Accella grew revenue by 6x and profit by 8x in under 5 years with both organic and acquisitive growth (14 acquisitions), culminating his efforts with a strategic sale to the Carlisle Companies for $670 million in 2017. Before taking the helm of Accella, Andy was the CEO of Syrgis, another private equity-backed specialty chemical manufacturing business, where he successfully led the business transformation, growing revenue 3x and profit 4x within 5 years, ending with a successful strategic sale of the company in 2012. Most recently Andy was the CEO of Vantage Specialty Chemicals from 2018-2019, a growth-oriented, global provider of naturally derived, specialty ingredients with annual revenues of approximately $750 million and EBITDA $100M+. Andy led 2 European acquisitions totaling $90M in revenue to strategically expand the business platform from North America to Europe. Andy also led the company’s rebranding and strengthened the corporate culture globally. Andy has over 25 years of leadership experience in specialty chemicals, oil & gas, process instrumentation and environmental equipment companies including BetzDearborn (became GE Water and Process Technologies which is now SUEZ), Endress+Hauser GmbH, and Exxon Company USA. Andy holds an MBA from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business and a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Arizona. He specializes in business growth and transformation through mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and believes in building corporate cultures that serve as strategic drivers of success. Outside of work, Andy loves spending time with his wife (Stephanie) and two daughters (Hannah and Georgia). He enjoys travelling, heli-skiing, hiking, golf, his YPO membership, and mentoring. Andy and Stephanie are avid supporters of their church, the University of Southern California, the University of Arizona and other various philanthropic causes.
Top Goals for Mentoring:
- Help mentees learn and grow from their peers through group discussions.
- Help mentees develop professional and life skills.
- Help mentees improve their networking skills for the future.
