Berlin Packaging names William J. Hayes as new president and CEO

William Hayes

Chicago-based packaging supplier Berlin Packaging has appointed William J. Hayes as its new president and CEO.

Hayes, 60, is currently president and CEO of construction and civil engineering company BrandSafway.

In a statement, Berlin Packaging noted that Hayes’ experience “is marked by growing companies and transforming industries. [He] grew Safway from a nearly $1 billion North American business in 2012 to a $5 billion global industrial services business in 2020, with 38,000 employees across 340 locations in 30 countries, following a transformational combination with Brand.”

Prior to BrandSafway, Hayes was president of Honeywell Safety Products. His earlier career experience includes leadership roles at Nitto Denko, Brady, and Johnson & Johnson.

“[Hayes] is a true leader with a proven track record of strong execution and extraordinary result,” Berlin Packaging’s executive chairman Michael Grebe said in an April 23 statement. “As a CEO, he currently leads a global, highly distributed, private equity-sponsored business with annual revenues of $5 billion. [He] is well-known to be a servant leader, and brings the same customer focus to Berlin Packaging that has made us so successful as the world’s leading hybrid packaging supplier.”

Berlin Packaging manufactures glass, plastic, and metal containers and closures.