PPG has named John Smith as vice president of architectural coatings for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), marking a major leadership transition as longtime executive Steve Pocock prepares to retire after more than two decades with the company.
Smith will assume the role on July 1, 2026, succeeding Pocock, whose retirement takes effect June 30. He will report to Henrik Bergström, senior vice president, global architectural coatings.
The appointment brings an experienced international business leader into one of PPG's key regional operations. Smith joins the company with more than 25 years of leadership experience spanning consumer and business-to-business markets.
“With more than 25 years of international leadership experience, John brings a strong track record of driving profitable growth across consumer and B2B organizations,” said Bergström.
“His deep commercial expertise, global mindset and passion for developing high-performing teams positions him well to lead our architectural coatings EMEA business into its next phase of growth.”
Most recently, Smith served as executive vice president and general manager at Signify, where he led the company's global connected lighting business, overseeing strategy, innovation, marketing, sales and operations. Before that, he held several senior leadership positions at Philips, managing global and regional businesses across consumer health, grooming and home care categories.
The leadership change comes as Pocock concludes a career that began in 2000 with Sigma Kalon, which was later acquired by PPG.
Starting as a national accounts controller, he rose through a series of increasingly senior commercial roles, including general manager of architectural coatings for the UK and Ireland, general manager for architectural coatings across EMEA North and China, and vice president of architectural coatings. In 2024, he was appointed to lead the region's architectural coatings commercial organization.
“Throughout his career, Steve has been deeply committed to building strong, high-performing and engaged teams,” said Bergström.
“His relentless energy, enthusiasm and determination to win have delivered record levels of growth. He has also developed and mentored countless colleagues, leaving a lasting legacy across the organization. His presence, support and leadership will be greatly missed by all who have had the privilege of working with him.”
The transition signals both continuity and renewal for PPG's architectural coatings business in EMEA, with Smith taking the helm as the company continues to pursue growth across international markets.
