# Corning Painter

> Corning F. Painter is the chief executive officer of Orion S.A., a global carbon black manufacturer. He joined Orion in September 2018 after a 34-year career at Air Products, where he led Industrial Gases. A Carnegie Mellon chemical engineering graduate and certified professional engineer, he has overseen initiatives in circular carbon black, emissions controls and manufacturing operations. He joined Stepan’s board in June 2025.

- **Role:** Chief Executive Officer at Orion S.A.
- **Organizations:** Orion S.A., Stepan Company, Air Products and Chemicals (former), Valley Youth House (former board chairman)
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.S. in Chemical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University
- **Known for:** Led Air Products’ Industrial Gases business before joining Orion; the 2018 appointment announcement described it as an $8 billion business., Certified Professional Engineer in Pennsylvania., Led Orion during completion of air-emissions control upgrades at its four U.S. carbon black plants, announced January 2024.

## Career timeline

- **1984** — Joined Air Products through its career development program.
- **1984–2013** — Held commercial, operational and leadership positions, including global electronics, corporate strategy and technology, and supply chain; career included ten years in Europe and China.
- **2013–2014** — Senior Vice President, Merchant Gases, Air Products.
- **2014–2018** — Executive Vice President, Industrial Gases, Air Products.
- **2014–2019** — Chairman of the Valley Youth House board, February 2014 to February 2019, according to his LinkedIn profile.
- **2018-09** — Became Orion chief executive officer, succeeding Jack Clem.
- **2018-10** — Joined Orion’s board of directors.
- **2025-06** — Appointed to Stepan’s board on June 9.

## Achievements

- Led Air Products’ Industrial Gases business before joining Orion; the 2018 appointment announcement described it as an $8 billion business.
- Certified Professional Engineer in Pennsylvania.
- Led Orion during completion of air-emissions control upgrades at its four U.S. carbon black plants, announced January 2024.
- Led Orion during its participation in Michelin-led BlackCycle; Orion announced European Commission Innovation Radar Key Innovator recognition in March 2025.
- Oversaw Orion as it expanded circular carbon black production in Poland in 2025 and announced production in Qingdao in June 2026.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — An October 22 Orion announcement scheduled Painter, CFO Jon Puckett and IR vice president Chris Kapsch for the virtual NYSE Investor Access Series on November 17 and Southwest IDEAS in Dallas on November 19.
- **2026-08** — Presented Orion’s Q2 results: $500.9 million net sales, $1.8 million net income and $58.2 million adjusted EBITDA; specialty and rubber segment earnings moved in opposite directions year over year.
- **2026-06** — Orion announced circular carbon black production at its ISCC PLUS-certified Qingdao plant, with three ECORAX Circular grades.
- **2026-06** — Orion published Painter’s argument that climate policy should recognize chemistry and manufacturing constraints.
- **2025-06** — Joined Stepan’s board, effective June 9, 2025.

## Links

- Website: https://orioncarbons.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/corning-painter-96b27b18

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/corning-painter
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-24