# Sara Greenstein

> Sara Greenstein is president, CEO and a board director of Axel Johnson Inc. Her career spans consulting, UL, U.S. Steel and Lydall, with a focus on business transformation, industrial operations and long-term value creation. Raised on a central Illinois farm, she has spoken publicly about listening, personal priorities and bringing varied experiences into business decisions.

- **Role:** President, Chief Executive Officer and Board Director at Axel Johnson Inc.
- **Organizations:** Axel Johnson Inc., BorgWarner, Copeland, Lydall, United States Steel Corporation, UL, Arthur Andersen Business Consulting, Boston Consulting Group, The Chicago Network
- **Education:** B.S. in Business Administration, concentration in Industrial Distribution Management, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Gies College of Business, MBA; Strategy and Finance; Highest Distinction (LinkedIn), University of Michigan, Stephen M. Ross School of Business
- **Known for:** Named to Crain’s Chicago Business 40 Under 40 in 2007., Led U.S. Steel’s approximately $4 billion Consumer Solutions business; reported 300% EBITDA improvement during her tenure., Helped expand UL into Japan, India and China and develop its software and technology businesses.

## Career timeline

- **Early career** — Consulting roles at Arthur Andersen Business Consulting and Boston Consulting Group.
- **2001-2014** — Progressive leadership roles at UL, including chief marketing and strategy officer.
- **2012-2014** — President, Supply Chain and Sustainability at UL.
- **2014-2019** — Senior Vice President, Consumer Solutions at U.S. Steel; appointment effective December 1, 2014.
- **2019-2021** — President, CEO and board member of Lydall, November 2019 to October 2021.
- **2021** — Appointed to BorgWarner board on November 9.
- **2022** — Became President and CEO of Axel Johnson Inc. on June 13.
- **2023** — Joined Copeland board in August.

## Achievements

- Named to Crain’s Chicago Business 40 Under 40 in 2007.
- Led U.S. Steel’s approximately $4 billion Consumer Solutions business; reported 300% EBITDA improvement during her tenure.
- Helped expand UL into Japan, India and China and develop its software and technology businesses.
- Led Lydall before its 2021 acquisition by Unifrax; agreement valued shares at $62.10 in cash with approximately $1.3 billion implied enterprise value.

## Latest updates

- **2026-07** — AJI completed its acquisition of full ownership of Fort Wayne Metals. Greenstein emphasized continued investment in its people, capabilities and products.
- **2025-06** — Attended Brilliant Minds 2025 in Stockholm with AJI colleagues and publicly reflected on kindness, responsibility and business as a force for good.

## Links

- Website: https://axeljohnson.com/about/leadership/sara-greenstein/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saragreenstein

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/sara-greenstein
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-09