Senior Vice President, Operations
Ram Vadlamannati is senior vice president, operations, PPG. He oversees the operations organization, which includes PPG’s supply chain, operational excellence, manufacturing operations, procurement, and environment, health and safety functions. He was appointed to his current role Jan. 1, 2023, and he has served on PPG’s operating committee since Sept. 1, 2015.
Vadlamannati joined PPG with the acquisition of ICI Autocolor in 1999. His career with ICI Paints began in 1990, serving in progressively responsible customer service, supply chain and purchasing roles before leading the refinish business in India from 1994 to 1997. Vadlamannati moved to the United Kingdom as strategic planning manager for refinish in 1997, and he continued in this role after PPG acquired ICI Autocolor two years later.
In 2000, he was president director of PPG Industries Indonesia based in Jakarta. In 2001, he was appointed manufacturing and supply chain director for PPG's automotive refinish business.
Vadlamannati was named markets director, refinish, EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa), in 2003, and then became general manager for automotive refinish in the region in 2005. In 2010, Vadlamannati was appointed vice president, automotive refinish, EMEA, based in Rolle, Switzerland, and he assumed direction for architectural coatings operations in Western Europe in March 2011. He was named vice president, Architectural Coatings – EMEA, in 2012 and he was appointed senior vice president, protective and marine coatings in 2016, and added regional leadership responsibility as president, EMEA in 2019.
Before joining ICI, Vadlamannati worked in management consulting and corporate services in India.
A native of India and a British citizen, Vadlamannati earned an undergraduate degree in electronics and communication engineering from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU) College of Engineering, Kakinada, and he completed a post-graduate program in management at the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad.