HZO, Inc., the leader in thin film protective nano coatings which safeguard electronics from the most demanding environments, is pleased to announce the appointment of Richard Holder as Chief Executive Officer. He will assume day-to-day leadership of the company effective immediately, remaining on as a member of the Board of Directors.

Mr. Holder, an industry veteran with a track record of strategic leadership and execution, most recently served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of NN Inc, a diversified industrial manufacturing company. Prior to NN, Inc., he held a variety of leadership positions during his twelve-year tenure at Eaton Corporation, where he last served as President of Eaton Electrical Components Group. Previous to that he held senior positions at US Airways, AlliedSignal and Parker Hannifin. Mr. Holder is a past director of the Atlanta Federal Reserve Board and holds a Bachelor of Science from Southern Illinois University and a Master of Arts from Webster University.

"HZO plays a pivotal role in protecting everything from health wearables to smartphones, and autonomous vehicle to edge devices," said Holder. "With an extraordinary track record of growth and success, most recently named to Deloitte's Fast 500, I am honored to be asked to lead such an exciting enterprise."

Mr. Holder takes over for James Fahey who will be stepping down from his day-to-day CEO role for personal health reasons but will continue as a member of the HZO Board. Mr. Fahey has been instrumental at expanding HZO's global footprint, most recently into Vietnam, advancing the company's portfolio with new next generation nanocoatings, and extending the organization's footprint into automotive, medical devices, and the industrial/IoT sector.

"On behalf of the Board of Directors and employees of HZO, I want to thank Rich for his willingness to step-in and to Jim for the extraordinary job he has done fortifying HZO. Jim worked as long as he could through his illness. It is a lesson in fortitude and tremendous leadership," said Kamal Bherwani, Chairman. "We are fortunate to have both Jim and Rich as part of the company and wish Jim a speedy recovery."

ABOUT HZO

HZO is a global leader in delivering world-class protective nano coatings that safeguard electronics from the most demanding corrosive and liquid environments. The company brings together people, process, capital equipment and material science, leveraging an extensive patent portfolio to create unique solutions to meet specific customer requirements. Working with some of the largest companies across industries including consumer electronics, IoT, medical device and automotive, HZO delivers a better, more reliable and more durable water resistant and waterproof product that reduces costly returns, improves customer satisfaction and drives overall brand value.