Shirley adhesive manufacturer Bemis Associates has promoted its global chief operating officer and president of the Asia-Pacific region to the role of president and chief operating officer.
Christina Chen succeeds Michael Johansen in the roles, with Johansen continuing to serve as CEO of the Shirley-based manufacturer of adhesives, the company announced Tuesday.
“I am mindful of the global legacy the company has built over the past 115 years,” Chen said in the announcement. “As COO and president of APAC, I’ve had the privilege of working with Bemis teams globally and seeing firsthand the amazing value that the Bemis team can create.”
Bemis expanded from mostly focusing on the U.S. market to having a global presence under the leadership of Steve Howard, who Johansen succeeded as CEO in 2022. The company has its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Hong Kong and satellite offices in Taiwan, Sri Lanka, China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, in addition to four European locations.
The firm invested $3 million in 2024 to establish a manufacturing base in the Thai Binh province of Vietnam.
Bemis makes adhesives and bonding solutions used in outerwear, handbags, auto parts, and a wide variety of other products. The company was founded in 1910 in Watertown and moved its headquarters to Shirley in 1990.
Eric Casey is the managing editor at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the real estate and banking & finance industries.
