Buckman board elects 3 new directors
Published: 18th May 2020
Memphis, Tenn., USA (May 18, 2020) – Bulab Holdings, Inc., in its 75th year of business, has announced that 3 new members have been elected by its shareholders to join its board of directors: Robert Buckman (Memphis), Jacqueline Welch (Washington, D.C. Metro) and Gregg Sutherland (Denver). James Shepherd of Vancouver, Canada retired from the board after 12 years.
Robert “Bob” Buckman’s career at Buckman spanned nearly 50 years including a previous tenure on the board. The son of the company’s founder, Stanley Buckman, Bob has held many positions at the company including CEO (1978-2000), director and chairman of the board. He is not only well known as an accomplished leader in the specialty chemical industry but also as a true pioneer in the field of “knowledge management” also known as “knowledge sharing”. He is the author of Building a Knowledge-Driven Organization and has been a long-term board member of the American Productivity & Quality Center (APQC). He is also on the board of trustees at Christian Brothers University. In 1989, Bob launched a knowledge network for Buckman that used computers to widely and quickly transfer knowledge and expertise between global associates. This was enhanced in 1995 when K’Netix was created to further foster a culture of knowledge sharing that continues to this day. Buckman is a graduate of Purdue University and the University of Chicago.
Jacqueline Welch is the chief human resource officer (CHRO) and chief diversity officer (CDO) at Freddie Mac, and the first CHRO and CDO to sit on the Buckman Board. She has more than 20 years of experience in HR, inclusion and diversity strategy and execution both as a consultant with Accenture and Willis Towers Watson (formerly Towers Perrin) and as a corporate executive at companies such as Turner Broadcasting System and Rock-Tenn Company. Jacqueline has been recognized nationally with awards including a “CHRO of the Year” by HRO Today, “Diversity Leader of the Year” and “Women Worth Watching” by the Profiles in Diversity Journal, and the “Breakaway Leadership Award” by Evanta, a Gartner Company. She is a graduate of Syracuse University and the Milano Graduate School.
Gregg Sutherland is a recently retired strategy consulting partner with the global advisory firm Ernst & Young. During his 17 years with E&Y, Gregg assisted clients with the development of growth strategies and the design of operating models to support those strategies. His consulting work encompassed the chemical industry, including extensive work at Dow Chemical, and pulp and paper companies including Kimberly-Clark and International Paper. Gregg has also served in executive roles for product development and strategy, including senior vice president of strategy at Qwest Communications. Gregg has served as a board member for Colorado Communications and Technology Professionals and Colorado Audubon Society. He is a graduate of the University of Denver and earned his MBA at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.
"We are pleased to welcome each of these individuals to our board of directors," said Phil Shannon, chairman of the board of Bulab Holdings. "Bob, Jacqueline and Gregg each bring to the board unique experiences, skill sets and careers but more importantly they possess the energy, desire and commitment to help Buckman achieve its ambitious goals. Their backgrounds and track records of delivering exceptional results will be invaluable to Buckman’s future successes.”
Buckman operates regional manufacturing centers in six countries to support its offerings of specialty chemical-digital solutions along with technical services through 95 countries primarily to the pulp and paper, leather, water treatment and process chemical industries.
The three new directors will join the current directors: Junai Maharaj (Memphis), Kathy Buckman Gibson (Memphis), Phil Shannon (Memphis), Otto Heissenberger (Cincinnati), Larry Shutzberg (Memphis), Edith Kelly-Green (Memphis) and Robert O’Brien (Fort Myers, FL).

Robert Buckman

Jacqueline Welch

Gregg Sutherland
Tags: Buckman, Bulab Holdings
Footwear Industry Articles
- Plastics SA ‘celebrates 30 years of inspiring South Africans to take action against litter’ – but so much more is neededJohannesburg, Gauteng, SA – Plastics SA, the umbrella body which represents all sectors of the SA plastics industry, will hold its 30th annual ‘Clean-Up and Recycle Week’ from 14-20 September.In a release, Plastics SA said the annual event “has grown into one of South Africa’s largest collaborative environmen ...moreComrades Expo 2026Durban, KZN, SA – The exhibitor list at the Comrades Expo, from 11-13 June, has shown an evolution in the types of companies exhibiting. Just 1 running footwear supplier, Ikhambi Distribution, promoting its Hoka brand, was there.Technical sock suppliers, however, were well represented, with Balega, Falke, Sox Footwear and The Hirst ...moreTshepo opens new store at Mall of AfricaJohannesburg, Gauteng, SA (02 June 2026) — South African fashion brand Tshepo has opened its second store at Mall of Africa.Tshepo, founded by Tshepo Mohlala in Victoria Yards 10 years ago, specialises in locally made denim jeans.“Victoria Yards remains central to Tshepo's identity, serving as the bran ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- ‘FMD is here to stay – we have to learn to live with it and manage it’Pretoria, Gauteng, SA – FMD is no longer a series of isolated outbreaks; it has become a national systemic risk, and we need to shift our mindset from emergency response to living with and managing FMD responsibly. The pressure is already showing in the numbers. Our latest figures show cattle slaughter down 12% and sheep slaughter d ...moreLuxury or notWe hear from all sides that the leather industry is not doing too well and the conflict in the Middle East is definitely not improving the situation. The present wars have a huge impact on inflation and hence on the buying power of consumers with negative consequences for the luxury industry whose shares we have seen tumbling at the vario ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- New OHS regulations coming into force later this year mean PPE needs to be reviewed, tooIn March 2025, the Physical Agents Regulations (and their guidelines) and the Noise Exposure Regulations (and their guidelines) of the OHSAct were published, with an 18-month time-period promulgation date to September 2026, allowing employers time to upgrade their Health & Safety requirements to comply with the new published regulatio ...moreFurther controls over the import of safety footwear are on the wayOn 03 August 2026, the Safety Footwear Working Group, led by SAFLIA, submitted a request to Minister Tau (dtic) for interim import control measures in respect of specified safety footwear. The request was strongly supported by organised labour and other industry stakeholders.The application was further strengthened by contributions f ...moreStatistical shape modelling for population-specific respirator design: Addressing fit failure in South African populationsRespirators are widely regarded as the last line of defence against hazardous airborne exposures. Whether protecting healthcare workers from tuberculosis, laboratory personnel from infectious samples, or workers exposed to carcinogenic dusts and fumes, respirators are often relied upon when other controls cannot eliminate exposure. This r ...more
© S&V Publications







