Nippon Paint Marine announced the appointment of Gladys Goh as its president, effective immediately.

Gladys Goh. (Source: Nippon Paint)

As president of Nippon Paint Marine Coatings, Goh is the first female and foreign national to lead a principal operating company in Japan. With a history of more than 140 years, the marine division is the founding business for the Nippon Paint Holdings Group, a global leader and pioneer in marine paint and coatings.

Goh joined Nippon Paint Malaysia in 2006, driving the brand to become Malaysia’s top coatings provider and subsequently led expansion into new markets. She concurrently serves as SVP, strategic innovation & marketing at NIPSEA Group.

Nippon Paint Marine Coatings works with customers across 30 countries in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, North America, and South America. Its products have been applied to more than 40,000 vessels, from tankers and container ships to cruise liners and yachts.

“I’m honored to have been appointed as president of the Nippon Paint Marine Group, and I am also proud to be able to reflect and represent the diversity of talent within the business,” Goh said. “We operate in an increasingly dynamic and fast-changing market, as the shipping industry faces multiple challenges, from improving its sustainability and meeting decarbonisation targets, to ensuring profitability during testing economic and geopolitical times.

“However, these challenges also bring many opportunities to innovate, to evolve and to create technologies and solutions that can drive genuine impact and positive change,” Goh added. “My vision for growth is to deliver a multiplying effect that will drive this, enhancing our people’s capabilities, optimizing operational efficiency and delivering greater value to our customers.”

Over the course of 2024, Nippon Paint Marine plans to launch several new products to market, including expanding its leading antifouling solution, FASTAR, to incorporate Hydrogel ‘water-trapping’ technology for both ocean-going and coastal-range vessels.

It is also focusing on developing low VOC in both antifouling and anticorrosion coatings to meet regulatory compliances and regional VOC requirements, especially in key markets such as China and South Korea. Lowering VOC emissions helps protect the health of individuals working at shipyards and contributes to the overall sustainability of the marine industry.

Nippon Paint Marine will also strengthen its cargo hold and cargo tank solutions, including offering methanol- resistant coatings in line with the industry’s increased use of methanol as a viable new fuel to meet decarbonization targets.

In 2024, the company will further expand its supply points, to include North America and South Africa, following the acquisition of new locations in Australia, Egypt, and Gibraltar last year.