General Investing >> Money Manager Interviews >> May 24, 1999
JOHN J. LEE has served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Hexcel Corporation since August 1993. In a little over seven years, he has transformed Hexcel into the global leader in the advanced structural materials industry. During Mr. Lees tenure as CEO, Hexcels management restructured the companys operations by focusing on Hexcels strength in advanced composite materials and selling non-core operations. Mr. Lee then led Hexcel in consolidating the Advanced Structural Materials industry through the purchase of Ciba Composites in February 1996, the Composite Products Division of Hercules in June 1996 and selected assets of Fiberite, Inc. in September 1997. More recently Mr. Lee has expanded and diversified Hexcels revenue mix by acquiring Clark-Schwebel, a leading weaver of structural fabrics. These acquisitions have dramatically increased Hexcels size and made it the pre-eminent company in the advanced structural materials industry. Hexcels 2000 revenues were in excess of $1 billion. Mr. Lee has over 30 years experience in the management and ownership of public and private companies, and has spent 10 years in corporate development consulting and investment banking. He served as CEO of Barber Oil Corporation, and subsequently was a member of the senior management team of Salomon Inc. In 1987 he co-founded an investment partnership which acquired control of Tosco Corporation and subsequently served as its President. He also has served as Chairman of the executive committee of Xtra Corporation. Mr. Lee earned both a BS and an MS in Engineering from Yale University. He also serves as a Director of the Crane Co. Profile
the stocks performed in the volatile market of the last few years?
Mr. Lee: 1998 was an especially rewarding year for
