Brady Corporation Announces CEO Leadership Transition

Brady Corporation announced the retirement of J. Michael Nauman, its director, president and CEO, and the appointment of Russell R. Shaller, current SVP and president – Identification Solutions, as president, CEO and director, effective April 1, 2022.

At the request of the Board of Directors, Nauman will remain with the company in a con-sultative position until June 17, 2022, to ensure a smooth transition. Shaller will retain his responsibilities as SVP and president – Identification Solutions while conducting a search for his replacement.

“During Michael’s tenure as CEO, Brady strengthened its position as a global leader of complete solutions for niche safety, identification and compliance markets while focusing on long-term sustainable organic growth and profitability improvements, resulting in rec-ord-high EPS in fiscal 2021,” said Bradley C. Richardson, Brady’s chair of the Board of Directors. “We look forward to continuing to grow the business both organically and through strategic acquisitions as we further position Brady into faster-growing end markets. On behalf of the Board, I want to thank Michael for his service and dedication to Brady and all of its stakeholders and for his many contributions to Brady’s strong position today.”

“We are fortunate to have Russell step in to serve as our president and CEO,” Richardson added. “With nearly seven years of experience at Brady and over 30 years in the indus-trial manufacturing industry, Russell’s leadership has been essential to both Brady’s organic growth and inorganic expansion through the recent acquisition of companies in the high-growth industrial track and trace market.”

“Brady’s people, products and expertise create a strong foundation to accelerate growth and continue to reposition our portfolio,” Shaller said. “I am excited to build out our re-cent acquisitions and to continue to drive efficiency improvements throughout the organization. The strong foundation built by Michael, the positive momentum within our busi-ness and the favorable trends within the broader industry make me incredibly positive about the outlook for our company and our stakeholders. I look forward to leading Brady as we continue our expansion into faster-growing end markets to increase sales growth rates and profitability over the long-term.”

“I am incredibly proud of the Brady team, our culture, and what we have accomplished together,” said Nauman. “During my tenure at Brady we focused the organization on what we do best, which is to manufacture high-quality products, to serve our customers ex-tremely well, to drive innovative new product development and to deliver increased value to our shareholders. I am confident that Brady is well-positioned for the future under Russell’s leadership through its unwavering commitment to its customers, employees and shareholders.”

Prior to joining Brady, Shaller served as president, Teledyne Microwave Solutions from 2008 to 2015. Before joining Teledyne, Shaller held a number of positions of increasing responsibility at W.L. Gore & Associates. Prior to joining W.L. Gore in 1993, Shaller worked in engineering and program management at Westinghouse Corporation.