New president for INDA

David Rousse has been appointed the new president of INDA, following the decision by Rory Holmes – has held the position since October 2003 – to retire in mid-2013. Mr. Holmes.

Rousse most recently served as CEO of HydroLogex, a Franklin, Tennessee-based virtual manufacturer of proprietary decentralised wastewater treatment systems in the CleanTech sector. Prior to that he held leadership positions in Fiberweb, then a $1 billion global manufacturer of speciality nonwoven fabrics. He started with Fiberweb in 2005 as president of the Hygiene/Medical Americas business in Simpsonville, South Carolina, before being promoted in 2007 to president of Fiberweb Americas, based in Nashville.

“With Rory Holmes planning to retire in the middle of next year, we felt it was important to begin the transition by bringing in an executive of Dave Rousse’s caliber as early as possible,” says INDA board chairman Todd Bassett. “With IDEA 2013 being held in Miami Beach next April, it is important to our members and the nonwovens industry that the new leadership of INDA be in place for our signature event. We are pleased to be able to have Rory Holmes available to help with the transition.”

“I am both excited and honored to lead a wonderful association like INDA,” said Rousse. “Having been actively involved with INDA throughout a large part of my career, I have experienced first-hand the benefits they bring to their members and the industry. Rory has done an exemplary job over the last nine years in building the INDA team and the organization and he’s leaving me in good hands. As I move into the role, he will be indispensable in ensuring a smooth transition.”

When he joined Fiberweb in 2005, Rousse was given the responsibility to reverse the declining performance of the $400 million North American Hygiene/Medical business and led a major restructuring initiative. He was promoted in and given additional responsibilities for the $300 million Americas Industrial business, where he led the efforts that tripled Fiberweb Americas’ operating profit from $6.4 million in 2007 to $19.2 million in 2008.

Prior to his tenure at Fiberweb, Rousse also held positions at Monadnock Paper Mills, FiberMark and International Paper.