Michael F. Hilton (Mike) was appointed Nordson's president and chief executive officer effective January 16, 2010.
Prior to joining Nordson, Hilton spent 33 years at Air Products and Chemicals Inc. in a variety of roles of increasing responsibility. In October 2007, Hilton was appointed to senior vice president and general manager, and his responsibilities were expanded to include oversight of the company’s Environment, Health and Safety, Continuous Improvement and Customer Engagement organizations. He was also named a member of the company’s Corporate Executive Committee.
Hilton joined Air Products in 1976 as a participant in the company’s Career Development Program. He subsequently held engineering positions in the company’s gases-related equipment business, industrial cryogenics, before being named business manager in 1982. Hilton later held management positions in the company’s Process Systems Group, and in 1994 was appointed manager of the Gases and Equipment Group’s re-engineering effort. In 1995 he was named business manager of the North America liquid and bulk gases business, and served in that capacity until assuming the position of director, investor relations in 1997. Hilton was appointed vice president and general manager of industrial chemicals in 2000; vice president, electronic gases, equipment and services in 2002; and vice president, Electronics Business in 2003.
Hilton was born in 1954 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He received a B.S. degree in chemical engineering in 1976 and an M.B.A. in 1981 from Lehigh University. Hilton is co-chair of the SEMI ISS committee and a member of the association’s North American Advisory Board. He also is a member of the Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI GM Council, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and National Investor Relations Institute.