ASM International, the world’s largest association of materials-centric engineers and scientists, has chosen as its new executive director Veronica J. Becker, a senior executive and financial professional with more than 20 years’ experience enhancing processes and guiding financial departments for both public and nonprofit organizations, including a previous successful stint as ASM’s chief financial officer.
“We are excited to welcome Veronica home,” said Pradeep Goyal, president of the ASM International Board of Trustees. “Veronica’s extensive business background, along with her deep knowledge of ASM and her experience managing ASM’s finances through some highly challenging years including the pandemic, made her the Board’s top choice.”
Becker officially joined ASM on August 26. Carrie Wilson, who has been serving as ASM interim executive director, will then return full time to her responsibilities as executive director of the ASM Materials Education Foundation.
“I am thrilled to return to an organization I believe in and to again work with ASM’s skilled, dedicated staff,” Becker said. “It will now be my honor to lead this staff and serve our members as together we carry out our vision of being the leading global resource for materials information.”
A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Becker holds an MBA from New York University’s Leonard Stern School of Business. She began her career as division manager for VNU Business Publications in New York. She next served as a financial and strategic planning consultant for the business-to-business publishing arm of the McGraw-Hill Companies. In 2002, she joined Time Inc., serving first as senior financial manager for the company’s corporate business office, where she was responsible for all corporate information technology strategic planning, $115 million in gross expenses, and $26 million in capital expenditures. She subsequently became Time Inc.’s associate financial manager and then group edit financial manager, overseeing Fortune, Money, Fortune Small Business, and Business 2.0. Becker most recently served as CFO for Universal Screen Arts, helping to manage the company through a highly sensitive business transition.
Becker joined ASM in 2009, serving as controller for the next six years. During that time, she restructured ASM’s financial staff, updated processes, and introduced new sales incentives that resulted in a $50,000 increase per month in revenue. In 2015, Becker was named ASM’s chief financial officer. Among other important accomplishments during the next eight years, she achieved a $12 million increase in ASM’s investment portfolios, achieved financial stability during the pandemic by securing $3.5 million in CARES Act funding, and successfully pivoted the ASM staff to a digital workforce during that unprecedented time.
“Our Board is excited about Veronica’s energy, enthusiasm and expertise,” board president Goyal said. “And we look forward to beginning a new era at ASM with her leadership.”
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