President, Dow Automotive
Dow Chemical
Age: 49
Hamilton joined Dow in 1977 as a seller of plastics to the automotive industry and has held a variety of positions in sales, marketing, application development, and business operations. He is responsible for growing Dow Automotive business from a materials sales office to a strategic division, offering product development and engineering services. Hamilton was handpicked to help transform Dow Automotive into its profit center in 2000. Today, he oversees a $1.5 billion business unit that includes 1,700 employees and 40 locations worldwide. Largely responsible for the company's shift from selling materials to engineering systems and components, he also leads the Dow Automotive executive management and automotive leadership teams. In 2003, Dow Chemical, the parent company, generated $32.6 billion in revenues.
Hamilton joined The Dow Chemical Company in 1977 as a seller of plastics to the automotive industry and has held a variety of positions in sales, marketing, application development and business operations during his 31 years with the company. Prior to joining Dow Coating Solutions in 2007, Hamilton served as President of Dow Automotive.
Hamilton is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE), The Executive Leadership Council and is an Honorary Committee Member of International Federation of Automotive Engineering Societies (FISITA). He also serves on the Boards of Original Equipment Suppliers Association, College for Creative Studies in Detroit, National Paint and Coatings Association in Washington, D.C., and the Visitor’s Board for North Carolina Central University’s School of Business. He also serves on Dow’s Retirement Board.
Hamilton has been recognized for his contributions by the YMCA Minority Achiever Awards, Crain’s Detroit Minority All-Star Award and Crain’s Annual Who’s Who In Detroit in 2005. He was also named to Black Enterprise Magazine’s 75 Most Powerful African Americans in Corporate America list in 2005.
Hamilton and his wife Jill reside in Rochester, Michigan and have three children. He enjoys mentoring youth, motivational speaking, cars, golf, professional basketball, college football and skiing. He holds a B.S. in business administration from North Carolina Central University in Durham, N.C., an Executive MBS from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana and is a Life Member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.
