Three executives have been elected to the board of directors of the International Housewares Association, the full-service trade association for the housewares industry.
The incoming IHA board members are Scott Felsenthal, CEO, Whitmor; Sal Gabbay, CEO, Gibson Homewares; and Michael Hayes, chief customer officer, Newell Brands. Their three-year terms began Oct. 1 and end Sept. 30, 2025.
Also elected were IHA board officers:
- Chairman – Steve Greenspon, CEO, Honey-Can-Do International;
- Vice Chairman/Chairman Elect – Neal Asbury, president and CEO, The Legacy Companies; and
- Treasurer – Paul Cosaro, CEO, Picnic Time Family of Brands.
All officers serve one-year terms from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30.
Retiring from the IHA board are William Endres, president, Select Brands; Melissa Kieling, CEO, PackIt; and Kristine Malkoski, business unit CEO, Food, Newell Brands. Reappointed for a second three-year term were Paul Cosaro and Kavita Shukla, CEO, The FRESHGLOW Co.
Felsenthal joined Whitmor in August 2009 as the first member of the fourth generation of his family to enter the business. The company designs, manufactures and distributes home organization, storage and laundry accessory products to retailers around the world.
Gabbay is the third-generation owner of Gibson Homewares and has spent his 43-year career growing the company. Gibson’s portfolio of brands includes Martha Stewart, Sur La Table, Spice by Tia Mowry, Babish, Kenmore, Crockpot, Mr. Coffee and Oster, as well as long popular house brands like Gibson Home, Gibson Elite, Laurie Gates and Soho Lounge.
Hayes joined Newell Brands in April 2020 as chief customer officer, responsible for global customer relationships and customer liaison with the executive leadership team. Before joining Newell, Hayes served as SVP of sales and sales strategy at Georgia Pacific from 2008-20 and as VP of sales at Reily Foods from 2007-08.
Also serving on the IHA board are Kim Cole, CEO, Gleener; Glenn DeStefano, president, StoreBound; Lisa Knierim, chief development officer, Creative Tops; Yvette Laugier, managing director, Peugeot Saveurs North America, and immediate past IHA chairman; Jacob Maurer, CEO, Americas, The Cookware Company; Tom McMahon, president, Jura; Robert Michelson, president and CCO, Bradshaw Home; Keith Mirchandani, principal and CEO, Tristar Products; Thomas Nichols, president, Pretika Corporation; Michael Otterman, president and CEO, Lodge Cast Iron; Luke Peters, president and CEO, NewAir LLC;.and Dan Siegel, president, Lifetime Brands.
For more information, visit housewares.org/about/board-of-directors.
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