Grainger Names Thomas Okray CFO

CHICAGO, April 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Grainger (NYSE: GWW), the leading broad line supplier of maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) products serving businesses and institutions, today announced it has appointed Thomas Okray as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO), effective May 2, 2018.  Okray will succeed Ron Jadin who, as previously announced, will retire from Grainger after 20 years with the company, 10 of which as Senior Vice President and CFO.  In addition, Joseph High has decided to retire as Grainger's Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer.

Okray, 55, has nearly 30 years of experience focusing on finance, operations and various aspects of supply chain.  Most recently, he served as Executive Vice President and CFO for Advance Auto Parts.  Prior to that, Okray was Vice President Finance, Global Customer Fulfillment at Amazon, where he led a team responsible for the optimization of key elements of the company's global fulfillment network.  Okray spent the majority of his career at General Motors in finance and supply chain related roles.  This included responsibility for overseeing more than $120 billion in annual expenses and $8 billion in capital expenditures as CFO, Global Product Development, Purchasing & Supply Chain.

"We are excited to welcome Tom to Grainger," said DG Macpherson, Chairman and CEO.  "He brings the ideal combination of exceptional financial acumen, along with significant business experience.  In addition, he has a great appreciation for our industry and customer base, and understands the importance of a sound digital strategy."

"I've known Grainger my entire professional career," said Okray.  "It's a strong customer-focused organization that prides itself on exceptional service and innovative solutions.  This is an exciting time to be a part of Grainger.  I believe the company is focused on the right things that will drive growth and enhance customer value in new and unique ways.  I look forward to working with DG and the entire Grainger team to continue to implement the corporate strategy."

Okray earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from Michigan State University, and received an MBA from the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business.  He also participated in a Transformational Leadership Program through Stanford University's Graduate School of Business.

"I would like to thank Ron for his years of service and numerous contributions to Grainger," said Macpherson.  "He was a valuable member of our leadership team and the company in general.  We wish him well in retirement."

Joseph High also retires from Grainger after nearly seven years with the company, all as Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer.  During that time, High worked to align people initiatives with the business strategy by creating and implementing key team member programs, policies and practices. High has been a key member of the Grainger Leadership team responsible for driving business results.

Macpherson continued, "Joseph has been a valuable member of Grainger, helping us enhance our talent management strategy and overall culture.  He played a lead role in both the CFO search and my CEO transition.  We wish him all the best in retirement." 

High will transition over the next few months and assist in the process of identifying his successor.

About Grainger
W.W. Grainger, Inc., with 2017 sales of $10.4 billion, is North America's leading broad line supplier of maintenance, repair and operating products, (MRO) with operations also in Europe, Asia and Latin America.  

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SOURCE W.W. Grainger, Inc.