Kuhn has spent 37 years with the company, 16 of them as CFO, leading Aptar’s global financial and information technology functions. Kuhn also led the internal M&A and integration teams for Aptar’s largest acquisition – CSP Technologies, the active film technology company Aptar acquired in 2018. Kuhn has been responsible for the division’s operations, which has had a CAGR of about 10% since it was acquired.
“Bob’s contributions to Aptar are immeasurable. He has been a terrific business partner to me and his C-suite colleagues, and I have relied on his extensive knowledge of our business, sage counsel and strategic thinking – all of which have contributed greatly to our overall success and the creation of shareholder value,” said Stephan B. Tanda, President and CEO of Aptar.
Tanda added, “Saying Bob will be missed would be an extreme understatement, we know this was a very difficult decision for him but respect his desire to spend more time with his growing family. We wish him nothing but the best for his next set of adventures.”
Vanessa Kanu will become Executive Vice President and CFO on January 1, 2025, and is expected to join the company early in the fourth quarter of 2024 as CFO designate.
Kanu has over 25 years of experience with global multi-billion dollar and publicly traded companies. Most recently she was CFO of TELUS International, a technology services firm with approximately $2.7B in annual revenues operating in 32 countries. During her tenure at TELUS International, Kanu led the largest technology IPO in the history of the Toronto Stock Exchange, helped with the acquisition and integration of several strategic acquisitions and together with the management team initiated an extensive cost reduction effort.
Previously, she served as CFO of Mitel Networks Corporation, a global technology firm providing business communications including premise-based and cloud-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions with more than $1B in annual revenues with operations in the Americas, Europe, Australia and Asia. Kanu also serves on the Board of Directors of Manulife Financial Corporation, a global financial services institution with over $30B in annual revenues. At Aptar, Kanu will lead the global finance organization, including planning, treasury, tax, financial reporting, financial operations and information technology.
“We are lucky to be able to welcome Vanessa to the Aptar team. She brings with her tremendous experience in financial reporting, global operations and cost management that Aptar and our shareholders will benefit from greatly,” said Tanda. “I look forward to working with Vanessa, she is an accomplished CFO and a dynamic leader whose extensive experience will bolster our strong foundation.”
Kanu was an article trainee with PricewaterhouseCoopers and is both a Chartered Accountant in Canada (CICA) as well as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in the United States. She holds a BSc in International and Financial Economics from Hull University in the United Kingdom, with first class honours. In 2023, Kanu was named one of Canada’s Best Executives by The Globe and Mail’s Report on Business magazine. In 2021, she was recognized as CFO of the Year, and in 2017 Kanu was a recipient of the Top 40 under 40 Business Awards by the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce and Ottawa Business Journal.
