Management Team

LINCOLN ELECTRIC Management team
	Anthony Battle Vice President, Internal Audit Mr. Battle joined Lincoln as an Audit Manager in 2003. He was appointed Director, Internal Audit in 2004 and elected Vice President, Internal Audit in 2009. Prior to joining Lincoln, Mr. Battle held a number of management-level positions in finance and audit with the former TRW, Inc. and also served as Audit Manager with Owens Corning. He earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from John Carroll University and an MBA from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. He is also a graduate of Lincoln's International Business Development Program in conjunction with the Thunderbird School of Global Management. Mr. Battle is a CPA and a member of The Ohio Society of CPAs.
	George D. Blankenship Senior Vice President and President, Lincoln Electric North America Mr. Blankenship joined Lincoln in 1985 as an engineering trainee and has held engineering and product development management positions of increasing responsibility. In 2005, he was named Vice President, Global Engineering and Cleveland Operations. In 2009, Mr. Blankenship was elected Senior Vice President and President, Lincoln Electric North America. He earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from The Ohio State University and holds numerous patents in the field of welding.
	Gabriel Bruno Vice President, Chief Information Officer (CIO) Mr. Bruno joined Lincoln Electric in 1995 as Financial Reporting Manager. He was named North American Controller in 1997 and appointed Director, Finance and Information Technology in 2003. Mr. Bruno became Corporate Controller and Director of Information Technology in 2004. He was elected a corporate officer in 2005 and joined the company’s Management Committee in September 2011. Mr. Bruno was named to his current position in May 2012. Before joining Lincoln, Mr. Bruno was a manager in the audit practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers. He received his accounting degree from John Carroll University.
	Joseph G. Doria President and CEO, Lincoln Electric Canada and Indalco Alloys Mr. Doria joined Lincoln in 1972 and has held several sales and executive management positions throughout his career at the Company. He has been District Manager for Lincoln Canada sales, Executive Vice President and COO of Lincoln Canada and served five years as President, Lincoln Electric Europe. He was elected Corporate Vice President in 1995. Mr. Doria earned a bachelor's degree in engineering technology and has an MBA from the Harvard Business School.
	Gretchen A. Farrell Senior Vice President, Human Resources and Compliance Ms. Farrell joined Lincoln in 1997 as Director, Compensation and Benefits. She was named Vice President, Human Resources in 2003 and in 2009, she was elected Senior Vice President, Human Resources and Compliance. Ms. Farrell earned a bachelor's degree in political science from The Ohio State University and a J.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Law.
	Thomas A. Flohn President, Lincoln Electric Europe, Middle East and Africa Mr. Flohn joined Lincoln in 1983 as a Sales Trainee after receiving a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Cleveland State University. After completing the Company’s sales training program, he later held field sales and sales management positions at district offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego, Denver and San Francisco. He was named Vice President, Sales and Marketing for Lincoln Electric Asia Pacific in May 1999 and elected Vice President and President, Lincoln Electric Asia Pacific in 2005. He was appointed to his current position in 2010. Mr. Flohn was a charter participant in Lincoln's unique International Business Development program, offered in conjunction with the Thunderbird School of Global Management.
	Steven B. Hedlund Vice President, Strategy and Business Mr. Hedlund joined Lincoln in 2008 as Vice President, Strategy and Business Development. Previously, he was with Fortune Brands, Inc., as Vice President of Growth and Innovation for the Company’s Master Lock subsidiary. Prior to that assignment, Mr. Hedlund was Vice President, Strategic Planning and New Business Development for Fortune’s Home and Hardware Group. Before joining Fortune Brands, he was a principal with the management consulting firm Booz Allen & Hamilton in Cleveland. Mr. Hedlund earned a bachelor’s degree and an MBA from Dartmouth College.
	Michele R. Kuhrt Vice President, Corporate Tax Ms. Kuhrt joined Lincoln in 1997 as Director of Taxes. Prior to joining Lincoln, she was Group Director of Tax for Elsag Bailey Process Automation (a unit of ABB) and earlier was an international tax manager with PricewaterhouseCoopers. She is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and holds a bachelor's and master's degree in accountancy from Case Western Reserve University.
	Doug Lance Vice President, Operations Mr. Lance joined Lincoln Electric as an Engineering Trainee in April 1990. He has held numerous positions of increasing responsibility with Lincoln's Consumable and Machine divisions and currently manages the Company’s Cleveland operational processes and staff, as well as the Company’s welding equipment manufacturing operations in Torreon, Mexico. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Toledo and has completed Lincoln's International Business Development program at Thunderbird School of Global Management.
	David M. LeBlanc Senior Vice President and President, Lincoln Electric International A graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in mechanical engineering, Mr. LeBlanc began his career with Lincoln Electric in 1986 as a Sales Trainee. He later spent several years with General Electric in their plastics business, after which he attended Harvard Business School, receiving an MBA in 1994. That same year he rejoined Lincoln Electric when he was appointed Managing Director of Lincoln Electric Mexicana in Mexico City. He was named President of Lincoln Electric Latin America in 2002 based out of the Miami regional headquarters and in 2005 he was appointed President of Lincoln Electric Europe with its base in Barcelona, Spain. In 2009, he was elected Senior Vice President and President, Lincoln Electric International. Currently based in Shanghai, China, Mr. LeBlanc oversees all of Lincoln Electric’s welding businesses outside of North America.
	Christopher L. Mapes President and Chief Executive Officer Mr. Mapes is President and Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Company’s executive management team. He is also on the Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. Board, having been elected a Director in 2010 while he was Executive Vice President of A. O. Smith Corporation and President of its Electrical Products unit. Prior to his career at A.O. Smith, Mr. Mapes was President, Motor Sales and Marketing of Regal Beloit Corporation and had also served as President of the Global OEM Business Group of Superior Essex, Inc., a wire and cable manufacturer. Mr. Mapes joined Lincoln as Chief Operating Officer in September 2011 and assumed his current position of President and CEO on December 31, 2012. Mr. Mapes is a graduate of Ball State University (BS 1985), University of Toledo (JD 1988) and Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University (MBA 1998).
	Thomas Matthews Vice President, R&D Mr. Matthews joined Lincoln as an Engineering Trainee in 1988 and was promoted to several product development positions prior to being appointed Vice President of R&D in 2011. He is responsible for North American product development and coordination of Lincoln's design efforts around the world. Mr. Matthews holds a bachelor’s degree in physics from Southern Oregon State College, earned an MBA from Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management and completed Lincoln's International Business Development program at Thunderbird School of Global Management.
	Michael S. Mintun Vice President, Sales, North America Mr. Mintun joined Lincoln in 1984 as a Sales Trainee. He was later assigned as a Technical Sales Representative in the Company's New York and Pittsburgh district offices and advanced through a number of positions of increasing responsibility, including District Manager, Southwest Ontario District in Canada; National Accounts Manager for the U.S.; Vice President of Sales, Lincoln Electric Canada; National Sales Manager for the U.S. In 2006, he was named Sales Manager for North America and elected Vice President, Sales, North America in 2008. Mr. Mintun earned a bachelor’s degree in metallurgy and material engineering from Lehigh University and completed Lincoln’s Global Business Development Leadership program at the Thunderbird School of Global Management. In 2006, he received the Distinguished Marketing & Sales Award from the Sales & Marketing Executives of Cleveland (SME) organization.
	David J. Nangle Vice President, Group President of Brazing, Cutting and Retail Subsidiaries Mr. Nangle began his Lincoln career in 1979 working in the Company’s Cleveland manufacturing operations. He joined Lincoln’s Sales Training program in 1981 and moved through a number of sales management positions of increasing responsibility, including District Manager of the Denver office followed by the San Francisco office. In 1995, he was named Distributor Sales Manager and was appointed President of the Company's Harris Calorific subsidiary in 1999. In 2003, Mr. Nangle added responsibilities for the WCTA business unit, and in 2005, he was elected President of J.W. Harris Co., Inc. He received a bachelor's degree in business administration from Roanoke College and an MBA from California State University, Fresno.
	Vincent K. Petrella Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer Mr. Petrella joined Lincoln in 1995 as Manager of Internal Audit and was responsible for the development and organization of the Company's internal audit function. He was named Corporate Controller in 1997, elected an officer of the Company in 2001 and named Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer in 2004. In 2005, Mr. Petrella was elected Senior Vice President. Prior to joining Lincoln, he was with the accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers for 13 years and held a number of management-level positions. Mr. Petrella earned a bachelor's degree in accounting from Baldwin-Wallace College and is a CPA.
	John M. Stropki Executive Chairman Mr. Stropki is Executive Chairman of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. and assumed his current position December 31, 2012. He served as the Company's Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer since 2004. Mr. Stropki joined Lincoln full time in 1972 after working summers in the factory while an engineering student at Purdue University. After joining the Company, he worked in the Indianapolis, Fort Wayne and Chicago district offices and later served as District Manager for the Company's offices in Columbus and Cleveland, Ohio. Mr. Stropki became National Sales Manager for Canada in 1992 and was named Senior Vice President, Sales, responsible for both the U.S. and Canada two years later. Mr. Stropki, was named Executive Vice President and President, North America in 1996 and elected to the Company’s Board of Directors in 1998. In 2003, he was elected Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Stropki earned a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from Purdue University and an MBA degree from Indiana University. He is a recipient of Purdue University's 1998 "Outstanding Industrial Engineer" Award, an honorary member of the American Welding Society, serves on the Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI Presidents Council and is a member of the Gas and Welding Distributors Association. He is on the Board of Governors of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association and the Greater Cleveland Partnership's Board of Directors and is active in the American Lung Association.
	Frederick G. Stueber Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary Mr. Stueber joined Lincoln in 1995 as Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary. He was elected a Senior Vice President in 1996. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Stueber was a partner with Jones Day where he began his law practice in 1981. Mr. Stueber had also served as a law clerk during the 1980-81 term of Chief Judge Andrew A. Caffrey of the Federal District Court of Massachusetts. He was admitted to the Bar of Massachusetts in 1980 and the State of Ohio Bar in 1982. Mr. Stueber is a 1975 graduate of Williams College and earned a master’s degree from Exeter College, Oxford University in England and a law degree from Harvard University.