John Burrows
John Burrows
Operating Partner
As an Operating Partner, John supports Element's investment activities in the areas of chemicals and process technologies. In addition to his responsibilities as an Operating Partner, John is serving as the CEO and a board member of Energex, an Element portfolio company.
John has over 25 years of general management experience in specialty chemicals for the pharmaceutical, food, personal care, and metalworking markets. He has experience in entrepreneurial and large corporate settings and has successfully worked in turnaround situations and growth businesses in the United States and international settings.
Most recently, John was the President and CEO of SPI Holding, a private equity-led specialty chemical company. When he joined the company, SPI had approximately $50 million in revenues but declining profitability, negative cash flow, and stagnant growth.. Within 4 years of joining, John was able to rebuild profitability, grow operations both regionally and globally through acquisitions and joint ventures, and ultimately sell to a strategic buyer, netting investors a 600% return.
Prior to SPI, John was the VP of North American operations for Quaker Chemical where he was responsible for 4 divisions in the NAFTA area. Quaker Chemical was a $400M revenue specialty chemical business focused primarily on the steel, automotive and paper industries. Before Quaker, John held a series of general management positions in specialty chemicals and machinery at FMC Corporation.
In addition to his day to day responsibilities at Energex, John is currently a director of Technitrol, a $1bn NYSE listed electronics company and Vyteris, a publicly listed drug delivery company.
John has a BS in Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Tech and an MBA from the University of Virginia. Between earning the two degrees, he served as an officer in the US Army.
