Valence is pleased to announce the immediate appointment of Chris Celtruda to the role of Chief Executive Officer upon the recent retirement of Tracy Glende from the company. Mr. Celtruda will be joining the executive leadership team at the business headquarters in El Segundo, California.
David Camilleri, Chairman of the Valence Board of Directors, shared, “We greatly appreciate the contributions that Tracy Glende has made toward the development of Valence and wish him the very best going forward. As the commercial market returns, we have an opportunity to strengthen our position as the leading provider of surface treatment to the aerospace industry.”
Mr. Celtruda is an accomplished aerospace and defense executive, most recently serving as the CEO of Kellstrom Defense from 2013 to 2020. While at Kellstrom Defense, Mr. Celtruda helped build the business into a global leader for defense aircraft sustainment for the US Military and over 60 partnering nations, culminating in the sale of the business to AeroPrecision in 2020. Prior to that, Mr. Celtruda was the President of the Industrial Products Group at Gardner Denver from 2011 to 2021 and was the Group Executive for the Aerospace and Defense business of CIRCOR International from 2006 to 2011. He also held prior leadership roles with Honeywell, AlliedSignal, and General Dynamics.
Mr. Celtruda commented, “The core capabilities and talented workforce across Valence have allowed the business to navigate challenging aerospace market dynamics. I look forward to building upon a strong foundation to drive future growth and to continue best-in-class service for our customers”
“We are confident that Chris will bring the right mix of leadership experience, energy, and drive as we work to capitalize on our numerous growth opportunities and continue to deliver best-in-class service to our customers.” – David Camilleri, Chairman of the Valence Board of Directors
About Valence
Valence Surface Technologies is the world’s largest independent provider of Aerospace product finishing services. With 11 locations and over 2,500 unique industry approvals, Valence processes more than 1 million parts per month. In addition to being Nadcap accredited, all Valence sites provide specialized metal processing and finishing services to a diversified set of fast-growing commercial aerospace, defense, and space/satellite markets. Valence partners with its customers to deliver best-in-class quality, turn times, and full-service supply chain solutions.