Ceradyne Inc. has appointed Thomas A. Cole corporate vice president, business development. In this position, Cole will be responsible for a wide range of strategic duties, including acquisitions, strategic expansion and ad hoc corporate activities.
Cole is the former CEO of Minco, which Ceradyne acquired last year. Minco produces high-purity fused silica ceramic powder, which is used as the starting material for Ceradyne's product line of ceramic crucibles used in the production of polycrystalline silicon photovoltaic solar cells. Before joining Minco in 2000, Cole served 18 years with Corning Inc./Corhart Refractories.