Caterpillar Announces Officer Retirement; Appoints New Vice President

Caterpillar Inc. today announced the retirement of Vice President Jim Johnson and the appointment of a new vice president, Raymond Chan, who will replace Johnson.

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Jim Johnson Retirement
After more than 37 years with Caterpillar, Jim Johnson, vice president with responsibility for the Asia Pacific Distribution Services Division (APDSD), has elected to retire, effective February 1, 2015.

“I want to recognize Jim for his loyalty and contributions over the nearly four decades of his career at Caterpillar,” said Rob Charter, who will become Caterpillar group president with responsibility for the Customer and Dealer Support on January 1, 2015. “His deep expertise in the areas of product support, rental, marketing, parts support and dealer interface and his reputation for customer focus have served the company well, and I wish him and his family all of the best as Jim moves into this next phase of his life.”

Johnson joined Caterpillar in 1977 as part of the engineering training program in East Peoria, Illinois. Over the next several years, Johnson held a series of service and sales positions with increasing responsibilities and then advanced through marketing and product positions in the U.S., UK and Japan before becoming the managing director of sales and marketing for Shin Caterpillar Mitsubishi in 2004. He then led the Global Rental and Used Equipment team, Caterpillar Used Equipment Services, Inc. and the Lifecycle Products and Services department before being named a vice president in 2012. Johnson holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Washington University and completed Caterpillar's Executive Leadership Program, Digging Deep.

Raymond Chan Appointed Vice President
Caterpillar’s Board of Directors has appointed Raymond Chan as vice president with responsibility for the Asia Pacific Distribution Services Division (APDSD), replacing Johnson. Chan is currently a member of the APDSD leadership team, serving as regional manager based in Beijing.

“As Caterpillar has invested and grown our business in China over the last decade, Raymond has played a critical leadership role supporting our dealers in China, positioning Caterpillar and its China-based dealers for long term success,” Charter said. “His knowledge and experience of both dealer and Caterpillar customer issues and opportunities in-region combined with his more than two decades of internal and external expertise in engines provide a diverse and strong foundation for this role.”

Chan joined Caterpillar in 1986 after working in the energy industry in Hong Kong, China, France and Malaysia. His first nine years at Caterpillar were spent working in the engine business at Cat China Ltd. in Hong Kong. In 2005, Chan became the China distribution manager within APDSD, based in Beijing. Since 2008, he has had the expanded responsibility of regional manager with APDSD, remaining in Beijing. He has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and manufacturing from the University of Hong Kong. Chan will assume his new position effective January 1, 2015, and will relocate to Singapore to better serve the entire Asia Pacific market.