W. Brian McGowan

W. Brian McGowan is Senior Vice President of Administration for W. R. Grace & Co. His responsibilities include human resources, information technology, supply chain and real estate. He is also chairman and a director of the Grace Foundation, the company's philanthropic arm, and he oversees the company's headquarters in Columbia, Maryland.

Brian joined Grace in 1979 as a senior financial analyst in the company's specialty chemicals group. A year later he became manager of financial reporting for the group and in 1981, assistant controller. In 1983, he was named an assistant controller of the company, and in 1986, an assistant vice president. He was elected to the position of vice president and controller in 1987 and to his present position in 1990.

Prior to his employment with Grace, Brian served with Amstar Corporation in internal auditing and consolidations.

A native of Garden City, New York, Brian graduated from Marist College with a BS degree in accounting and received his MBA in finance from St. John's University. He is a member of the Board of Johns Hopkins Medicine and the Executive Committee of the Board of Johns Hopkins Medicine, and the Chair of the Board of Howard County General Hospital and a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Howard County General Hospital.

Grace is a leading global supplier of catalysts and other products to petroleum refiners; catalysts for the manufacture of plastics; silica-based engineered and specialty materials for a wide-range of industrial applications; sealants and coatings for food and beverage packaging, and specialty chemicals, additives and building materials for commercial and residential construction. With annual sales of more than $3.1 billion, Grace has about 6,500 employees and operations in over 40 countries.

January 2008
Corporate Communications
W. R. Grace & Co.
7500 Grace Drive
Columbia, MD 21044
+1 410.531.4000