Leadership Team

JohnsonDiversey Inc. is led by an executive committee composed of:

S. Curtis Johnson
Chairman

Curt Johnson has a bachelor of arts degree in Economics from Cornell University and a master of arts degree in business in Marketing/Finance from Northwestern University. Curt joined S.C. Johnson in 1983 and co-founded Wind Point Partners, L.P., a $126 million venture capital partnership in which the company was a major limited partner. Wind Point is now managing its fourth $400 million fund. In 1989, Curt was named Director-Worldwide Business Development for S.C. Johnson Wax where he played a key role in the $1.2 billion acquisition of the Drackett company. In 1993, Curt was named Vice President & Managing Director - Mexican Johnson, a subsidiary of S.C. Johnson Wax, where he significantly increased sales and profits. In 1995, he became Vice President & Managing Director - Business Development, for the Professional and Polymer divisions of the company. In this position, he was responsible for developing a new vision and mission for these units and led the transformation programs. In 1996, he was named Chairman of Commercial Markets, Inc., overseeing both the Professional and Polymer businesses.

In 2002, he lead the initiative that resulted in the $1.6 billion acquisition of DiverseyLever, which at the time was the second largest company in the I&I market. This acquisition has more than doubled the size of Commercial Markets and positioned the company for industry leadership. In addition, Curt serves on the Board of Directors of Cargill, Inc.

Edward F. Lonergan
President/Chief Executive Officer

Ed Lonergan joined JohnsonDiversey Inc. in 2006 after nearly four years as president of the European region for The Gillette Company where he was directly accountable for more than $3.8 billion in sales revenue, generating double-digit compound annual growth. He and his team led strong improvements in brand equity and strategic customer growth while significantly enhancing the operational efficiency of the European region.

Prior to The Gillette Company, Ed spent 21 years with The Procter & Gamble Company, where he held a variety of leadership positions both domestically and internationally, including general management roles in customer business development and in developing markets.

Ed graduated from Union College in New York in 1981 with a bachelor of arts degree in Political Science. He is married with two adult children.

Joseph F. Smorada
Executive Vice President/Chief Financial Officer

Joe Smorada became Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in the fall of 2004. In his role with JohnsonDiversey he is responsible for finance, internal controls, asset management, information technology, and mergers and acquisitions.

Before joining JohnsonDiversey, Joe was with Axel Johnson where he played a major role in helping grow that company from a $0.6 billion to a $2.6 billion international manufacturing and energy company. He has been CFO of several global companies and was a financial expert on the Audit Committee of a NASDAQ-traded company for nearly seven years.

Joe graduated from the California University of Pennsylvania with various academic honors.

John W. Matthews
Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs/Director of the Office of the President

John Matthews joined JohnsonDiversey in May 2002. In his current role, he serves as a senior advisor to President and CEO Ed Lonergan and is responsible for global communications, environment, health and safety, regulatory compliance, government affairs, facilities and security. 

Before joining JohnsonDiversey, John was national director of public affairs for the Milwaukee-based law firm Foley & Lardner. Previously, he served as Chief of Staff to Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson. Prior to entering public service, John was a news reporter at several Wisconsin newspapers.

John is a member of the Board of Directors for Aurora Health Care in Milwaukee, the Racine YMCA, and Cleanwise, a Massachusetts-based company that specializes in Web-based procurement.

Stephen A. Di Biase
Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer, Research Development and Engineering 

Steve Di Biase joined JohnsonDiversey in October 2004. In his current role, Steve serves as the Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer for Research Development and Engineering. The RD&E department is responsible for technology innovation, research, development efforts and technical resource management.

Before joining JohnsonDiversey, Steve spent 26 years with the Lubrizol Corporation, where he held a variety of leadership positions, including general management roles.

Steve is a Pennsylvania State University graduate. He is on the Board of Trustees for Mt. Union College and sits on the Science Advisory Board for Pennsylvania State University.

James W. Larson
Senior Vice President, Global Human Resources

Jim Larson joined JohnsonDiversey in May 2007. In his current role, Jim serves as Senior Vice President of Global Human Resources with responsibility to enhance and develop the capability of our business through our employees. He is directly responsible for the company's talent management process, including acquisition, rewards, development and effectiveness.