“Remain Teachable.”
Charmaine Riggins is a global executive, board director, and former CEO whose career has been defined by transformation, inclusion, and growth across the manufacturing, industrial technology, automotive, aerospace, and adjacent sectors. With nearly three decades of experience leading complex organizations through inflection points, she is known as a performance-driven change agent who marries operational rigor with a deep commitment to people. Her journey from chemical engineer to Executive Director and Partner at 2nd Line Equity reflects a consistent thread: an unwavering belief that businesses thrive when they invest in culture, talent, and continuous improvement as much as they do in technology and financial performance.
Today, Charmaine serves as Executive Director and Partner at 2nd Line Equity, focusing on micro-cap industrial companies operating in dynamic markets. In this role, she brings together her operating experience, financial acumen, and strategic mindset to help build and scale companies that anchor communities and create meaningful employment. She partners with leadership teams to unlock value through operational excellence, disciplined execution, and long-term, sustainable growth. Her work at 2nd Line Equity reflects both her industrial roots and her conviction that strong businesses can and should drive positive social and economic impact.
Immediately prior to joining 2nd Line Equity, Charmaine led the Business System Office at Vontier, a $3 billion global industrial technology company focused on mobility, automation, and next-generation energy solutions. As Senior Vice President, she partnered with seven operating companies to accelerate growth, drive lean and continuous improvement, and increase operating profit by applying proven systems and fundamentals. She helped build a common language across Vontier around problem-solving, leadership, and growth, while advancing a strategic pipeline of new opportunities in the evolving mobility ecosystem. Her time at Vontier underscored her ability to scale best practices, connect strategy to execution, and build alignment across complex, global enterprises.
Charmaine’s most visible leadership role to date came as Chief Executive Officer of Loparex, a $760 million global technology and manufacturing company and a leading supplier of release liners. As CEO, she led 2,000 employees across eight manufacturing sites in five countries, overseeing revenue growth to approximately $840 million in her first year. She guided the organization through a growth transformation, prioritizing safety, operational excellence, and customer-centric innovation while strengthening talent development and culture. Before becoming CEO, she served as Loparex’s Chief Talent and Culture Officer, where she drove a comprehensive people strategy, advancing leadership development, succession planning, and a high-performance culture that supported the company’s next stage of growth.
Prior to Loparex, Charmaine built a distinguished 24-year career at LORD Corporation, later a part of Parker Hannifin, where she held a series of increasingly senior leadership roles across technology, operations, business development, and human resources. She began her career as a multi-functional leader in technology, sales, marketing, operations, and global business strategy, delivering tangible improvements such as scrap reduction of more than 80 percent, significant gains in on-time delivery, and meaningful sales and profit growth across targeted territories. Her early years honed her ability to connect technical depth with commercial outcomes, setting the foundation for her later global leadership roles.
As her responsibilities expanded, Charmaine took on global P&L leadership in the automotive, industrial, and electronics markets. As Global Business Director for Adhesives, Coatings, and Electronics, she owned a business with $110 million in revenue, $15 million in profit, and a 40 percent margin. She guided the expansion of the business beyond traditional rubber-to-substrate applications, opening new markets and customer segments while leading regional teams to develop and execute localized strategies. Her approach was anchored in data, market insight, and collaboration, enabling LORD Corporation to grow organically and inorganically while deepening relationships with key OEMs.
Charmaine’s leadership took on an even more global dimension when she became Vice President and then President of Europe, Middle East, and Africa, based in Geneva. Responsible for more than 400 employees across three continents and a $200 million revenue business, she steered the region through an aerospace acquisition, the build-out of a new operations facility, and the expansion into a broader U.S. customer base. Her focus on integration, culture, and long-term partnerships fueled multi-year growth opportunities. In parallel, she continued to lead on succession planning and organizational development, ensuring the region built a sustainable pipeline of diverse talent.
In 2017, Charmaine stepped into the role of Chief HR & Enterprise Systems Officer at LORD Corporation, bringing together people strategy, performance management, compliance, and quality. She partnered closely with the executive team to design and implement global performance systems, oversaw trade and corporate compliance programs, and ensured quality metrics across all functions. She also led HR and Compensation Committee Board meetings and served as a trusted advisor to the CEO on succession and board-related issues. This role crystallized her reputation as a leader who understands that culture, governance, and systems are interconnected levers for sustainable performance.
Her ability to lead through complexity was further tested and proven when she was selected as the sole executive from LORD Corporation to serve as Integration Executive Lead after its $3.7 billion acquisition by Parker Hannifin. In this capacity, she drove 24 complex work streams, including HR, IT, Learning & Development, talent assessment, facilities strategy, and union contracts. Charmaine successfully guided the integration of more than 3,000 team members, orchestrating a smooth transition while safeguarding employee engagement and operational continuity. This experience deepened her expertise in large-scale M&A integration and positioned her as a valuable advisor to boards and executive teams navigating transformational deals.
Beyond her executive roles, Charmaine has made a significant impact in the boardroom. She served as a Corporate Director for Gorman-Rupp (NYSE: GRC), a leading designer and manufacturer of pumps and pump systems with a global presence. On the Gorman-Rupp board, she contributed on both the Nomination & Governance Committee and the Compensation Committee, applying her experience in global operations, industrial markets, and human capital strategy to support the company’s long-term direction. She has also held key nonprofit board positions, including with the NC Chamber of Commerce, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Triangle, and the North Carolina Museum of Art, often serving on audit, governance, foundation, and executive committees.
Charmaine’s educational foundation is as rigorous as her professional trajectory. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from The Ohio State University, an MBA with a focus on Innovation and Supply Chain Management from North Carolina State University, and executive education in Advanced Management from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. She has been recognized repeatedly for her leadership and impact, earning honors such as the Leaders in Diversity recognition, the Triangle Business Journal’s Peak 25 Women in Business designation as one of the 25 Most Influential Women of the Mid-Market, the Women of Western Wake Award, the Don M. Alstadt Innovation Award, and the STEP Ahead Award for leadership in manufacturing.
At the core of Charmaine’s leadership philosophy is a deep commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and to creating environments where people can bring their full selves to work. She has launched and led enterprise-wide DE&I initiatives, championed unconscious bias training, and supported the creation of global employee network groups. A prolific mentor, she has formally and informally guided more than 50 professionals, developed a formal mentoring program for hundreds of employees at LORD Corporation, and continues to mentor through organizations such as Athena of the Triangle. Her volunteer and board work is especially focused on children, education, and closing the opportunity gap, reflecting her belief that leadership carries a responsibility to uplift the next generation.
Outside of work, Charmaine is an avid traveler, a curious reader, and a passionate learner who embodies her personal motto: “Remain teachable.” She finds joy in exploring new cultures, ideas, and perspectives, and she brings that curiosity into every boardroom and executive conversation. Whether advising on strategy, shepherding complex integrations, or helping a growing industrial company reach its potential, Charmaine’s leadership is grounded in humility, courage, and a relentless focus on building organizations where both people and performance can thrive.
Character:
Charmaine exemplifies character through her consistent willingness to make brave, principled decisions guided by data, ethics, and care for people. She shows integrity in how she navigates challenging integrations, difficult conversations, and boardroom dynamics, always centering transparency and respect. Her commitment to mentoring, community involvement, and closing the opportunity gap underscores a values-driven approach that extends well beyond her formal roles.
Knowledge:
Her breadth of knowledge spans engineering, manufacturing, industrial technology, finance, HR, and global operations, allowing her to connect the dots across functions and industries. She continuously builds her expertise through executive education, cross-industry exposure, and engagement in professional organizations, remaining current in both technical and leadership disciplines. Her ability to translate complex systems, regulatory environments, and market trends into clear strategic choices makes her a trusted advisor to boards and executive teams.
Strategic:
Charmaine thinks and operates as a strategist, whether she is steering a $760 million global business, integrating a multi-billion-dollar acquisition, or shaping the growth path of micro-cap industrial companies. She is adept at aligning long-term vision with near-term execution, using metrics, market insight, and stakeholder input to prioritize the initiatives that create the most value. Her strategic mindset is evident in how she expands markets, strengthens supply chains, and builds cultures that support innovation and sustainable growth.
Communication:
A skilled communicator and storyteller who frames the “why” behind difficult decisions, transformations, and new initiatives. She excels at creating space for courageous conversations, inviting diverse perspectives, and translating complex issues into language that resonates across frontline teams, executives, and boards. Her clear, empathetic communication style builds trust, alignment, and momentum, enabling organizations to navigate change with confidence.
