St. Louis, MO – Zoltek, the largest global manufacturer of industrial grade carbon fiber, announces the appointment of Mr. Toshiyuki Kondo as its new Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Kondo has replaced Mr. Nobuya Ando effective April 2024.

Mr. Kondo, a native of Nagoya, Japan, brings over three decades of experience in the carbon fiber industry with the Toray Group. He joined Toray in 1985 as a chemist, quickly rising through Toray’s ranks as General Manager for various departments. In June 2009, Kondo became President and CEO of Toray Composites America Inc., leading the company as the sole supplier of carbon fiber prepreg for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. He continued his success as CEO of Toray Carbon Fibers America, expanding the company’s carbon fiber applications. Most recently, Kondo served as CEO of Toray Advanced Composites (formerly Tencate Advanced Composites), guiding the organization through a period of significant growth and transformation.

“We welcome Mr. Kondo as our new CEO,” said David Purcell, Executive Vice President of Zoltek. “His extensive experience in the carbon fiber industry, deep technical background, and focus on manufacturing excellence will improve the quality and cost-competitiveness of our PX35 carbon fiber.  His composites background will also be a great asset in supporting the tremendous growth we expect in our carbon pultrusion business.”