Press Releases

Marco Island, Florida – The Manufacturing Leadership Council, the digital transformation division of the National Association of Manufacturers, last night announced the winners of the annual Manufacturing Leadership Awards. The MLC named Merck & Co. Senior Vice President, Digital Manufacturing and Chief Digital and Technology Officer Besu Alemayehu the 2025 Manufacturing Leader of the Year. By leading digital initiatives that drive business value and partnering with senior leaders across key functions, Alemayehu has guided Merck’s manufacturing operations toward a digital-first business model successfully.

The MLC named Celanese the Large Enterprise Manufacturer of the Year in recognition of its achievements in digital transformation, including an AI-powered digital platform that boosts worker productivity and improves decision-making. The MLC named Pure & Gentle the Small/Medium Enterprise Manufacturer of the Year for its use of digital technology to track and improve sustainability practices and for excellence in developing a high-performing business culture with a high level of employee engagement.

“The winners of the Manufacturing Leadership Awards represent the kind of bold and innovative thinking that will propel our industry into the future,” said NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons. “Manufacturers are using the latest cutting-edge technologies to strengthen our economy, improve business processes and, ultimately, better the lives of Americans across the country. These leaders understand the vast potential of Manufacturing 4.0 technologies, and we are proud to recognize them for their best-in-class leadership.”

The award ceremony also featured a memorial tribute to John D. Gagel, former chief sustainability officer at Lexmark and former member of the MLC Board of Governors, in recognition of his lasting contributions to the industry and transformational leadership.

The gala took place the evening of June 18 at the JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort and was the closing event for Rethink: Accelerating Digital Transformation in Manufacturing, the MLC’s flagship event on strategies to advance digital transformation in manufacturing operations.

“Every project and individual recognized in the Manufacturing Leadership Awards represents movement toward a future state of Manufacturing 4.0,” said MLC Founder, Executive Director and Vice President David R. Brousell. “Digital has become a must-have, and the cohort that is demonstrating digital leadership today will be reaping the competitive rewards tomorrow.”

Manufacturing Leadership Award finalists and winners are determined by a distinguished panel of judges with significant industry expertise and experience. The judges also conferred honors on the following category winners:

Artificial Intelligence Vision and Strategy
Celanese

Business Model Transformation
ArcelorMittal

Collaborative Ecosystems
Humtown
Whirlpool

Digital Supply Chains
Flex

Engineering and Production Processes
GM Defense

Enterprise Integration and Technology
Celanese
General Motors

Operational Excellence
Thermo Fisher Scientific

Sustainability and the Circular Economy
Niron Magnetics

Transformational Business Cultures
Pure & Gentle

Digital Transformation Leadership
Besu Alemayehu, Merck
Jim Wetzel, NxGen Group

Next-Generation Leadership
CisLee Trost, CertainTeed

Women in Digital Transformation
Giovanna Benetti, IBM
Renee Sherry, General Motors

Manufacturer of the Year – Small/Medium Enterprise
Pure & Gentle

Manufacturer of the Year – Large Enterprise
Celanese

Manufacturing Leader of the Year
Besu Alemayehu, Merck

The 2026 Manufacturing Leadership Awards will open to nominations on Sept. 15, 2025. For more information about the awards, visit https://manufacturingleadershipcouncil.com/leadership-awards/.

-MLC-

Founded in 2008 and now a division of the National Association of Manufacturers, the Manufacturing Leadership Council’s mission is to help manufacturing companies transition to the digital model of manufacturing by focusing on the technological, organizational and leadership dimensions of change. With more than 2,500 senior-level members from many of the world’s leading manufacturing companies, the MLC focuses on the intersection of advanced digital technologies and the business, identifying growth and improvement opportunities in the operation, organization and leadership of manufacturing enterprises as they pursue their journeys to Manufacturing 4.0.