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Ricardo Malfitano was appointed executive vice president of Praxair in 2006. He is responsible for Praxair’s businesses in South America and Asia as well as for Praxair Electronics and the company’s packaged gases business in the U.S. and Canada. He also provides leadership for Operational Excellence, Global Supply Systems and procurement. Malfitano joined White Martins, Praxair’s Brazil-based subsidiary, in 1978 and held a variety of positions before being named division manager, Medical Gases, in 1989 and then general manager, Industrial Gases, in 1992. He transferred to Praxair’s headquarters in the U.S. in 1993 to lead a reengineering effort aimed at improving Praxair's sales and marketing effectiveness. In 1994 he was named director of the global semiconductor materials business. Two years later he returned to Brazil as executive director, Industrial Gases. He moved back to the U.S. in 1998 as president, North American Industrial Gases, Praxair’s largest business unit. In 2001 Malfitano was appointed chief executive officer of White Martins, and president, Praxair South America. He became senior vice president of Praxair, Inc. in 2003. A native of Rio de Janeiro, Malfitano earned a degree in metallurgical engineering from Catholic University in Rio de Janeiro. Praxair is the largest industrial gases company in North and South America, and one of the largest worldwide, with 2006 sales of $8.3 billion. The company produces, sells and distributes atmospheric, process and specialty gases, and high-performance surface coatings. Praxair products, services and technologies bring productivity and environmental benefits to a wide variety of industries, including aerospace, chemicals, food and beverage, electronics, energy, healthcare, manufacturing, metals and others. More information on Praxair is available on the Internet at www.praxair.com | 