/ LEADERSHIP
President and CEO
Steve Culmone
/ Steve Culmone
Chief Executive Officer
Steve Culmone serves as Chief Executive Officer of Ashcroft and has been a key leader in the organization since joining the company in 1990. He was appointed President and CEO in 2011 following a 20-year track record of leadership roles across operations and executive management.
Throughout his career at Ashcroft, Steve has held a variety of senior management positions and became an executive board member in 2000 as Senior Vice President of Global Operations.
Steve’s leadership has always been grounded in accountability, operational discipline and a culture of collaboration that supports Ashcroft’s global reach and local presence. His industry knowledge, operational expertise and commitment to standards of care and excellence have helped position Ashcroft for sustained growth and strong business performance.
Effective January 1, 2026, Steve transitioned the role of President to Adam Freyler and continues as CEO, working closely with the leadership team to execute Ashcroft’s strategic plan and support long-term success.
Steve began his career at C. Cowles in 1983 where he served seven years as Quality Manager and Vice President of Operations. He earned his MBA from Quinnipiac University and his Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Fairfield University. He also holds a Six Sigma Black Belt and is affiliated with Bridgeport Regional Business Council, Manufacture CT, CBIA and Vistage.
Steve is an avid sports fan and has followed, coached and played numerous sports through the years.
Vice President of Sales and Marketing (Americas)
Adam Freyler
/ Adam Freyler
President
Adam Freyler was appointed President of Ashcroft effective January 1, 2026. He previously served as Vice President of Global Marketing and Business Development where he led market, product and technology strategies supporting global alignment and sustained business growth.
During his 21-year career at Ashcroft, Adam has held other commercial and operational leadership roles including Vice President of Sales and Marketing Americas and Vice President and General Manager Latin America. His experience spans global markets with a strong focus on customer partnerships, strategic planning, product development and long-term value creation.
Adam’s leadership approach reflects Ashcroft’s values of accountability, collaboration and innovation, with an emphasis on aligning global teams around customer needs.
Prior to joining Ashcroft, Adam held positions with Druck (General Electric) and Gems Sensors (Danaher/Fortive), building deep expertise in the industrial measurement instrumentation market. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from the University of Maryland.
Adam enjoys fishing, kayaking and spending time outdoors with his family.
Senior Vice President
Tomohiko Sando
/ Tomohiko Sando
Senior Vice President
Tomohiko serves as Senior Vice President and liaison between Ashcroft and Nagano Keiki, Ashcroft’s parent company in Japan. He will work with both Ashcroft and Nagano Keiki to grow revenue and profit through close collaboration. Prior to joining Nagano Keiki, he was President of Sanden International Philippines, a division of Sanden International. Tomohiko has extensive experience in global business. He has over 30 years of experience not only in Japan, but also in Singapore, the USA, and the Philippines. Tomohiko earned his Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Niigata University in Niigata, Japan.
Vice President Global Operations
Jim Baldwin
/ Jim Baldwin
Vice President/General Manager (North America)
Director of Engineering
Tyler Bessette
/ Tyler Bessette
Chief Financial Officer
John P. Connolly
/ John P. Connolly
John joined Ashcroft Inc. as CFO in August of 2021, leading the financial aspects of the company and is responsible for financial reporting, financial planning and analysis, treasury, risk management, tax management and credit and collections. Prior to Ashcroft, John held global roles with increasing responsibility including CFO, Chief Accounting Officer, Leader of Finance and Pricing Strategy. His vast industry experience includes technology, transportation, consumer products, and mostly manufacturing acquired through his time at Xylem, ITT Corporation, IBM, Element Solutions, Pitney Bowes, PepsiCo and PricewaterhouseCoopers. John is a CPA and holds an MBA in Finance from the Lubin School of Business at Pace University where he also received his B.S. in Accounting. He currently serves on the Audit Committee of the North Salem Central School District. John has been a long-standing sports fan, participant and coach of youth sports including baseball, basketball and soccer. In recent years, he has become a devoted golfer.
Vice President of Sales and Marketing (APAC/GM, China)
Sam Fan
/ Sam Fan
Vice President of Human Resources
Sheila Nevins
/ Sheila Nevins
Vice President/General Manager (Europe & Africa)
Sven Richter
/ Sven Richter
Vice President/General Manager (Europe & Africa)
Sven joined Ashcroft in 2025 as the Vice President and General Manager of Europe & Africa. Based in Alsdorf, Germany, he is responsible for the strategic operations and revenue growth in these regions. He brings over 20 years of diverse industry experience to this role. Prior to joining Ashcroft, Sven was the Vice President of Sales at COGNEX Corp in the USA and spent 19 years with Emerson where he held leadership positions across sales, marketing, engineering and operations. Sven earned his Diplom-Ingenieur (FH) Degree in International Sales and Purchase Engineering from the University of Applied Sciences in Kiel, Germany.
