Leadership
Peter Stone
President
No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world. —John Keating (Robin Williams), Dead Poets Society
Peter Stone has been in the flooring industry for as long as he’s been alive, first learning from his father and later, helping the family business thrive as new technologies and globalization brought challenges and opportunities alike.
In the recent years of his career, Peter has worked to drive the company’s international sales, building and leading teams to support what is now a robust global enterprise. Today, dedicated employees and first class manufacturing capabilities power Vertex operations throughout Europe, Russia, Africa, Asia Pacific, South America and the Middle East.
As President of Vertex, Peter sees continued growth potential in the global flooring market. What began just a decade ago with the introduction and instant popularity of floating floors, LVT has matured into a market that will be increasingly about differentiation. Companies like Vertex who are prepared to lead will do so by offering the highest quality, most innovative, functional and beautiful products, with unmatched customer service.
Peter’s passion for design and the quality materials that go into the built environment is evident in his personal life. It’s reflected in the details of the home that he helped design, and enjoys with his wife and two sons.
Peter is a graduate of Tulane University, where he studied Economics and History.
Edmond Lai
Chief Financial Officer
If you think in terms of a year, plant a seed; if in terms of ten years, plant trees; if in terms of 100 years, teach the people. —Confucius
Edmund Lai is the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Vertex. He has overall responsibility for the finance functions and risk management of the Vertex companies. In addition, he oversees Vertex’s operations in China and Hong Kong. He has extensive experience in finance, treasury, risk management, accounting, data analytics and profit and loss leadership.
Edmund joined Vertex in 2011 with a clear objective to help to grow the organization. Under his financial and operational leadership, the company has continued to succeed while building a reputation for integrity and transparency.
Before joining Vertex, Edmund served as CFO and executive director of a listed electronics group in Hong Kong, as well as President of its joint venture companies. He has also worked in public accounting with Ernst & Young in their London and Hong Kong offices.
Edmund is a qualified accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales. He holds a B.Eng. (Hons) degree in Civil Engineering from Imperial College London, UK.
Edmund’s works in Vertex’s Hong Kong office.
Ken Knight
Managing Director, APAC
What we do in life echoes in eternity. —Maximus, from the movie “Gladiator”
Ken Knight manages all brands in the HMTX family of companies in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region. This includes not only the Vertex business network, but also the Teknoflor, Aspecta and Metroflor brands.
Ken manages all key account relationships, appoints and manages all distributors, and is responsible for sales performance in the region that includes Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, South Asia, East Asia and North Asia.
A seasoned flooring professional, Ken’s global sales and distribution experience spans three continents: Asia, Australia and Europe (UK and Sweden). He has held key positions with both Armstrong and Tarkett.
Ken has served on the boards of professional associations including the Vinyl Council of Australia. Currently, he is a board member of Acknowledge Education, one of the oldest educational institutions in Australia. He is President of Beaumaris Football Club in Melbourne, consisting of 42 Senior and Junior (male and female) teams, with more than 800 players that range in age from 7 to 30.
Simon Xia
Managing Director, China
As we work to create light for others, we naturally light our own way. ―Mary Anne Radmacher
Simon Xia oversees Vertex operations in mainland China. He established the original Vertex Shanghai office in 2007, and hired the Shanghai team—a lean and efficient team of eight. Under Simon’s leadership, the Shanghai office handles order processing, creation of shipping documents, shipping logistics, new product development and sourcing. Simon was instrumental in building the test capability and inspection team in the Zhangjiagang office.
A member of the STIQ (Sustainability, Transparency, Innovation and Quality) Team, Simon serves as the company’s China-US liaison, coordinating product testing, audits and certifications, sustainability initiatives, quality control and customer care.
Simon’s efforts are directly related to the company’s industry-leading sustainability and transparency record. His dedication to transparent manufacturing practices has won Declare labels for several products, Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and Health Product Declarations (HPDs) for the entire line of LVT flooring products and JUST labels for the company’s two Chinese factories—the first JUST labels ever issued for any Chinese facility.
Before joining Vertex in July of 2007, Simon worked for several multinational corporations, including The Home Depot, Philips Lighting and Honeywell, gaining expertise in project management, Six Sigma and supplier quality management. He is a Certified Black Belt in Six Sigma, earned at Honeywell and Philips Lighting.
Simon earned his bachelor’s degree in Heat Energy Equipment and Device from Tongji University in Shanghai in 1993 and an MBA from China Europe International Business School in Shanghai in 2000. He resides in Shanghai with his wife and daughter.
Paul Yuan
Senior Manager,
Production Control, China
Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. —Confucius
Paul Yuan oversees day to day production operations within each of Vertex’s partner factories in China. He is also the critical contact point for quality, capacity and production planning for the LVT operations in China.
Paul’s responsibilities also include new product development, serving as liaison to component part subcontractors and cost controls. Central to his role are adherence to the highest standards for safety and compliance, strong leadership and an ongoing commitment to quality, efficiency and teamwork.
Paul is a 20+ year loyal Vertex veteran, having joined the company in 1998, soon after graduating from Jiangsu University of Science and Technology with a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing. He lives in Zhangjiagang with his wife and two teenage sons.
Donald Nase
Vice President, Sales, International
Around here we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we're curious...and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths. —Walt Disney
Donald Nase oversees all Vertex OEM sales operations. Don manages and is supported by a US-based team and distribution partners around the world. Don’s team helps to set market pricing and manage distributor and DIY end-user relations. Under his direction, the team continually benchmarks the company’s operating practices against the fast-paced global marketplace to maintain a leading sales position in every Vertex market.
Don joined the Vertex team in 2009 as Sales Manager for International Sales. With the support of a strong team and a healthy distributor base, he was quickly promoted to the leadership role of Vice President of Sales.
A seasoned commercial flooring professional with more than 20 years in the industry, Don’s experience spans more than 40 countries and includes expertise in strategic and national accounts, the A&D specification business, and the Hospitality and Healthcare sectors.
Cate French
Director of Product
As if you could kill time without injuring eternity. —Henry David Thoreau
Cate French has been guiding the marketing efforts for Vertex for the past decade. As Director of Product, she is also an integral member of the Product Design team, managing the design development process as well as the design library for the HMTX family of companies.
In keeping with the HMTX family values of transparency and open communications, Cate continually seeks to optimize the company’s design project management processes and interdepartmental communications. She has been involved with several of the HMTX companies before settling in as one of the leaders of the Vertex international team.
Cate has been with Vertex since 2001.
Urban Mulvehill
Sales & Marketing Manager
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. —John Quincy Adams
Urban Mulvehill oversees several aspects of global customer relations for Vertex.
Urban leads marketing initiatives and oversees brand management for Vertex-supported brands throughout the world. Working collaboratively with internal teams and customers, Urban ensures that brands have high quality marketing and merchandising support, and clear, accurate technical and transparency/testing documents.
Urban has more than 15 years’ experience working with HMTX Industries, embracing and driving the company culture that emphasizes quality, innovation, sustainability and transparency.
Nicola Boon
Sales Director, ERWA
We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us. —Winston Churchill
Nicola Boon oversees sales for Vertex in its Europe, Russia and West Africa (ERWA) region. Operating out of the Roosendaal, Netherlands office, Nicola manages all OEM and private label customers in both the DIY and professional retail channels.
Nicola brings more than 20 years’ experience in the flooring industry, previously serving as Managing Director for a large flooring distributor based in Holland. One of the first Eurpoean customers of Vertex LVT, Nicola made the switch from customer to employee in 2015.
Nihat Kotil
Sales Manager, MECA
There is nothing impossible to him who will try. —Alexander the Great
Nihat Kotil leads a team of 75 employees who serve customers in Vertex’s Middle East and Central Asia (MECA) region.
Nihat began his career in the flooring industry in 2001, joining his family’s business upon graduating from college. Nihat has broad and diverse international experience that includes sourcing, import and distribution of flooring products throughout Turkey, the Middle East, Central Asia and East Africa.
In 2008 Nihat and Vertex co-founded Contesse NV in Belgium, where he continues to serve on the board of directors. Through Contesse, Nihat’s global experience extended to major markets such as Benelux, France, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Russia and Ukraine. Contesse today is a premium manufacturing brand for LVT that stands for innovation and design.
Nihat received a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Columbia University. He lives in Istanbul Turkey with his wife, Zeynep, and their two young children, Alina and Kaan. Nihat has been participating in the Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swimming Race since 2016, swimming from Asia to Europe.