Icahn sourcing guru joins WestPoint

By Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 9/16/2005 7:04:00 AM

WEST POINT, Ga. -- Icahn Associates’ Jeff Engel has been named chief operating officer of WestPoint International, effective immediately.

Engel, who reports to company President and CEO M.L. “Chip” Fontenot, was previously chief procurement officer for Icahn Associates. Prior to that, he was executive director of Americas purchasing at Ford Motor Company, where he managed a supplier portfolio of about $50 billion and all supplier sourcing, strategy development and quality for Ford’s operations in North and South America.

Engel traveled extensively throughout Asia developing sourcing and manufacturing partners for Ford. Before joining Ford, he was a principal at AT Kearney, where he worked primarily with manufacturing clients on operational restructuring and corporate strategy.

Reporting to him in this new assignment will be David Stanfield, vice president-domestic bed manufacturing and operations; John Hurston, vice president-bath products manufacturing; Robert Lanier, vice president-solution products group; and William Walker, managing director and president-Asian Operations.