SHERIDAN, WYOMING -- June 15, 2026 -- Dentsply Sirona has appointed John Fortson as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, effective July 20, 2026. Fortson joins from Kymera International, where he served as President and CFO, and brings more than 25 years of finance, operations, and strategy experience across global manufacturing and industrial businesses. The appointment is framed by the company as a key step in advancing its Return-to-Growth Action Plan.
Fortson Brings CFO and CEO Experience Across Public and Private Companies
Fortson has spent thirteen years in either CFO or CEO roles at global manufacturing and industrial businesses. At Kymera International, a specialty materials company backed by Palladium Equity Partners and Goldman Sachs, he led integration of a platform spanning 21 manufacturing facilities across 14 countries and oversaw the consolidation of 12 ERP systems into a unified operating environment. His tenure also covered improvements to forecasting, liquidity, working capital performance, and operational efficiency.
Before Kymera, Fortson spent nearly a decade at Ingevity Corporation, a global specialty chemicals and materials company with approximately $1.3 billion in annual revenue. He joined as CFO and was later promoted to President, CEO, and board member. At Ingevity, he led the company's separation from WestRock, built out its standalone public company finance infrastructure, and established a capital structure that included a $700 million credit facility, a $300 million high-yield bond offering, and more than $1 billion in strategic acquisitions.
Aviation Services and Investment Banking Round Out a Broad Financial Career
Earlier in his career, Fortson served as CFO of AAR Corp., a global aviation services company with more than $2 billion in annual revenue. There he led a portfolio transformation that included divesting non-core manufacturing assets, retiring $325 million of debt, returning more than $150 million to shareholders through repurchases, and repositioning the business around its higher-value services platform.
Prior to corporate leadership, Fortson spent fifteen years in investment banking at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, reaching Managing Director in the Industrials Group. Before that, he served as an officer in the U.S. Army for seven years. He holds an MBA from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business and a Bachelor of Science from the United States Military Academy at West Point.
Scavilla Cites Capital Markets Depth and CEO Perspective as Differentiating Factors
Dan Scavilla, President and CEO of Dentsply Sirona, described the selection process and the qualities that drove the decision: "Following an extensive search, John emerged as the clear choice to serve as our next CFO given his rare combination of public company CFO experience, CEO perspective, capital markets expertise, and a proven track record of driving growth and operational excellence at scale. We are confident that John's collaborative leadership style, strategic mindset, and focus on execution will make him an outstanding partner for our leadership team as we advance our Return-to-Growth Action Plan."
The explicit reference to CEO perspective alongside CFO credentials is notable. A CFO who has held the top operating role brings a different lens to capital allocation decisions — one that accounts for operational execution, not just financial structure.
Fortson Enters at a Defined Strategic Inflection Point
Fortson acknowledged the timing of his appointment directly: "I am honored to join Dentsply Sirona at such an important time for the Company. With leading market positions, innovative products, and significant opportunities ahead, I believe Dentsply Sirona is poised for long-term growth. I look forward to partnering with Dan and the leadership team to strengthen performance, drive disciplined execution across the business and deliver long-term growth and value creation for shareholders."
The Return-to-Growth Action Plan referenced by both Scavilla and Fortson positions the CFO role as central to the company's near-term execution agenda. Fortson's background in ERP consolidation, capital structure management, and large-scale business transformation maps directly to the operational and financial disciplines that plan will require.
For more information on Dentsply Sirona's leadership and business strategy, visit Dentsply Sirona.