2024 Commencement Address, Heidi Petz, '97

Selected from our worldwide Web of Spider alumni, Heidi Petz, '97, president and CEO of Sherwin-Williams, delivered our 2024 commencement address and was awarded an honorary degree as a doctor of commercial science.
Heidi G. Petz, '97, is president and chief executive officer of The Sherwin-Williams Company, a global leader in the paint and coatings industry. She has served as the company's 10th CEO since January 2024 and president since March 2022.
Petz joined Sherwin-Williams in 2017 via the Valspar acquisition and has held positions of increasing responsibility, including president of the Consumer Brands Group, president of The Americas Group, and, most recently, president and chief operating officer.
Petz previously held various leadership roles with Newell Rubbermaid, Target Corporation, and PricewaterhouseCoopers. She serves on the board of directors for Ulta Beauty and the University Hospitals Health System. She is also a member of the Policy Advisory Board of the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University.
Petz received a bachelor's degree in leadership studies from the University of Richmond with minors in business administration and speech communication; she received a master's degree in business administration from Loyola University Maryland.
For more information about our ceremony, visit commencement.richmond.edu