10 Newell Brands engineering leaders
Mike Blaney, CLS, CRL, Vice President of Engineering, Reliability and Automation at Newell Brands, is one of ten Newell Brands engineering leaders listed here, alongside people who hold R&D, product, packaging, industrial and automation engineering roles at the company. A reader can learn how engineering leaders work at Newell Brands from people who have held the role.
Professionals to explore
Ayman Rahman
LinkedInExperience: Global Director, PMO & Industrial Engineering · Newell Brands
Ayman Rahman has been Global Director, PMO & Industrial Engineering at Newell Brands since December 2025, based in Morrisville, North Carolina. Ayman Rahman was Global Senior Manager, Industrial Engineering & Lean Sigma Optimization at Newell Brands from 2021 to 2025, and at Kellogg Company was Senior Manager - Continuous Improvement from 2020 to 2021 and Continuous Improvement (CI) Process Engineer II from 2019 to 2020.
Drew Kitchens
LinkedInExperience: Sr. Director - R&D - Baby Gear · Newell Brands
Drew Kitchens has been Sr. Director - R&D - Baby Gear at Newell Brands since August 2025, based in Acworth, Georgia. At Newell Brands, Drew Kitchens was R&D Director - Home & Strollers - Baby Division from 2024 to 2025, Director Of Product Development - Activity Category - Writing Division from 2022 to 2024 and Global Engineering Director - Car Seats from 2017 to 2022.
James Bergman
LinkedInExperience: Global Director of Engineering, R&D Coleman, Contigo, Rubbermaid · Newell Brands
James Bergman was Global Director of Engineering, R&D Coleman, Contigo, Rubbermaid at Newell Brands from December 2017 to January 2026, Global Director of Engineering, R&D Sharpie, Papermate, Dymo there from 2011 to 2017 and Sr Engineering Manager, R&D from 2008 to 2011. James Bergman has been Director, Engineering & Product Development, Culligan Retail North America at Culligan International since May 2026.
Jeff Postlewait
LinkedInExperience: Director, Packaging Engineering · Newell Brands
Jeff Postlewait has been Director, Packaging Engineering at Newell Brands since April 2016, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the profile lists the same title from 2013 to 2016. At Newell Brands, Jeff Postlewait was Sr. Manager, R&D, Product Development from 2010 to 2012, Sr. Manager, R&D, Packaging, Rubbermaid from 2008 to 2010 and Manager, R&D, Packaging, Rubbermaid from 2005 to 2008.
Jeffrey Stafford
LinkedInExperience: Director of Engineering Automation · Newell Brands
Jeffrey Stafford was Director of Engineering Automation at Newell Brands from August 2021 to March 2026, based in Chicago, Illinois. Jeffrey Stafford has also been Sr. Director of Operational Excellence NA at ofi since 2023, was Sr. Director of Operations at Stryker from 2020 to 2021 and Plant General Manager at Modine Manufacturing Company from 2014 to 2019, and the profile names training in the Toyota Production System.
Luke Eck
LinkedInExperience: Director of Product Engineering · Newell Brands
Luke Eck has been Director of Product Engineering at Newell Brands since January 2017, based in the Wichita, Kansas area. Luke Eck was Director of Design Engineering at The Coleman Company, Inc. from 2011 to 2017, an Engineer at Burnham Composite Structures, Inc. from 2006 to 2011 and a Project Engineer at The Coleman Company, Inc. from 2003 to 2006.
Mike Blaney, CLS, CRL
LinkedInExperience: Vice President of Engineering, Reliability and Automation · Newell Brands
Mike Blaney has been Vice President of Engineering, Reliability and Automation at Newell Brands since January 2023, based in Berwick, Maine. At Newell Brands, Mike Blaney was Sr. Director of Global Maintenance and Engineering from 2021 to 2023 and Global Director of Maintenance & Equipment Optimization from 2017 to 2021, and was National Pillar Director, Technology & Maintenance Excellence (TME) at C&S Wholesale Grocers from 2015 to 2017.
Nick Decker
LinkedInExperience: Sr. Director R&D · Newell Brands
Nick Decker has been Sr. Director R&D at Newell Brands since September 2023, based in Huntersville, North Carolina. At Newell Brands, Nick Decker was Director Of Product Development from 2021 to 2023, Sr Manager Product Development and Program management from 2017 to 2021 and Product Engineering Manager from 2015 to 2017, and the profile names manufacturing engineering, molding and plastics.
Scott E. Burkins
LinkedInExperience: Sr. Director, Global Engineering & Automation · Newell Brands
Scott E. Burkins has been Sr. Director, Global Engineering & Automation at Newell Brands since January 2023, based in the United States, and the profile describes leading plant operations and engineering teams with a focus on cost management, automation and labor optimization. At Newell Brands, Scott E. Burkins also held the titles Director, Global Engineering at Newell Brands from 2021 to 2022 and Global Director, Operations & Engineering-Lenox from 2011 to 2017.
Tim Schneller
LinkedInExperience: Director Engineering Reliability Automation Newell Brands · Newell Brands
Tim Schneller has been Director Engineering Reliability Automation Newell Brands at Newell Brands since January 2024, based in Knoxville, Tennessee. The profile also lists Senior Manager Engineering Reliability Automaion North America at Newell Brands since 2023, Sr. Technical Servces Manager at Newell Brands since 2010 and Operations at Newell Brands since 1999.
Choose the right perspective
Match the person's area, such as product R&D, product engineering, packaging engineering, industrial engineering or plant reliability and automation, to the decision you are working on. Check when each person started the current role, or when a role ended, to judge how recent the experience is.
Questions to take into the conversation
- 01What did you focus on first when you stepped into your engineering role?
- 02How do you balance unit cost, durability and safety testing when a new product moves toward production?
- 03What has your own experience taught you about bringing automation into manufacturing plants?
Reaching Newell Brands engineering leaders
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About this directory
This is a professional research starting point based on business profile data retrieved on . Titles and companies reflect that source snapshot; roles marked former had ended by then. Check the linked profiles for current details. Inclusion does not imply Instant Expert membership or availability.
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