Gerald J. Fine was appointed president and CEO of Schott Corp., to take effect Jan. 1, 2008, the company announced today. He will coordinate and develop Schott's North American business activities. Fine joined Schott as vice president, business development, of Schott North America Inc., based in Elmsford, N.Y., in 2007. “Schott is a very interesting, storied company, with a diverse product portfolio and know-how. I look forward to lending my personal experience and business expertise to help grow the business in the US,” he said. Most recently, Fine was an engineering professor at Boston University and was on the boards of numerous private companies. He has a bachelor's degree from Amherst College and a PhD from the California Institute of Technology, holds nine US patents and is the author of numerous articles. Schott makes glasses and glass ceramics for architectural, appliance, pharmaceutical packaging, optics and opto-electronics, information technology, consumer electronics, lighting, automotive engineering and solar energy industries. Schott Corp. is the North American headquarters and holding company for Schott Group (Germany).