AD is pleased to announce that Marisol Fernandez will be returning to the company as president of its Electrical and Industrial Business Unit, effective June 8, 2022.

Fernandez comes to AD from Bunzl where she held the position of senior vice president, sales effectiveness and was responsible for leading several strategic functions in its distribution division. Prior to that role, Fernandez held the position of President, Industrial & Safety – U.S. Division at AD where she was instrumental in leading the merger with SafetyNetwork, forming AD’s Safety Network Division, and championed a key initiative which supported AD members during the height of the pandemic. Fernandez also held positions of increasing responsibility at Essendant and Grainger. 

Bill Weisberg, AD chairman and CEO, shared his excitement to have Fernandez rejoin AD’s ranks.

“Marisol is an exemplary leader, a highly respected and regarded individual and is passionate about AD’s commitment to our members and suppliers,” he said. “She brings to AD an enthusiastic drive to continue operational success, growth and innovation in the Electrical and Industrial – U.S. Divisions. She also brings deep industry experience in many of the industries she’ll be overseeing as well as experience running distribution centers. I am looking forward to working closely with her in her role and on AD’s executive committee and can comfortably say that the entire AD team is thrilled to welcome her back.” 

In this position, AD’s U.S. and Mexico Electrical, Industrial, Safety and Bearings & Power Transmission divisions as well as AD Member Supply will report into Fernandez. She will be responsible for working with AD’s E&I executives, staff and divisional Boards to develop business strategy, oversee member/supplier relations and overall financial results, and manage and execute AD’s ongoing growth plans for the E&I Business Unit. 

Fernandez shared that she is thrilled to be returning to AD in this elevated role. 

“I am truly honored to be rejoining AD and to be leading the Electrical and Industrial Business Unit,” she commented. “While I left AD in 2020 to pursue a fantastic career opportunity, it was an extremely difficult decision because of the close relationships I developed within the AD community. I am excited to be back on the AD team and look forward to working closely with our best-in-class independent distributors and supplier partners, and incredible team of AD associates, to further drive our mission to help members outperform their competition.” 

Marisol holds an MBA from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management and has several certifications in Project Management. She is a Six Sigma Black Belt, is bilingual in English and Spanish, and proudly served our country as a member of the United States Air Force.