A US national, Gillis was most recently president and CEO of Algeco Scotsman, a global service company specialising in modular space and secure storage with annual revenues of €1.4 billion. He has also held senior positions with Procter & Gamble, McKinsey and United Technologies Corp in a number of countries.
Philip Bowman, chief executive of John Crane parent company Smiths Group, said: “Duncan has an outstanding track record in growing multi-country businesses with high exposure to emerging markets. He has thrived in performance-driven cultures and his background ideally equips him to take John Crane on to the next stage of its development.”