Industrial distribution giant Grainger announced Dec. 13 it has appointed Chris Klein to its Board of Directors, effective that same day.

Klein most recently served as Executive Chairman and CEO for Fortune Brands Home and Security, a manufacturer of home and security consumer products and spinoff of Fortune Brands, Inc. 

Klein’s background includes corporate strategy development, mergers and acquisitions, and capital allocation, as well as consumer branding, marketing and distribution.

Prior to joining Fortune Brands, Klein held key strategy and leadership positions at Bank One Corporation and spent eight years at McKinsey & Company as a partner in the Financial Institutions Group. He also was a Managing Director for Internet Capital Group where he helped develop early-stage technology companies across North America and Europe.

“Chris is a committed, high-caliber leader with a proven track record of successfully running complex organizations,” Grainger Chairman and CEO D.G. Macpherson said in a news release. “We welcome Chris to the Board of Directors and look forward to seeing how his deep and diverse experience and understanding of customer and market dynamics will positively impact Grainger as well as the businesses and institutions we are privileged to serve.”

Klein’s appointment expands Grainger’s Board of Directors to 13 members.

A day earlier, Grainger announced it will sell off industrial equipment distribution subsidiary E&R Industrial, which it acquired in 2013.

On MDM’s 2023 Top Distributors Lists, Grainger charted No. 1 for Industrial, No. 1 for MRO, No. 5 for HVACR, No. 5 for Plumbing, No. 7 for Power Transmission/Bearings and No. 6 for Fluid Power.