Index Corporation has announced that Michael Huggett will succeed Cris Taylor as the company’s President & CEO. Mr. Huggett will assume leadership of the company during a transition period in April 2025, concluding with Mr. Taylor’s retirement at the end of that month. 

Mr. Huggett brings with him over 30 years of industry experience. He started his career as a machinist, followed by roles of increasing responsibility at multiple prominent machine tool builders. Most recently, he has served as the Director of Sales for Index Corporation since early 2017.

“Over the past eight years, Index has significantly increased its annual sales in the North American market,” says Reiner Hammerl, Managing Director–Sales of Index Werke, the German parent company of Index Corporation. “Michael has played a vital role in that growth and in the transformation of our subsidiary. He possesses the perfect combination of experience and expertise to ensure that we continue to grow our customer base and evolve to meet their changing needs.”

Mr. Taylor took the helm of Index Corporation in January 2021 and has overseen much of the company’s growth. His retirement caps a 40-year career that began as a machine-building apprentice and culminated in serving as CEO of multiple machine tool organizations over the past two decades. In retirement, he plans to use his newfound free time to restore and work on his motorcycle collection and travel extensively.

Sales Team Expansion

Index has also announced a restructuring of its sales team that includes the addition of three new members and reorganization of its territories. Bryan Young has joined the company as National Sales Manager, while John Kemezis and Jason Shorette have joined as Regional Sales Representatives.

Index has announced an expansion of its sales team via the hiring of John Kemezis, Bryan Young and Jason Shorette (left to right).

With 36 years of experience in manufacturing, Mr. Young was selected to lead the INDEX sales team for the United States and Canada due to his extensive history of success in the machine tool industry. Through roles that have encompassed machine programming and operation, applications, service and sales, he has established a strong track record of applying a broad and deep understanding of complex manufacturing systems to develop profit-maximizing solutions tailored to customers’ specific needs.

Over a 29-year manufacturing career, Mr. Kemezis has held various sales positions and established a strong reputation for helping companies achieve their growth targets. In his new role, Mr. Kemezis will leverage his deep understanding of the market and customer needs to help companies optimize their manufacturing processes and attain greater efficiency.

Mr. Shorette began his 28-year career as a machinist and progressed through roles in service, applications engineering and sales management. He excels at applying real-world experience to help customers develop and achieve ambitious growth plans. Mr. Shorette’s practical knowledge of machine tools and customer-focused mindset enable him to provide insightful recommendations to overcome companies’ most challenging manufacturing issues.

“To continue to reach more manufacturers seeking aggressive growth strategies, it was time to add to our sales team,” says Cris Taylor, INDEX President & CEO. “The expertise and experience of these new team members reflects our continued dedication to delivering success by solving complex problems through customized solutions. These additions follow the significant investments we’ve made in expanding our engineering and service departments in recent years.”

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