Walter Kissling

Walter Kissling
Walter, in his office during a newspaper interview.
Born	(1931-04-25)April 25, 1931 Limón, Costa Rica
Died	January 28, 2002(2002-01-28) (aged 70) San José, Costa Rica
Occupation	Former CEO of H.B. Fuller

Melvin Walter Kissling Gam (April 25, 1931 – January 28, 2002) was a Costa Rican businessman who became one of the first Central Americans to lead a Fortune 500 company. He is also known for having played an important role in the founding of the INCAE Business School campus in Costa Rica, as well as founding the Costa Rican non-profit organization Asociación de Empresarios para el Desarrollo.

Walter Kissling was born to Walter Kissling Rickli and Adela Gam Secen in Limón, Costa Rica on April 25, 1931. His father was of Swiss descent, and his mother came from Vienna, Austria. In a newspaper interview in 1998 he mentioned his mother as driving force in his life. “She was a fighting woman. She descended from wealthy family from Vienna, who had lost it all in the First World War. During all of my infancy, one of very limited means, it was through my mother’s efforts that I was able to study and get ahead.”

Kissling graduated from Colegio Seminario in San José in 1948. After graduation he worked selling cheese and as a receptionist in the Hotel Europa in downtown San José. During his work at the hotel, he met a North American businessman who gave him 2 pamphlets and told him that if he learned them by heart he would hire him as a pharmaceutical sales representative. This is how he started working at Wyeth International, he worked there for 7 years.

Kissling never graduated from college, he advanced professionally through hard work and taking advantage of the opportunities he was offered.

Seeking to advance his career, Kissling joined Kativo Chemical in 1953. At that time the company was a small business that fabricated the Protecto brand of paints in a workshop in Sabana Sur, San José. He worked there for 10 years and was tasked with leading the expansion of the company to the Central American markets.

With the acquisition of Kativo Chemical by H.B. Fuller in 1967, Kissling was appointed as vicepresident for Latin America, all the while maintaining his role as general manager at Kativo Chemical. He then led the opening of several H.B Fuller manufacturing plants throughout Latin America.