Board Chair
Florian Schattenmann, Chief Technology Officer and VP, Innovation and R&D, Cargill
Florian Schattenmann is Cargill’s Chief Technology Officer and Vice President for Innovation and Research & Development (R&D). He oversees a global team driven by the vision of relentlessly creating value for Cargill and its customers via research, application and product development, and technical service support across agriculture, food, animal feed, and bio-industrial markets. He also leads the Strategic Growth Business Accelerator, designed to accelerate and scale cross-enterprise innovation- and science-driven strategic growth businesses. Current focus areas include alternative protein and human health technologies.
Prior to joining Cargill in November 2018, Florian spent eight years at The Dow Chemical Company. His most recent role was Vice President for Performance Materials & Coatings R&D, where he led innovation across a diverse set of specialty businesses. Florian has also held leadership roles at SulphCo Inc. and GE-Bayer Silicones. Earlier in his career, Florian managed several research laboratories at GE’s Global Research Center.
Florian is a certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt with seven U.S. patents and numerous publications. He serves on the Scientific Advisory Boards for Texas A&M AgriLife and College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, the College of Science and Engineering at the University of Minnesota, and the Department of Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He earned his Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, and his Diplom Chemiker degree from the Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany. Florian and his family live in Golden Valley, MN. Besides spending time with his family, he loves playing the bass, road cycling, and working out.
Vice Chair
Portia Yarborough, Chief Science & Sustainability Officer (CSSO), Michelman
Dr. Portia Yarborough joined Michelman as the Chief Science & Sustainability Officer (CSSO) in February 2023. The CSSO role is the cornerstone of the organization’s mission of sustainability and Michelman’s core commitment to creating planet favorable products and solutions. She provides strategic direction and implements policies that support our steadfast commitment to sustainable chemistry and our purpose of innovating a sustainable future.
Prior to joining Michelman, Portia worked at DuPont and held positions of increasing responsibility in global R&D, operations, and business leadership, impacting global industries, including aerospace, electronics, and protective apparel. She is a principled and collaborative leader with a passion for innovation and science-enabled growth. During her tenure at DuPont, she demonstrated her ability to create value with customers in various sectors, cultivated deep expertise in building innovation pipelines from concept to commercialization, and played a pivotal role in stewardship and risk management throughout the product lifecycle. Her expertise in these areas were instrumental in driving success and ensuring compliance with industry standards.
Portia holds a B.S. in Chemistry from Wake Forest University and a Ph.D. in Polymer Chemistry from Cornell University. As a testament to her commitment to personal growth and social responsibility, Portia is a Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute and an esteemed Aspen Global Leadership Network member.
Immediate Past Chair
Laura Buen Abad, Vice President of Technology and Marketing, TOPPAN Packaging Americas
Laura Buen Abad is a seasoned business leader with over 25 years of multinational experience in product development and innovation. She currently serves as the Vice President of Technology and Marketing at TOPPAN Packaging Americas, a leading global provider committed to delivering sustainable, integrated solutions. In her role, she oversees R&D, new product development, new business development, marketing communications, and acquisitions.
Prior to joining TOPPAN Packaging Americas, Laura worked at SONOCO, a global leader in packaging solutions. During her tenure at SONOCO, she held regional and global leadership roles in three business units: Rigid Paper, Flexible, and Thermoformed Packaging. She was instrumental in driving growth and developing sustainable packaging solutions across multiple regions.
Laura has been an active member of IRI since 2016. She contributed to the Research-On-Research team “Brilliant Failures,” whose findings were published in RTM in 2021, and has served as a board member since 2021. She holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Monterrey Institute of Technology (ITESM) and an MBA in International Business from the University of South Carolina.
Board Member
Nici Bush, Vice President, Innovation, Science & Technology, Mars
Nici Bush is a global member of the Mars Leadership Team and in her role as Chief Innovation, Science and Technology Officer for Mars, she has oversight of R&D, Supply, and Commercial. She is Secretary of Mars’ Technology Committee – a committee of the Mars Board driving evidence-based and scientific conversations on key areas such as health & wellbeing, nutrition, supply chain resilience and sustainability. Nici’s career at Mars spans three decades, multiple business disciplines and numerous regions and countries. She has deep expertise in manufacturing operations and supply chain, R&D and General Management across Mars Snacking, Petcare and Food & Nutrition. She also spearheaded the enterprise “Future of Work” program embedding lessons from the pandemic to create a set of flexible work practices positively impacting the Associate experience and business results for years to come. Nici is an active champion of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion agenda, specifically supporting people with disabilities and women in leadership.
Board Member
Julie Edgar, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, The Lubrizol Corporation
Dr. Julie Edgar is the Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at The Lubrizol Corporation, a Berkshire Hathaway Company. In this capacity, she spearheads continuous innovation, ensuring Lubrizol and its customers stay at the cutting edge of their industries, helping the world move cleaner, create smarter, and live better. Since joining Lubrizol in 1995 as a research chemist in the U.K., Julie has ascended through a variety of leadership roles, including Director of R&D for Lubrizol Advanced Materials in Asia Chief Sustainability Officer, and Vice President of Corporate R&D. She most recently served as Vice President, LZA Transportation, where she led efforts in the transportation lubricant additive and future mobility markets. Julie earned both her B.S. and Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Surrey.
Board Member
Ami Gupta, Chief Technology Officer, Linde Gases
Dr. Ami Gupta is the Chief Technology Officer at Linde Gases and Vice President. Dr. Gupta spearheads Linde’s global applications R&D portfolio for all end markets served by the company, including chemicals & energy, food & beverage, electronics, healthcare, manufacturing, metals & glass, as well as Clean Energy. His teams are focused on providing innovative solutions that enable customers to achieve cost reduction, productivity, and sustainable development.
Dr. Gupta joined Linde in 1993 and has held several management positions of increasing responsibility over the years, including leading the formation of the R&D centers in Shanghai and in Bangalore while being based in China from 2009 to 2014. Dr. Gupta has made significant contributions to the industrial gases field and holds 12 patents and 8 publications in peer-reviewed journals on a broad range of technologies and innovations.
Dr. Gupta has a bachelor’s degree from the Indian Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University.
Board Member
Wesley Hamilton, Chief Technical Officer, Albemarle Corporation
Wesley Hamilton is Chief Technical Officer at Albemarle Corporation, a global lithium, bromine, and specialty materials company with approximately $5 billion in 2025 sales. He leads Albemarle’s corporate Research and Technology organization, driving innovation in process technology and new product and application development across a portfolio spanning energy storage, fire safety, biocides, energetic materials, and synthesis tools for pharmaceutical, agricultural chemical, and semiconductor applications. Wesley joined Albemarle in 2004 following the company’s acquisition of Akzo Nobel’s refinery catalyst business and has held roles across R&D, commercial, and manufacturing/supply chain in catalysts, bromine specialties, and lithium materials. Prior to his current role, he served as CTO for Albemarle’s Specialty Chemicals Global Business Unit, where his team advanced process technology programs from concept through commercial startup and strengthened the innovation pipeline. Wesley holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Houston, and he serves on the Industry Advisory Council for the Texas A&M Department of Chemical Engineering.
Board Member
Kenneth Hernández-Burgos, Ph.D., Innovation Portfolio and Digital Strategy Leader, Qnity (formerly DuPont Electronics & Industrial)
Kenneth (Kenny) Hernández-Burgos, Ph.D., is a scientific leader specializing in advanced materials development, digital innovation, and strategic portfolio management at Qnity (formerly DuPont Electronics & Industrial). As Innovation Portfolio and Digital Strategy Leader for the ST-Litho R&D organization, he drives strategic planning, growth opportunity analysis, and the adoption of digital tools that accelerate materials innovation. Since joining DuPont in 2019, Kenny has held roles in program management, emerging technologies, and computational chemistry, contributing to advances in photolithography materials, metallization processes, and polymer design. He has authored more than 25 peer-reviewed publications, including four journal covers, and has been recognized with honors including an R&D 100 Award (2025) and IRI’s Promising Young Innovation Professional Award (2025). Kenny holds a Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from Cornell University and completed a Beckman Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. He is committed to mentoring early-career scientists and advancing diversity in STEM.
Board Member
Girdhari Kumar, Technical Director, Henkel Corporation
Girdhari Kumar is a seasoned technical and business leader with more than two decades of experience driving innovation, manufacturing excellence, and sustainable growth across global automotive and industrial markets. He currently serves as Technical Director and Head of Product Development for Automotive OEMs in the Americas at Henkel, leading high-performing teams across the U.S. and Mexico to execute technology roadmaps, advance digitalization strategies, and strengthen competitiveness through next-generation materials, AI-enabled innovation, and lab automation. Across roles spanning R&D, product development, commercialization, and organizational transformation, Girdhari has delivered strong financial impact, including multimillion-euro sales growth, market share expansion, and accelerated new product pipelines. He has built and scaled technical organizations, supported the development of major innovation centers, and led cross-functional global collaboration while ensuring world-class quality, regulatory compliance, and product stewardship. Girdhari holds a Ph.D. in Materials Science from The Ohio State University, holds multiple patents, and frequently presents at industry forums on sustainability and manufacturing efficiency. He brings a strategic mindset, deep technical expertise, and a strong commitment to advancing U.S. manufacturing capability, workforce development, innovation, and sustainability.
Board Member
Joe Liu, Chief Technology Officer, James Hardie
Joe Liu has served as James Hardie’s Chief Technology Officer since January 2022, leading the company’s global research and development and innovation efforts. Prior to becoming CTO, he was General Manager for James Hardie’s Asia Pacific business. Before joining James Hardie, Dr. Liu spent 26 years at 3M, where he held a range of senior leadership roles spanning R&D, commercial leadership, and international management. He holds a B.S. and Ph.D. in thermal energy and power engineering from Xi’an Jiaotong University and a Ph.D. in mechanics from the University of Minnesota. Dr. Liu is an inventor on 27 issued U.S. patents and was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2023.
Board Member
Arthur Martin, Vice President for Research and Development in North America, Arkema
Dr. Arthur Martin joined Arkema as the Vice President for Research and Development in North America in February 2024. Based in King of Prussia, Dr. Martin has more than 25 years of experience leading R&D teams for regional and global organizations. He previously worked at DuPont as Global R&D Director for CMP Technologies, and before that worked at Daikin America, Inc. and Corning Incorporated. He has a Ph.D. in Materials Chemistry from the New York University Tandon School of Engineering.
Board Member
Melissa Martinez, Chief Technology & Innovation Officer, MetalTek International
Melissa Martinez joined MetalTek International as Chief Technology & Innovation Officer in 2024, leading the company’s technology and innovation strategy. Prior to MetalTek, she spent nearly two decades at ATI Inc., most recently serving as Vice President, Product & Process Technology and General Manager of Next Gen Alloys, LLC, a joint venture between ATI and GE Aviation. Melissa’s career has centered on product and process technology roadmapping for long-term commercial growth, strengthening innovation management processes, and enabling technical collaboration across divisions. She has also supported the development and recruitment of technical talent. Melissa earned a B.S. in Materials Science & Engineering from MIT and an M.S. in Polymer Science & Engineering from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She serves on MIT’s Department of Materials Science & Engineering visiting committee, sits on the board of MIT’s Materials Research Laboratory, and is a Fellow of ASTM International.
Board Member
Manuel Natal, Sr RDE Director, Trystar
Dr. Manuel Natal is the Sr RDE Director at Trystar, joining the company in September 2023. He previously held the position of Chief Technology Officer at Granite Falls Energy LLC, where he spearheaded pioneering strategies for bio-based ethanol production targeting net zero carbon emissions. Manuel’s robust expertise in chemical engineering is backed by a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where his research focused on the selective reduction of esters and carboxylic acids over heterogeneous copper-based catalysts. His undergraduate studies were completed at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez, earning a B.S. in Chemical Engineering.
Board Member
Robert Roop, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Axalta
Robert Roop has served as Axalta’s Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer since July 2019, leading the company’s innovation and technology strategy. In this role, he oversees customer-centric product and application development, long-term R&D, and manufacturing process engineering support across the corporation. Prior to becoming CTO, Dr. Roop led Axalta’s global R&D organization for the Refinish and Industrial businesses and previously served as the R&D leader for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa while based in Germany. Earlier in his career, he spent more than 20 years at DuPont in R&D and operations roles across polymer and chemical businesses, including DuPont Performance Coatings, where he led the global Light Vehicle technology team. Dr. Roop holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from West Virginia University and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M University.
Board Member
Mike Wahl, Vice President, Innovation & Insights, Wahl Clipper Corporation
Mike Wahl currently serves as the Vice President of Innovation & Insights at Wahl Clipper Corporation, having taken on the role in October 2021. His extensive career at Wahl spans over a decade, including significant positions such as Vice President of Global Market Strategy and Market Research. Mike’s deep understanding of market dynamics and consumer insights has been pivotal in steering Wahl’s product innovations and competitive strategies, enhancing its global presence in the grooming industry.