Our team have been handpicked across various sectors including within the scientific community and packaging sector.
Our Innovations team are a combination of the leading polymer scientists in the world, who have come together to develop our cutting edge and industry defining technology in the state-of-the-art laboratories. We are equipped with industry’s most dynamic Operations team to enable the execution of our commercial mission and to ensure a global roll out of our technology.
Marc Bolland
Board Member
Skills and experience
Marc began his professional career at Heineken N.V. in 1987. He served as an Executive board member and CEO of Heineken N.V. from 2001 to 2006.
In 2006 he was appointed as CEO of WM Morrison Supermarkets plc, where he led the turnaround after the acquisition of Safeway plc until April 2010. In May 2010 he joined the board of Marks and Spencer plc as Chief Executive Officer until April 2016 when Marc left a “strong sustainability legacy” by placing the Plan A sustainability programme at the “heart of the business”.
He is currently a Non-Executive Director on the Boards of Coca-Cola (2015-present), IAG (British Airways) (2016 –present) and Exor (2016 –present). He is Vice President at Unicef UK (2010 – present). In 2017 he became a lead Independent Director at The Department for International Development (DFID).
“In quite a short time frame Polymateria have developed a technology unique in the world and are commercialising with the biggest brands and packaging companies who have a deep commitment to sustainability” – Marc Bolland
Skills and experience
Lee has over 10 years of experience acting as a partner within a number of London’s top global accountancy firms. During his career, he has advised many technology start-ups and has guided a number of those through successful exits. His experience in the accounting sector and entrepreneurial outlook has led him to making a number of investments in the technology sector, and he has started a number of businesses as the founder.
Skills and experience
Frédéric is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Planet First Partners with 40 years of investing and operational experience. He was Founder and CEO, then Chairman of Verlinvest, a global consumer focused $1.5bn investment fund, with 15% IRR over 25 years, and was on the board of ABI until merger with Ambev. Today he is Chairman of DLF Venture, a consumer focused Venture fund in Europe.
“We evaluated many technologies in this space and recognised Polymateria’s as completely unique with great potential to disrupt the incumbent system of plastic packaging production at its scientific foundations.” – Frédéric de Mévius
Skills and experience
Sugandhi is the Chief Impact Officer of Singapore’s impact investing private equity firm ABC Impact.
As Chief Impact Officer, Sugandhi leads the firm’s approach towards assessing, measuring, consolidating and driving impact outcomes across its portfolio companies. She also invests for the firm in South and South East Asia.
Sugandhi has over 17 years of experience in private equity and emerging markets. Sugandhi previously directed investments at a billion-dollar impact fund focused on financial inclusion, where she led investments in the financial services sector in India and Indonesia.
Prior to impact investing, she specialised in mid-market private equity markets at emerging markets investor Actis. She began her career with Singapore-headquartered global investment company Temasek.
An experienced board member, Sugandhi has held board directorships in companies operating across different countries, including India, Thailand, and Indonesia. She currently sits on the board of Cropin, a global artificial intelligence and data-led agri- tech organisation based in India; HCAH India and many others.
Sugandhi is an advocate of gender equality and actively commits time to mentor women entrepreneurs as well as women-led ventures.
Sugandhi holds a Master of Business Administration from the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (India), and a Bachelor of Engineering from Maharaja Sayaji Rao University, Baroda (India).
Skills and experience
Jonathan has 20+ years experience across retail, manufacturing and the distribution business, with a special focus on multi-consumer brands and intellectual property. Prior to setting up Polymateria, Jonathan founded Fashion lab, a dynamic manufacturing group, which was acquired by a global sourcing and logistics company. He has worked on multiple branding and distribution business, and is also active in many foundations and charities.
Skills and experience
Simon has more than 50 years of experience in retail, with a passion for food and fashion retailing. Simon started his career in Marks & Spencer in the UK, gaining experience across various aspects of the business. Simon then joined Woolworths South Africa where he architected and built the unique Woolies’ Food business. The Woolworths Holdings Groups has become synonymous with quality and sustainability. Simon imagined and drove a comprehensive sustainability programme entitled the “Good Business Journey” to focus on doing business in a way that is deeply socially and environmentally sustainable. Simon believes that a business, deeply rooted in values and passionately delivering on sustainability, can bring real value to all stakeholders. Simon is now retired from the Chair and Board of Woolworths but has been asked to continue as Honorary President of the company. He is also involved in many foundations and charities.
Skills and experience
Richard Horne is Polymateria’s Chief Executive Officer, leading their business around the globe.
Richard had been Chief Commercial Officer at Polymateria since he joined the business in 2021 and stepped up to the role of CEO in October 2024.
Prior to joining Polymateria, Richard was Vice President of Packaging and Circular Economy at Borouge (a leading petrochemical JV between Adnoc and Borealis) heading a multibillion-dollar global business and involved in various sustainability focused initiatives such as founding the Plastics Recycling Association of Singapore and as Chairman of the Industry and Sustainability Committee for the Singapore Chemical Industry Council.
His deep understanding of Polymateria’s technology, combined with extensive experience from his time at Amcor and Borouge, makes him ideally suited to lead Polymateria during our next phase of growth.Richard will build on the momentum of the last few years, during which Polymateria has signed major global partnerships with the likes of Indorama Ventures Limited and successfully closed its Series B funding round, anchored by Singapore-based impact fund ABC Impact. All while rolling the technology out through a wide variety of global customers.
Richard is based in Singapore, having lived there for just over 8 years, and has previously spent 6.5 years with Amcor Ltd in various roles across Europe, Asia and Oceania, latterly as Sales & Marketing Director for Amcor’s food business in Asia and before that as General Manager – Sales, Marketing, Commercial, R&D for the Amcor New Zealand business.
Skills and experience
Steven Altmann-Richer leads public affairs and regulatory strategy at Polymateria. He brings extensive experience of working with policymakers to grow markets for environmentally sustainable products.
Steven joined Polymateria from Tesla, where he headed up the company’s public policy and business development activities in the UK & Ireland, while steering the company’s entry into new markets. He previously ran international policy campaigns for the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), including on energy & climate change and Brexit.
Steven has a Master’s degree in environmental policy from Oxford University and enjoys various sports including football, cricket, tennis & golf.
Skills and experience
Sally leads Polymateria’s Innovations team and she is responsible for the company’s innovation strategy. Sally has almost 20 years’ research and leadership experience in the oilfield services, petrochemicals, and fast-moving consumer goods industries. While leading feedstock research at NOVA Chemicals, Sally was responsible for ‘big-bet innovation’ on the company’s circular economy and decarbonization portfolios. In this role, she delivered on the scale-up of several sustainable chemical technologies for circular and net zero plastics.
A synthetic chemist by training, Sally has a B.A.mod in Natural Sciences from Trinity College Dublin, a D.Phil. in Chemistry from the University of Oxford, and a MicroMasters in Sustainable Energy from the University of Queensland. Sally is delighted to join Polymateria’s mission to end fugitive plastic.
Skills and experience
Alex started his career at PwC in London, and has subsequently worked in telecoms firstly for Cable & Wireless and latterly for BT. At BT, he was Head Investor Relations Officer for 6 years, a period that included the acquisition of EE and the launch of BT Sport. During his time at BT, he also led finance for its broadband business, was FP&A Finance Director for BT Enterprise, and undertook a number of other finance roles.
Skills and experience
Roy leads Polymateria’s operations, contributing to making our organization robust for global scale-up. He is enthusiastic about purpose-led and performance driven organisations and is an active advocate of Sustainability driven goals.
Roy started his career with Royal Numico (now Danone). Since 2003 he has led several operational transformations and growth accelerations first within Amcor and more recently for the Clondalkin Group.
Since 2020 he is also a member of Sterimed’s Strategic Committee. He is a Lecturer in Leadership for Change and Responsibility at the FFHS University of Applied Sciences in the MSc. Sustainability and Circular Innovation Program.
Roy studied International Business (MSc. In Innovation Management as well as Production, Logistics and Information Systems) and has an MBA from INSEAD.
Skills and experience
Andrew Webster is Polymateria’s SVP Ventures & Corporate Development bringing 25 years of commercial, financial and management experience across multiple industries. Andrew was latterly the Managing Director of the UK licensed apparel arm of Global Brands Group, where he was part of the founding team that built the business from scratch through to trade sale.
Andrew is a keen sportsman, having captained English Universities at cricket and follows most sports mainly through his 2 children now, from the side of the playing fields. Andrew’s wife is the founder of Beyond The Schoolrun, a social enterprise helping mothers re-skill and re-enter the workplace in a way that fits around their parental activities.
Skills and experience
Sumanta earned his B.Sc. (Honours) from the University of Calcutta, and an M.Sc. from the National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli (NITT), India. He then completed his Ph.D. in Chemistry at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Thiruvananthapuram (IISER-TVM), where he probed the synthesis and reactivity of cationic organomagnesium complexes. Following his Ph.D., Sumanta moved to UK where he joined the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow. His work focused on developing heavy alkali metal organometallic complexes for synthesis and catalysis, promoting sustainable alternatives to traditional transition metal catalysts. He later worked at Imperial College London, in collaboration with industry partner Borealis on olefin polymerization catalysis. Currently, he serves as a Research Scientist at Polymateria, where he is contributing to masterbatch development, with sustainability at the core of his research.
Skills and experience
Paul Barker has joined Polymateria as Technical Director, supporting the evaluation and development of new applications utilising Polymateria’s technology. He is passionate about expanding the use of new and novel technologies, especially if they contribute to global sustainability and environmental safety.
Paul joined us from Innovia Films where he had a long, nearly 30-year tenure. During this period Paul held a number of technical and commercial roles, with his final position being Global Technical Services and Application Development Manager. This role overseen management of product quality and suitability as well as having strong links with the R&D team to provide direction and support throughout the development of new products. In addition, Paul also product managed Innovias’ portfolio of security films destined for banknote printing and circulation.
Paul studied Chemistry as his first degree and subsequently achieved a MSC in Analytical Chemistry and more recently completed an MBA at the University of Strathclyde focussing on Successful Innovation Strategies.
Skills and experience
Joey graduated in Chemistry and MBA from The Chinese University of Hong Kong and material engineering and nanotechnology master’s degree in The City University of Hong Kong. She has been working at R&D and Innovation industry for over 18 years, expertise in green technologies development, project management, fund raising and technology commercialisation.
Saikat Dutta
Senior Testing Manager
Skills and experience
Saikat’s experience includes working with a waste management company where he was involved in the preparation of EIA reports as a QCI-NABET accredited Functional Area Expert (FAE). As deputy technical manager for the NABL-accredited microbiology lab, he managed assignments for analysis, audits, ILC and PT programs, and documentation of QMS and SOPs. He is also an internal auditor for the Laboratory Management System ISO/IEC 17025: 2017 as per NABL requirements.
Saikat earned his doctorate from CSIR—National Environmental Engineering Research Institute in Microbiology. Since his tenure he has presented and published a number of research articles and book chapters in both national and international journals. He has a PGD in Environmental Law and Policy from the National Law University in Delhi and a PG in Microbiology from Nagpur University.
Skills and experience
Gidon graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs with a concentration in Security Policy from The George Washington University and holds a Master in International Studies and Diplomacy from SOAS, University of London.
He has experience across government, political campaigns, think tanks, and the start-up world working in support of initiatives to advance an environmentally sustainable and equitable future, improve energy security, and secure and develop American supply chains. This includes an internship at the White House supporting staff in the Office of Public Engagement and the National Security Council, where he assisted in organising the opening event of the US-Africa Summit and coordinated President Obama’s meeting with the late President Shimon Peres.
Gidon’s background includes Managing Director at Bidversity, a technology start-up that drove more than $10mm in government contracting dollars to small businesses owned by women, minorities and veterans. Before this, he served as Chief of Staff for SAFE Commanding Heights, a think tank focused on energy security, the future of transportation, and securing a global electric vehicle and battery supply chain. In this role, he supported various projects, leading the development of new initiatives and offering program insights. While there he authored Fostering Economic Opportunity through Autonomous Vehicle (AV) Technology, examining how AVs hold significant potential to open wider economic opportunities for low-income households. He has also hosted salons on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, the Global Climate Action Summit, and at Royal Caribbean HQ. Gidon also oversaw SAFE’s Energy Security Leadership Council, liaising regularly with Fortune 500 executives and retired 4-Star US military leaders, and leading them on a week-long tour in the Middle East.
Skills and experience
Yvonne has over 10 years of experience as an assistant in the exhibition and service industry. She enjoys working in a team environment and supporting colleagues at all levels. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, especially Asian food. Being new to London, Yvonne likes visiting museums and other cultural and historical sites in the UK.
Skills and experience
Alexander recently graduated from Maastricht University (Netherlands) with a MSc in Biobased Materials. His Master’s had a significant focus on polymers and options for their sustainability and provided him with experience of various techniques including GPC, rheology, DSC and TGA. His Master’s thesis involved testing of polyurea-acrylate coatings made via a route that avoids the toxic components present in conventional polyurea synthesis routes and incorporates biobased components. Outside of academia he enjoys climbing and running.
Skills and experience
Rocio recently graduated with a degree in Chemical engineering at Imperial College London where she had the opportunity to engage in the operation of chemical plants, work in the lab or learn how to design reactors, cooling systems, and separation systems, developing specific skill sets that are applicable to many fields.
In her first summer internship she worked with the main natural gas transport company of Spain where she conducted a technical and cost analysis to study the different possibilities to transport hydrogen, including both forms of liquid and compressed hydrogen and focussed on the chemical form of the storage using molecules such as toluene. In summer 2021 , Rocio was given the opportunity to start the project she has continued this year at Polymateria with Gavin, focussed on different methods to study the degradation of polypropylene using Raman Spectroscopy finding interesting correlations to other analytical techniques that helping with the understanding of the different degradation pathways. In her spare time Rocio loves sport. She has been fencing since she was 10 years of age, competing at both national level (in Spain and the UK) and international level for many years.
Skills and experience
Deepti Gupta works as the Head for Growth & Partnerships, based out of India. She has substantial experience in working with global companies in guiding and facilitating them in their India Strategy plans and has worked with Senior Government officials in assisting them with valuable Industry inputs for policy making
Prior to Polymateria, Deepti worked as Assistant Vice President at Invest India, Ministry of Commerce. She lead the Chemicals & Petrochemicals sector and ASEAN region at Invest India. She has also worked with Ernst & Young and Satin Credit Care Network Ltd.
Deepti holds a B.com (hons) degree from University of Delhi and MBA from IIM, Shillong with an onsite executive Leadership Course in Inclusive Finance from Harvard business School, Boston.
Skills and experience
Gavin oversees the development and applications of different testing methodologies and how new techniques can be applied to improve our scientific understanding. In addition, he liaises with the commercial team to support the adaptation of Biotransformation additives. Gavin also oversees the smooth running of the lab, ensuring instrumentation is calibrated, providing training and experience to technicians on new techniques as they are developed. With a background in polymer science, Gavin is also responsible for ensuring that testing and analysis is conducted correctly and to translate the science to the commercial team.
Gavin attended the University of St Andrews in Scotland, where he obtained a BSc (Hons) in Chemistry with Catalysis and then carried out a PhD on Synthesis and Testing of Novel Biodegradable Surfactants; this research was partly industry funded. After finishing his PhD, Gavin moved to the Vrije Universiteit – Brussels, to the Physical Chemistry and Polymer Science group where he worked on several individual and collaborative projects. Gavin was brought in to try and create a polymer synthesis platform for new projects within the department which excelled at many aspects of polymer analysis such as rheology and calorimetry, in return Gavin was able to broaden his understanding of polymer properties and analysis. In 2016, he returned to the UK and has brought his experience and understanding of polymer chemistry and analysis to Polymateria, where he is working on new techniques for studying the degradation of plastics as well as developing a new range of additives that will more effectively lead to a controlled breakdown and biodegradation of traditionally non-biodegradable materials.
Skills and experience
Florence oversees the management of various R&D projects dedicated to the design, development and testing of plastics containing Biotransformation technology. Additionally, she manages the network of external third-party laboratories for the independent certification of Polymateria’s technology. She also handles Polymateria’s portfolio of external funding application and awards.
Florence graduated from the INP-ENSIACET engineering school in Toulouse, France before carrying out a PhD on developing novel methodologies for the chemoenzymatic synthesis of sesquiterpenes at Cardiff university. She developed expertise at the interface between chemistry, biology and engineering and brought her experience in chemistry and understanding of biochemistry to Polymateria to develop cutting edge techniques to study the biodegradation of plastics containing Polymateria technology.
Skills and experience
Adesh Jalatkar is a Polymer Engineering graduate from the Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai. During the course of his B.Tech, he worked on a few research projects on plastic waste management under the guidance of his professors. Thereafter he got the opportunity to work under professionals at Clariant Chemicals India Ltd. on the topic “Stabilization of Post-Consumer Resins” and “Compatibility of Plastic Blends”. He has also gained knowledge on business development of liquid and solid masterbatches.
At Polymateria, he supports testing and trials at industrial level, align brands and converters across geographies based on technical, regulatory and marketing parameters. His role is to lead and manage senior (VP+) working level relationships with Polymateria’s biggest global opportunities, procure meetings and sales leads.
Skills and experience
Arjun recently completed his MSc from Queen Mary University Of London studying Forensic Medical Sciences. Whilst at studying he had the opportunity to work with faculty staff as a Laboratory Assistant, which mostly entailed assisting other students or professors with various projects, assessments, and experiments. His experience includes use high-end equipment such as High-Performance Liquid Chromatography, Gas Chromatographic Mass Spectrometry and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. The main target analytes he has worked with include trace amounts of Ammonium Nitrate (Peroxide-based compounds) and controlled drug samples (such as Codeine and Hydro-codeine).
Skills and experience
Claresta holds a Bachelor in Business (Marketing) from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT University).
Prior to joining Polymateria, Claresta was Executive Assistant to the Group Chief Operating Officer of an integrated asset manager, headquartered in Singapore.
Having had several years of experience as a cabin crew with Singapore Airlines, Claresta prides herself on delivering exceptional service in her EA roles.
She is currently based in Singapore.
Skills and experience
Denis has 18+ years experience across commercial and international business development.
Prior to joining Polymateria Denis was Global Key Account Manager at Essentra with a special focus on sustainable and eco products and was located in Hungary, Budapest.
Before Essentra, Denis was developing and managing sales of plastic packaging of various multinational companies at ALPLA in Russia and CIS countries.
Denis has university degree in commerce and enjoys hiking and outdoor activities. He is based in Hungary.
Skills and experience
Subodh graduated and majored in Plastic Technology and has a post graduate diploma in Marketing. Prior to this role, he worked for BASF India, Mitsui chemicals India, and also of Mitsui Chemicals Asia Pacific, Singapore. Subodh has developed several products of Mitsui Chemicals related to packaging industries in India, SEA, MEA & Oceania market. He has a wealth of experience of working with all stake holders in the packaging value chain and also with machine makers. He has also led and executed many new projects in his 16 years of professional career.
Skills and experience
Ceren earned her undergraduate degree in chemistry from Istanbul Technical University in 2016, where she researched innovative strategies for photo-initiated, metal-free atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). She went on to complete her PhD at the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany in 2020, where her research focused on developing photochemical methods for macromolecular synthesis using near-infrared radiation. During her PhD studies, she received several prestigious awards for her contributions to polymer science.
Ceren also gained further experience as a research assistant at Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences in Germany, focusing on near-infrared and UV-LED sensitized photopolymerization of coating resins. In 2020, she undertook a postdoctoral position at Imperial College London and University of Oxford where she led a major research grant for the development of biodegradable polymeric microparticles for advanced drug delivery platforms.
Ceren’s interests lie in the synthesis and development of novel polymers and polymeric platforms for biological and material applications, with a particular focus on biodegradable formulations.
Skills and experience
Emma recently graduated from the University of Bath with an Integrated Master’s in Chemistry, specialising in materials and polymer science. Her Master’s research project, conducted in collaboration with the University of Southampton, focused on the innovative synthesis of degradable polymer nanoparticles for advanced drug delivery systems. Emma’s strong passion for environmental and sustainable science drives her to apply her expertise toward making a meaningful, positive impact.
Outside of work, Emma has been deeply involved in rowing since a young age. She’s also an enthusiastic hiker and a talented baker, always eager to explore new trails and recipes.
Skills and experience
Ensuring all new products meet technical, commercial and production parameters. Managing external testing providers and liaising with customers to draft product specifications, reports and testing documentation. Developing innovative new products, with better sustainability features and performance, and commercialisation of these in collaboration with commercial partners and customers.
Skills and experience
Neha is dynamic Techno-Commercial professional with more than 9 years of experience in Technical Services, Sales & Marketing and New Business Development, focused in Polymer Industry.
Neha started her career as a Technical Services & Marketing Manager in packaging sector (Flexible & Rigid Packaging) with leading Polyolefin manufacturer ‘Reliance Industries Limited’.
Later she worked as a Technical Marketing Manager in Evonik, and was responsible for New Applications/ Market development of Various High Performance Polymers.
She was previously with BASF as a Sales &Technical Marketing Manager of Polyethylene Wax & Additives of Fuel/Lubricants. She was responsible for managing various Global/Local key accounts, distributors, also providing technical support to various customers on need basis.
Skills and experience
Charlotte is a purpose-driven business support professional joining Polymateria as Executive Assistant to Leadership Team. With experience working in commercial and third-sector organisations, both in the UK and internationally, and a first-class degree in Politics and International Relations, she brings a unique skill set and tenacious energy to the team.
Charlotte has a positive attitude and collaborative spirit to her work; she is always willing to go above and beyond to support her colleagues. Charlotte is dedicated to ensuring that our leadership team is able to operate at peak efficiency, always looking for ways to streamline processes and optimise workflows, and supporting them in driving our mission forward.
Outside of work, Charlotte can be found wild swimming, experimenting with new recipes and attempting to keep abreast with the latest developments in AI.
Skills and experience
Tara has 5 years of experience in brand marketing strategies, producing events, telling brand stories, curating campaigns and managing influencer marketing activities. Tara has worked with over 50 brands and 200 influencers. She is excited to be a part of the solution that tackles plastic pollution. She graduated with a degree in visual communication.
Skills and experience
Giovanni received his BSc and MSc in Materials Science from the University of Padova, Italy. He worked as a composite materials R&D specialist in the cycling industry for almost two years before obtaining his PhD from Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) on graphene‐based polymer nanocomposites. In 2018, he became the Polymer Research Manager for Nanoforce Technology Ltd., a QMUL subsidiary focused on technology transfer to the industry. In November 2021, he took on a second position at QMUL as an R&D project lead for the Business of Fashion, Textiles and Technology programme to develop more sustainable, circular and intelligent wearables for the fashion and textile industry.
Skills and experience
Jovis See is based in Singapore and works as Head of Sales for the Southeast Asia region. He has more than 10 years of customer facing commercial experience in Multi-National Corporations where he is responsible for servicing global key accounts, business development, overall sales & distributor management duties. During his time at Henkel Industrial division, he supported customers from various industries in seeking new innovative solutions in addressing numerous assembly, packaging and manufacturing challenges. He was awarded Henkel top “Rookie” sales award in 2018 in recognition of his efforts. He is passionate in harnessing technologies to tackle environmental pollution issues and hopes to make a positive contribution in the global sustainability movement.
He holds B.Sc.(Chemistry) from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore and MBA from Alliance Manchester Business School, United Kingdom. In his free time, he enjoys traveling, trying out new sports and spending time with family & friends.
Skills and experience
Mixa joined Polymateria in early 2020, she is a ACCA qualified accountant and has a varied range of book-keeping, financial accounting, management accounting, finance business partnering and financial planning and analysis (FP&A) experience in the Professional Services sector (National Economic Research Associates NERA), Food and Drink sector (Tetley Tea), Telecommunications Start-up (Celona Technologies) and Banking Payments Software Sector (ACI Worldwide Inc). Mixa is a life-long learner and recently attained a BSC Hons degree in Social Sciences and MBA with the Open University.
Skills and experience
Sophie Stromback has a strong scientific background having studied Biology BSc and Environmental Technology MSc at Imperial College. After her studies she remained in London where she worked firstly in energy governance and more recently with an analytics company focusing on workplace productivity, where her role was based on customer pipeline.
Skills and experience
Taylor is responsible for the application of Polymateria’s biotransformation technology to HDPE and highly crystalline polyolefins. His research is in collaboration with the University of Warwick in the form of a Knowledge Transfer Partnership funded by Innovate UK. The partnership seeks to leverage polymer processing techniques to optimise biodegradation without impacting material properties. Taylor conducted an undergraduate degree in Chemistry (MChem) at the University of Bath with an industrial placement year at GSK in Skin Health Innovation R&D. Following this, he completed his PhD at Cardiff University, investigating new-to-world polyesters for material applications with a focus on chemical recyclability and circular economy goals. Taylor enjoys swimming and triathlon, jumping at any opportunity for a group cycle with multiple café stops.
Skills and experience
John joins us with 10 years of sales and commercial experience, with a focus on the packaging and transportation market. Prior to joining Polymateria, he served as Account Manager at Avient China, providing tailor made colour and additives solutions to packaging molders of key personal care and beverage brands and major resin producers.
Before Avient China, John was part of the sales team at EMS Chemie Suzhou for coating and additives applications, and AkzoNobel for beverage can coating business.
John is based in Shanghai, and lives in Suzhou with his family. He has a strong passion and sense of ownership in his role, and believes that focusing on customer centricity, makes the biggest difference.
Skills and experience
Taobo is based in Shanghai and has more than 15 years of sales and commercial experience in multi-national companies across Europe and China. Taobo previously spent 8.5 years in Amcor Flexibles Greater China, latterly as business development director and General manager of Amcor Technology (Chengdu) Ltd, leading new product and new business mode development in new business sectors including smart packaging, E-commerce packaging, total solution with packaging machine partners and more.
Taobo was also actively engaged in various circular economy and sustainability related activities with value chain partners in China’s packaging industry, petrochemical companies, E-commerce giants: Alibaba Cainiao, Meituan, JD, and various consumer brands. Taobo is a sports enthusiast and strong believer of innovation and technology.
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Life at Polymateria