Executive Interview Series

Deb Fronczak, former Chief Procurement Officer at 3M, joins Ali to share a practical, inside view of what it really takes to drive digital and AI transformation in complex chemical organizations. Across more than 30 years at 3M, Deb held senior roles in manufacturing operations, engineering and technology — experience that put her at the center of major enterprise-wide initiatives, from ERP change...

Florian Budde, former Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company, joins Ali to break down the forces shaping the industry today. Over nearly 30 years at McKinsey, Florian helped build and lead the firm’s global chemicals and agriculture practice and guided companies through major strategic, operational, and market disruptions. Few people have had a closer or more comprehensive view of how the indust...

Miguel Mantas, former CEO of allnex, joins Ali to reflect on nearly 40 years in the chemical industry — and what the next decade of transformation will require. Having led businesses across Asia, Europe, and the Americas, Miguel brings a rare, firsthand perspective shaped by global roles, major industry shifts, and complex market cycles. Now serving on multiple boards and advising chemical compani...

Chris Jahn, President and CEO of the American Chemistry Council, joins Ali for a conversation about the future of innovation — and why it all starts with chemistry. From the materials powering semiconductors to the breakthroughs making AI possible, chemistry drives progress across every industry. Under Chris’s leadership, ACC is championing the companies and policies that ensure the U.S. stays at...

Actylis Chief Strategy Officer, Lauren Seufert, joins Ali to discuss the human side of guiding an organization through a digital transformation, including creating a culture of innovation, importance of leadership, change champions and change agents, and listening to what people are communicating up. She joins Knowde to talk about the human side of strategic transformations such as digitization pr...

Amy Callahan leads the Natural Resources and Chemicals practice at Accenture in the Americas. She joins Knowde CEO Ali Amin-Javaheri to discuss the cyclical chemicals market, what data and AI can do to address business costs and revenue, investing in technology as a transformation lever, and more. She joins Knowde to talk about the chemicals industry and the connection point between technology, da...

Sean Tilley, Co-CEO and CCO of Tilley Distribution, has experience transforming his company for the digital age. He joins Knowde CEO Ali Amin-Javaheri to talk about changes in the distribution space, revamping Tilley’s customer experience and guidance for companies going through a digital transformation.  He joins Knowde to discuss digital data in the chemicals and ingredients industry, including:...

Jason McLinn, senior partner at Bain & Company, has extensive experience consulting with chemical and ingredient companies. He joins Knowde CEO Ali Amin-Javaheri to discuss how chemical companies are modernizing their customer experiences, preparing support for sales personnel and the importance of finding specific applications for AI. Key digital insights include: Evolving B2B expectations Ho...

Jilles Eissen is leading the global digital transformation of coating resins and additive manufacturer allnex as the company’s CIO. He joins Knowde CEO Ali Amin-Javaheri to discuss where and why allnex is introducing AI, the importance of finding and supporting internal change agents to help with digitization and how he finds food metaphors to explain the importance of digital transformation.

Chris Hansen, Chief Corporate Development Officer of Clariant, provides insight into Clariant’s digital initiatives and AI utilization strategies. A fundamental focus on system globalization, data integration and master data quality gave Clariant a solid foundation for implementing powerful generative AI tools such as Clarita, their internal large language model. Chris sees more potential still in...

Celeste Mastin, President & CEO of H.B. Fuller, provides a look behind the curtain of H.B. Fuller’s innovative approach to digital, including how AI and other technologies drive efficiencies for the business now and in the future. In this wide-ranging interview, Celeste provides insights into how H.B. Fuller embraces digital transformation to build collaborative experiences with its customers,...

Eric Byer, President & CEO of the Alliance for Chemical Distribution (ACD), discusses the organization's key priorities and future goals. Discover how ACD is dedicated to supporting its members in managing regulatory and tax requirements, promoting sustainability, embracing digital transformation, and retaining top talent.

Megan Gluth-Bohan, Owner & CEO of Catalynt (formerly TRInternational), shares about the changing expectations of customers in the industry, and the use of technology as a means of differentiation. While highly technical work still requires human input, adding tech to the customer experience can diversify the workforce and provide valuable data and market intelligence with a front-facing custom...

Hartmut Kunz, CFO of OQEMA, shares about how centralized and harmonized data is a critical investment for OQEMA’s future. Learn about how OQEMA has the unique opportunity to create new centralized systems that can boost efficiency and solve the challenge of maintaining the customization that their customers have come to expect.

Stefan Girschik, CEO of Meraxis Group, joins Knowde to share about the future of distribution in the polymer industry. Under Girschik’s leadership, Meraxis has emerged as an industry leader positioned for success in an increasingly digital world. Learn how digital transformation functions as a key enabler and differentiator for Meraxis as the industry welcomes increasing sustainability opportuniti...

Stephan Glander, CEO of Biesterfeld Group, joins Knowde and shares how digital transformation of knowledge management can grow market share and attract the best new talent. A rapid change to the workforce demographics is reshaping the expectations of the way we all do business. Sustaining a long-term advantage hinges on sharing institutional knowledge digitally.

Neville Prior, Chairman of Cornelius Group and former President of the FECC, shares about how digital transformation allows distributors to reframe themselves as innovators in the industry and add to the ability to acquire new customers, while not necessarily increasing the cost to acquire them. Digitalization is not only going to be one of the major tools in helping with areas of supply chain and...

John Lin, Chief Business Officer of Evera by Citrosuco, joins Knowde and shares about why it's crucial to get both your customer-facing and internal data infrastructure right. Creating an accessible product database and tracking customer interactions to improve customer experience, while also digitally standardizing internal interactions that can be spread out across teams in multiple continents a...

Jeff Immelt, former CEO of General Electric, joins Knowde to share his perspective as one of the earliest adopters and catalysts of digital in the industrials space. Tune into his 40 years of industry experience, as he gives advice on how leaders in the chemical industry today should think about why and how fast they should pursue digital transformation.

Ilham Kadri, CEO of Syensqo, joins Knowde to share about how it's only a matter of time before widespread adoption of digitization in our industry revolutionizes research, discovery and innovation. There is a demand for visibility between the supplier and the customer, and this transparency will help the customer buy better, buy on time and have clarity around areas such as sustainability and carb...

Henri Nejade, former COO of Brenntag, joins Knowde to share about the progression of digital transformation in distribution and the main challenge distributors face when they look to launch digital transformation initiatives. There is a real demand and requirement for distributors to collect, organize and analyze product data on behalf of their principals and those who are able to successfully do...

Jim Zallie, President & CEO of Ingredion, joins Knowde and shares about how embracing digital transformation is imperative to a customer-centric growth culture. Those that are leveraging technology and digital capabilities to be more impactful will help them be preferred and provide a competitive advantage.

Joe Harlan, former CCO of The Dow Chemical Company and current Board Member of Hitachi, joins Knowde to share about how focusing on the digital customer experience directly impacts the grand scheme of business productivity. Learn how changing customer expectations and a growing demand for responsiveness have changed how suppliers are prioritizing digital transformation.

Sanjay Ahuja, Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer at Indorama Ventures, joins Knowde to share his insights on the importance of making consistent efforts toward digital transformation, as access to technologies and digital tools will only continue to grow in our industry.

Paul Tayler, CEO of Nexeo Plastics, joins Knowde to share his insights on the massive opportunities at hand for greater reach, connection and engagement with customers, following shifting customers expectations. Learn how Nexeo Plastics continues to invest in tools that differentiate them in productivity and efficiency.