Summary
I imbibe Dow’s core competencies of leadership and am an effective communicator, who collaborates with business and peers to bring innovative solutions to add value to the customer. I am a strategic thinker with great business acumen, who has integrated these competencies that have positively impacted business performance, innovation, people development, and employee engagement. I strongly believe that my skills and experiences would be a good fit for the SPE director role, which requires dedicated service and commitment to setting the strategic direction of society. I had opportunities to discuss the expectations of this role, along with my experiences with some of the SPE executive board members. They have been extremely supportive and strongly encouraged me to apply for this role.
I am highly engaged and passionate about solutions that can support/enable several corporate goals including plastic circularity and sustainability. I strongly believe that industries, the environment, and society should be mutually associated to drive a win-win solution. Presently, many industries are being pressured by diverse stakeholders to align and accomplish sustainability goals along with their final corporate goals. One of the solutions for sustainability could be post-consumer recycling (PCR), enabling household waste to high-quality industrial products. With my experiences in sustainability and strong network, I could certainly invite strategic keynote speakers from Dow in this space to present at future ANTEC® meetings. Also, I could connect with specific ANTEC® chapter chairs who are aligned with sustainability to solicit speakers and technical papers from Dow and other big players in this space. These efforts would benefit SPE members across generations. A popular study finds that 90% of millennials say working for sustainable companies is their top priority, followed by Gen X at 80% and Baby Boomers at 77%.
I am also passionate and engaged with Inclusion & Diversity (I&D) initiative at Dow. I have organized and led several Allies discussion group meetings to create open, safe, and positive opportunities for individuals. I believe that we need representation in SPE from a diverse team of people that is reflective of society. One of the solutions could be targeting stronger participation from women and bringing more engagement from younger scientists. Given an opportunity, I could strongly commit to having a strategic plan that focuses on open conversations towards diversity and inclusion. Also, enabling the knowledge transfer in SPE by fostering mentor-mentee relationships would be critical and I could contribute to and enhance the existing mentor program. Focusing on developing younger leaders to maximize their potential is crucial for any organization. I am excited about the recent launch of the “Essentials of Management & Leadership in Plastics” program by SPE which is targeting mid-level career professionals. Many industries including Dow could utilize this program that targets certain skill sets to develop younger leaders such as strategic planning, innovation & creativity, etc. I mentor mid-level career employees across job families and I also lead global teams; such training would not only benefit our organization but also other plastics industries in this space. Furthermore, I am strongly engaged with ACS (local chapter) as an Award Chair, which gives me the opportunity to interact with local schools. I could contribute to the SPE PLASTIVAN® STEM educational outreach program by engaging students from local schools. I strongly believe that this program is a great way to excite interest from middle and high school students in the plastics industry.
Here are a few examples of my competencies that have impacted Dow and I would be a good fit for the SPE director role.
Leadership: I am very methodical, and organized, and have demonstrated excellent leadership skills.
A few roles are highlighted that demonstrate my leadership:
- Global Technology Network Leader (Spectroscopy) - Leading and driving to implementation of analytical solutions for Manufacturing efforts and Dow business R&D. Recognition: Gold Award
- Safety Action Council leader for Analytical Sciences Core R&D, delivered focused presentations on safety and leveraged best practices to achieve the drive to zero EH&S goal. Recognition: Silver Award
- Certified Six Sigma Green Belt Project Leader, led the Core team, and collaborated with the business to commercialize coating products resulting in significant sales
Collaboration: In my role as a polyurethane business focal point, I was successfully able to engage, listen carefully to the business needs, and then identify the required resources to partner on the projects. Business partners and AS colleagues indicate that it is a pleasure to work with me, that I am a valuable resource (connector within Core R&D), and that I am flexible to accommodate project timelines even if it required longer days in the lab and extra safety measures. They speak of me being respectful, inclusive, and receptive to new ideas/advice. Additionally, I have been a mentor to others in the group, especially when it comes to outlining goals and accomplishments, gap analysis, career mentoring as well as training new employees.
A few roles are highlighted that demonstrate my collaboration competency:
- Focal Point leader for Polyurethane Business, collaborated across the business to provide analytical solutions for new product development/existing product offerings with a value capture of ~ 100 $MM.
- Inclusion & Diversity (I&D) steering team for Core R&D, organized and led several Allies discussion group meetings to create open, safe, positive opportunities for individuals.
- Global VOICE action steering team proposed solutions that strengthened core R&D culture globally and continue to make Dow a place where people have the tools and motivation to do their best work.
Communication: I have displayed strong interpersonal skills in several efforts to bring together a loose group of distributed subject matter experts and to keep the projects moving forward. I am respectful to others even if I disagree with a suggestion and I am quick to acknowledge the contributions of others. I am very engaged in meetings and questioning the status quo. I am very concise with messaging and I clearly outline the hypotheses and the outcomes. Another characteristic of me that people find impressive is my openness to critical feedback and the steps that I take to address the gaps.
A few roles are highlighted that demonstrate my communication skills:
- Track record of delivering excellent technical presentations @ ANTEC-SPE:
- Presentations (Seven lead author)
- 2021 Best Paper Award (SPE ANTEC)
- Invited Speaker for 2021 Gulf Coast & Latin America Scientist Organization: Presented on how to build successful R&D Partnerships @ Dow, participated in panel
- DOW Business Interface Meetings: Presented at meetings showcasing strong technical delivery with significant business impact
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