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
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
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
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.