Global Director R&D @ Polyplast Compound Werk Limited

Global leadership of research & development across materials, sites and disciplines. As Global Director R&D, I was responsible for the strategic and disciplinary leadership of global R&D and application engineering activities, covering compound development (PVC, PP, TPE, WPC), application engineering, raw material purchasing and laboratory operations. I led multidisciplinary teams across multiple international sites in Europe and North America. My role combined technology leadership, people management and organizational coordination, ensuring consistent standards, transparency and effective collaboration across locations. This included the professional management and alignment of development activities in Straelen, Bingen, Brampton (Ontario) and Morristown (Tennessee), as well as the integration of R&D, purchasing and testing capabilities. In addition to day‑to‑day leadership, I took on special strategic assignments, including global project management for medical compound development projects for international customers and the integration of external organizations, working as an expat to support organizational and process alignment. Through this role, I strengthened my expertise in global leadership, cross‑functional governance and scaling complex R&D organizations - capabilities that later formed a strong foundation for senior roles in global process ownership, governance and digital transformation.