People in Composites: November 2020

Christophe Sabas appointed CEO of Beckers Group

Christopher Sabas, CEO of Beckers Group

The Board of Directors of Beckers Group (Berlin, Germany) has appointed Christophe Sabas as the coating company’s CEO. Sabas has been with Beckers for more than 20 years and part of the management team for 15 years. During the past ten years, he has successfully led Beckers’ operations in Europe, the Americas and Africa. As of June 2020, Sabas has been the acting CEO of the Group, an interim position that is now made permanent.

Beckers’ focus going forward is on customers and innovation and to fulfill the strategy to become the world’s most sustainable coatings company.

“Christophe has strong business acumen and a deep understanding and experience of Beckers’ business. He has successfully led the largest business area of the Group to a leading market position. The Board of Directors knows Christophe as a highly respected and knowledgeable leader with the ability to adapt to change. With his value-based leadership he will continue the journey to become the world’s most sustainable coatings company,” says Paul Schrotti, chairman of Beckers Group.

“I am excited about the opportunity to build an even stronger future for Beckers together with the team. We have all the necessary prerequisites to expand, continue to create real value for our customers and at the same time drive innovation and sustainability within our industry. I look forward to working with the Board and all my colleagues to take on this challenge,” says Christophe Sabas, CEO of Beckers Group.

Hexion announces first director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Hexion Inc. (Columbus, Ohio, U.S.) reported on Nov. 16 that Karen M. Fowler has joined the company as its first Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Fowler will be responsible for accelerating the organization’s diversity, equity and inclusion worldwide, including developing and implementing a strategy to attract, retain and develop diverse talent and promote an inclusive environment where associates at all levels can perform their best.

In this role, Fowler consulted with C-suite leaders, business executives and HR business partners to build diversity, equity and inclusion capability, as well as provide strategies and resources to guide members and corporate partners with their workplace diversity and inclusion efforts.

Warden Schijve joins AZL engineering team

Warden Schijve joins AZL Aachen

Warden Schijve, former Chief Scientist Composites at SABIC (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia), recently joined the AZL Aachen GmbH engineering team in October. As Design Leader, he is further expanding the product and application development division of the service provider for business development and technology development of lightweighting solutions.

“We develop component and production concepts for companies, including the analysis of costs and production-relevant KPIs. With our broad range of material and production technologies, we provide a comprehensive solution for the development and evaluation of products and identify the most suitable paths to implementation. Warden Schijve will use his many years of experience to support our partners in the efficient development, evaluation and implementation of component and production solutions through to market readiness,” says Dr. Kai Fischer, managing partner of AZL.

From his 35 years in the composites industry with Fokker (Amsterdam, Netherlands), Royal DSM (Heerlen, Netherlands) and SABIC, Warden Schijve is said to bring a broad and deep expertise in structural design, plastics and composites, as well as processing technology.

Warden Schijve comments, “In my career I’ve always seen that it pays off to evaluate various different design concepts, which may use different materials or material combinations, to finally come to the most cost-competitive lightweight applications. Taking into account different manufacturing technologies right from the beginning can save a lot in later stages of component development. And this is what fascinates me about AZL and its eco-system: the available knowledge on a wide variation of process and production technologies, including cutting edge-equipment, at both the AZL Tech Center, and the various institutes present in the total RWTH Aachen Campus.”

Warden Schijve will also lead the project for a concept study for future battery casings based on composite-based multi-material systems. The AZL started the project in October together with 30 participating companies from the entire value chain to get an overview of existing component solutions, evaluate the advantages of a multi-material approach and develop a multi-material component design including a production concept for battery casings.

Further, Warden, together with other design experts, will share insights and experiences on composite design tools and methods in another Lightweight TechTalk by AZL on “Best Practises in Lightweight Design” on Jan. 28, 2021. Registration is free of charge.

Altana announces new Eckart division president

Dr. Christian Przybyla, Chairman of the Management Board of Eckart 

It was reported on Nov. 5 that Dr. Christian Przybyla will become Chairman of the Management Board of Eckart GmbH (Wesel, Germany), based in Hartenstein near Nuremberg, Germany, on March 1, 2021, and will also take over the global management of Eckart, one of the four divisions of the specialty chemicals group Altana. He will succeed Dr. Wolfgang Schütt, who is leaving the company at his own request on Feb. 28, 2021 to pursue new challenges outside the Altana Group. In his new capacity, Dr. Christian Przybyla, the current CTO of the Elantis division, will also become a member of Altana AG’s Executive Management Team.

“We are pleased to have found in Dr. Christian Przybyla a top-class internal successor for this important position, who not only knows the company very well, but above all our international markets,” says Martin Babilas, CEO of Altana AG. “We regret the departure of Dr. Wolfgang Schütt and would like to thank him in advance for his successful work and important contributions to Altana’s further development during his 15 years of service in our company. We wish him continued success for his professional future and all the best.”

Dr. Christian Przybyla joined the Altana Group in April 2015 as CTO of Elantas. In this capacity, he was responsible for the division’s research and development activities, most recently from Korea. Before the doctor of chemistry joined the Altana Group, he spent 15 years in various management positions at Akzo Nobel.

Lilium appoints new Chief Financial Officer

Lilium (Munich, Germany) announced on Nov. 19 the appointment of the company’s new CFO, Geoffrey Richardson. Effective immediately, the former CFO of the autonomous car company, Cruise, will work closely with CEO Daniel Wiegand on the company’s next phase of accelerated growth.

Based in San Francisco, Geoffrey brings with him more than 20 years of expertise in international finance, M&A, fundraising and operations. During his tenure at Cruise, he raised more than $7 billion of capital in three separate transactions with leading strategic and financial investors. At Cruise, he was also responsible for more than 800 full-time employees and contractors in finance, business development, delivery, fleet operations and infrastructure.

Prior to this, Geoffrey was CFO at Kinestral, the next-generation glass company where he oversaw the company’s Series B and Series C funding rounds. Geoffrey scaled Kinestral from R&D, to product sales, including building a manufacturing facility in Taiwan. Geoffrey started his career as an attorney at global law firm Shearman and Sterling, and then spent more than a decade at Morgan Stanely and Golden Saches in various capital market and investment banking roles, focusing on sustainability and electrification.

“Geoffrey’s track record with high-growth companies combined with long-term sustainable vision and strong leadership made him the ideal candidate for this key hire. We are pleased to be welcoming him to the team. He provides extensive experience in leading the financial operations of a forward-thinking mobility company, perfect for our next phase of growth,” says Daniel Wiegand, Lilium CEO and co-founder.

ACMA appoints new director

Lucy Houchin, appointed to ACMA Board of Directors.

Lucy Houchin, Director of Corporate Marketing for IDI Composites  International (IDI, Noblesville, Ind., U.S.) and Norplex-Micarta (Postville, Iowa, U.S.) has been appointed to the Board of Directors of the American Composites Manufacturers Association (ACMA, Arlington, Va., U.S.). She will serve a three-year term.

Joining IDI Composites International (IDI) in 2016, Lucy currently serves in multiple roles with the company as the Director of Corporate Marketing for IDI and its sister organization, Norplex-Micarta. As the Managing Director of IDI Composites International – U.K. in both roles, her work is grounded in uncompromising values and aimed at delivering meaningful results.

“It’s an honor to join the dedicated and talented team of industry leaders on the ACMA Board of Directors,” says Lucy. “I’m hopeful my expertise and energy can contribute to furthering the ACMA’s mission to drive growth in the composites industry.”

Lucy has been active with the ACMA serving on the CAMX Steering Committee since October 2019 and has recently joined the Education and Events Committee.

Prior to joining IDI, Lucy worked as a management consultant with Thomas P. Miller and Associates. She holds a Master’s of business administration degree from Purdue University and a bachelor’s degree from Butler University.