Virtual Panel following by Virtual Breakout Tables
1:00 to 2:00 pm ET - Virtual Panel
2:00 t0 3:00 pm ET - Virtual Advice and Mentoring
An important part of Société de Chimie Industrielle’s (“Societe”) mission is to help industry members and students advance their careers. We do this though events and mentoring programs that provide career insights, networking and mentoring opportunities, insights about industry trends, and job opportunities through career fairs. Our audience includes students, young and midlevel industry participants working for chemical companies and related industries (consulting, finance, research, etc.).
This Societe event will focus two things. First, we will share important career advice via a panel about different functional areas within chemical companies to women and others. Right after, we will provide a unique mentoring/networking set up where the attendees can sit at virtual tables led by successful industry executives in different functional areas [after the panel]. If you participate in the virtual table event, you will be able to choose which table to sit at and move to different tables based on your interests.
Although there is a focus on the experiences of women in functional roles in the chemical industry, the event is open to all genders and the advice will almost certainly be useful to both men and women.
STUDENTS interested in participating, please email sdci1918@gmail.com to register
We have an outstanding panel of industry executives who have had diverse functional roles in their careers. The moderator will be Jennifer McCarthy, VP of Business Development, Xenon arc. Xenon arc builds branded channels to market on behalf of specialty chemical and food ingredient producers. The organizers of the event are Peter Young and Jennifer McCarthy, both members of the Societe Program Committee.
Moderator:
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Jennifer McCarthy
VP of Business Development
Xenon arc
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Panelists:
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Stephanie Montag
Regional President Sartomer
Americas, Arkema
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Jennifer Pfeiffer
Global Director of Operations,
Industrial Intermediates &
Infrastructure Envelope at Dow
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Katara Shaw
Senior Director Research,
Development & Innovation
Evonik Nutrition & Care Division |
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Megan Zarembski
Senior Director Procurement
& Logistics Americas
WACKER |
About our Moderator and Panelists:
Jennifer McCarthy, VP of Business Development, Xenon arc
At Xenon arc, Jennifer works directly with chemical and ingredient producers to extend their brand promise to all customers including those with the most exceptional needs. In addition to showing clients how Xenon arc’s model and capabilities can improve market share and brand perception, she helps producers build omnichannel digital platforms that reach their customers where they hang out most.
Stephanie Montag, Regional President Sartomer Americas, Arkema
Stephanie Montag is currently the Regional President for Sartomer Americas, a business unit of Arkema. She joined Arkema in 2023 and has overall responsibility for the profitable growth and innovation of the business, including defining the strategy and ensuring accountability for delivery by all resources and functions across the business. Stephanie is an experienced leader with proven track-record in general management and various commercial roles throughout her career at global chemical companies. Prior to joining Arkema she worked Quaker Houghton as the VP of Global Strategic Product Management and before that as the Senior Director of Commercial Operations. There she supported the integration and optimization of functions such as strategic pricing, customer service and sales support and also started to build the foundations of product lifecycle management philosophy and processes. Prior to Quaker Houghton she worked for Peroxychem as Global Business Director where she was responsible for business performance, strategy, and commercial execution. Prior to PeroxyChem, she held a variety of product and commercial management roles at FMC Corporation, Croda International and ICI Americas.
Stephanie is the Executive Sponsor of her company’s US-based Women@Arkema Employee Resource Group (ERG), which is focused on fostering engagement and connectivity of its members, while also offering professional development opportunities. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) in Chemical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and has an MBA from The Wharton School. Stephanie lives with her husband, 2 sons and favorite supermutt in Media, Pennsylvania.
Jennifer Pfeiffer, Global Director of Operations, Industrial Intermediates & Infrastructure Envelope at Dow
Jennifer Pfeiffer is the Global Director of Operations for the Industrial Intermediates and Infrastructure Envelope with Dow Incorporated. In this role, she is accountable for translating and implementing the business strategies within Operations across all Industrial Intermediates and Infrastructure manufacturing facilities and technology centers globally. This envelope within Dow represents 60+ manufacturing facilities and over 2000 employees globally.
Jennifer holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Colorado State University. She is a recipient of the Manufacturing Institutes Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Production (STEP) Award and serves as the chair for the Dean’s Advisory Board for Walter Scott Jr. College of Engineering at Colorado State University. She is also a proud participant in Dow’s Women Innovation Network and a leadership council member for the Global African Affinity Network. Jennifer lives in Midland, MI with her husband of and her 2 sons.
Katara Shaw, Senior Director Research, Development & Innovation, Evonik Nutrition & Care Division
Katara Shaw is the Sr. Director Research, Development & Innovation in the Evonik Nutrition & Care Division. Katara oversees the RD&I teams that support Evonik’s polymeric and lipid technology drug delivery systems, medical device, and biomaterials initiatives, spanning new product development, external customer feasibility and development projects, and internal production support for Evonik products.
Katara is also a leadership team sponsor for the Birmingham site Women’s Interest Network (WIN), a local site chapter of Evonik’s women’s Employee Resource Group (ERG) “groW”. Evonik’s groW ERG focusses around personal growth as well as aiming to empower, connect, and support women to achieve their goals. Katara holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Alabama and resides in Alabama.
Megan Zarembski, Senior Director Procurement & Logistics Americas, WACKER
Megan Zarembski is responsible for Procurement and Logistics in the Americas at WACKER. In this role, she is accountable for the direct, energy, technical, and general procurement clusters, as well as logistics for all WACKER businesses in North and South America. In the region, WACKER has production sites supporting a diversified product portfolio for all four business divisions: Silicones, Polymers, Polysilicon, and Biosolutions.
Megan’s 19-year career at WACKER has followed a unique path. She began as a Chemist working with liquid silicone rubber for textile applications such as airbags and insulated sleeving, and later spent years in Sales, Human Resources, and leading a Business Team for Consumer Silicones. She has worked at four different WACKER sites in the US and Germany, and now is based in Ann Arbor, MI.
Megan holds a BS in Textile Chemistry and MS in Textile, Fiber, and Polymer Science from Clemson University, as well as an MBA from the University of Michigan.
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STUDENTS interested in participating, please email sdci1918@gmail.com to register