Former Dow Exec to Lead Cargill’s R&D Efforts

A former Dow Chemical Company executive will join Cargill on Nov. 12 to lead the agribusiness’ research and development (R&D) and innovation efforts, the company announced in a recent press release.

Florian Schattenmann, who recently occupied the role of vice president of Performance & Coatings R&D at Dow, was named vice president of research & development (R&D) and innovation. He will report to Cargill’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO). 

“The work of our Research & Development team – together with our broad approach to innovation – is critical to fulfilling our purpose of nourishing the world in a safe, responsible, and sustainable way,” Ruth Kimmelshue, senior vice president of Cargill business operations and supply chain, said in a statement. “Florian’s vision for innovation, customer orientation, deep scientific and technical expertise, and global outlook make him the ideal R&D leader as we seek to build on Cargill’s deep history of innovation and solutions to address changing consumer trends.”

About 2000 scientists and technical staff across 200 Research & Development sites will be under Schattenmann’s direction. He will set the firm’s innovation agenda to help Cargill’s core businesses generate value with new products and processes. 

“I am truly excited about the opportunity to lead R&D and innovation at Cargill. Cargill has all the right ingredients – exceptional global scale; a willingness to transform; and a unique position at the intersection of life sciences, chemistry and big data – to solve some of the world’s biggest challenges. I look forward to helping Cargill become the undisputed innovation leader in diverse fields ranging from food production to bio-industrials.”

Schattenmann joined Dow in 2010, where he occupied several senior R&D roles. He also worked for Sulphco Inc., Momentive Performance Materials, General Electric, and Colgate-Palmolive. He holds a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). 

For more news headlines, articles, and equipment reviews, visit our Equipment Zones