Dr. Laurent Herschke

• Championed marketing Excellence: Strategic Planning, Product Line Management, Pricing & Margin Management, Business Development, New Business Development, Strategic Alliances, Marketing driven Innovation Management, Marketing Communication • Managed and inspired a large Marketing & Business Development Team • Spearheaded initiatives being BU Board Member

• Created 2 new ventures, the Coatings SPG and the Additives SPG for Celanese EM, developing the vision, business strategies and organizational structures in Year 1 • Constructed a profitable high margin global opportunities pipeline and projects portfolio with strategic customers toward a sustainable 15 mio€ EBIT (FY14-FY18) in the coatings and additives spaces • Managed 2 global cross-functional teams of 6-15 employees • Recruited and coached high potential NBD Managers

• Brought 3 major innovation programs to commercialization in the field of Specialty Additives; supporting new product sales growth from 3 to 13 mio€ in 3 years. • Developed business case and value equations for Eco-Premium Solutions in Green Buildings, which resulted in the development of the Natural Raw Materials Based Resins and Hydrophobic Gypsum additives together with strategic customers St-Gobain and Knauf. • Acted as well as Marketing Manager Sustainable Building & Construction

Developed and launched two functional additives based on APCI molecular defoamer technology under the Surfynol brand both for industrial drymix mortars e.g. SLUs and for 3rd generation PCE based concrete admixtures, principally for the European Building & Construction Chemicals markets

• Provided Customer Support and Technical Service in the field of Coatings, Inks, Adhesives and Construction additives in UK & CEE regions • Fortified Surfynol product line to existing Salesforce and distributors in the UK & CEE regions; developed a technology/service driven key account management approach in CEE for Sigma Kalon/AkzoNobel and Henkel Bautechnik

The MIT Sloan course Developing & Managing a Successful technology & Product Strategy is an intensive program providing a unique and powerful approach to integrating business and technology strategy and to developing profitable ventures and technologies

The Entrepreneur’s Boot Camp A Deep Dive for New Ventures is a program designed for start-ups preparing entrepreneurs to transform their ideas into action by launching and growing new business and understanding critical considerations like lean start-up, financial management and brand building

AkzoNobel Management Essentials provides best practices of Situational Leadership Management, Line Management and Global Team Management

12 modules company sponsored marketing program aimed at providing participants with the basic skills set in the field of market opportunity research, market segmentation, competitive intelligence, market entry, pricing strategy, branding strategy

SalesPack I+II is a company sponsored training program aimed at providing the basic sales strategies, tactics and techniques as well as an entry point into key account management

Polymer Controlled Minerailzation of Zinc Phosphate Hydrates and Application in Corrosion Protection, Catalysis and Biomedicine - PhD sponsored by BASF SE - obtained with honours (summa cum lauda)

Polymer & Materials Science, Solid State Chemistry, Organic Synthesis, Organometallic Chemistry, Surface Science, Soft Matter Theory, Analytical Techniques including Molecular Spectroscopy

Graduating engineering education in the field of polymer & materials research, polymer synthesis, polymer processing, polymer characterization and advanced mechanics including simulations, combined with intensive practical trainings both in R&D labs, pilot plants and at industry partners

Physical Chemistry, Analytical chemistry, theoretical chemistry, Polymer Science, Catalysis, Metallurgy, Crystallography, Molecular Spectroscopy, Advanced Thermodynamics & Mathematics, Computer Science