victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Welcome back to The Chemical
Show Where Leaders Talk Business.
Today I am speaking with Mike Fanelli, who is the Chief
Technology and Innovation Officer.
It's a long title.
We'll just call him the CTIO for Science Co.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: Co.
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Mike leads a group of 2000 science co explorers
and change makers across the group's key strategic platforms including
battery materials, green hydrogen and renewable materials, and biotechnology.
So all very innovative areas, while also guiding commercial activities,
operations, capital planning,
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: capital
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: partnerships, and alliances
with four business incubators.
So Mike is a busy guy, super excited that he could find time to talk with me today.
And you know.
Basically, to put it succinctly, Mike's in charge of this innovation,
Enogen for Science Co, and we're gonna be talking about that and more.
Mike, welcome to the Chemical Show.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: Show.
Thanks, Victoria.
Glad to be here.
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Really glad to have you.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: you.
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: start with your origin story.
What got you interested in chemicals and polymers and ultimately brought
you to where you are at Science Co.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: Cup?
So it's kind of, it's kind of a funny story.
So I, I, you know, since I was a kid, I've always loved science, right?
I remember, you know, as a kid, any science book I could get
my hands on, it didn't matter.
I would love to read it.
Uh, I had a, a little chemistry set.
Well, actually it wasn't that little, it was about five foot across at a door.
You know, I would do all kinds of chemical experiments, uh,
when I was probably 10 years old.
I would set things on fire and my parents would get upset and, and,
uh, so I've always had this passion around science and passion around
chemistry and, and technology.
how I got into this industry was kind of by chance I, you
know, wasn't planning on it.
I honestly, I went to college.
I.
didn't really know what I wanted to do when I graduated, uh, I
graduated in the early nineties.
The job market was really tight, a friend of my father's who, my father
was a hairdresser, and he, he cut hair.
He cut this guy's hair for, for decades.
He was a headhunter.
And he calls me up and he said, Hey, Mike, I got a great opportunity, uh,
for you with this chemical company.
Uh, it's in the mail room.
It's a summer job in the mail room, right?
And I, I said, ed, you know.
I got a college degree.
I'm not working in the mail room, I can't do it right.
And he said, okay.
You know, at the end of the summer he came back and he said, Hey,
they made it a permanent job.
So it's a full-time mail, mail room job.
And I said, okay, ed, nothing's changed.
I said, great, it's full-time work, but I still don't wanna work in the mail room.
Uh, but he kept trying to, he kept telling me how great a company it was and that
this is exciting and they're doing new stuff and, you know, I liked chemistry.
And I said, okay.
I said, I'll tell you what.
I'll come in for an interview.
And here I keep in mind, I was a 22-year-old kid, right?
And I said, I, I'll come in for an interview if they're
willing to pay for an MBA.
And he laughed and he said, Mike, come on, because no one pays
for a, a male boy to get an MBA.
I said, ed, that's my, that's my deal.
So he went to the VP of of human resources and the VP said, I'll tell you what.
He goes, I wanna meet this guy.
If I hire him, I'll pay for him to get an MBA.
So I went in for the interview.
the interview went well.
They hired me and I started my MBA within a few months of, of
joining, uh, joining the company.
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: That is an amazing, bold story.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: Well, that's, that's how I started.
I was, I was the mail boy, literally, uh, the mail boy bringing mail to all
the executives I just, I worked my way up, you know, when I was in there, I, I,
we went through a big restructuring at the beginning uh, so there was a lot of
people that were leaving and I would get all this industry mail that would come in
and they would tell me to throw it out.
And I didn't, I threw a lot of it, but I kept it and I, that's all I did
was read the industry magazines and when I had questions, I went to the
executives and asked them, what does this mean or what does that mean?
And I think that helped me build a relationship.
People realized I didn't want to go, uh, and be in the mail room my whole life.
So, was also a male boy getting an MBA, so it kind of sent the message
and I moved out of the mail room within probably four or five months.
I got into customer service.
I moved into sales.
So, and I moved throughout the whole whole company, you know, every few years.
I, I moved to Europe in, in 2006.
I, uh, became the president of our specialty Polymers, GBU in 2018.
And then when the company split the, uh, ve and, uh, VE split into
Science Co and sve, I became the CTIO.
So I've had this really, you know, exciting, you know, career and, and,
uh, it's never been a, you know, 32 years and I've never been, uh, bored.
I've never had a boring day.
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: I, I love this.
I mean, from male boy to C-Suite.
There is a headline right there.
But also I think it's just this, it, it demonstrates this.
Idea of a growth mindset, right?
You're starting someplace, but you're still, you're reading like, okay, well
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: well
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: I'm, I could throw this away,
but this looks interesting.
Let me read and learn and discuss and grow.
Um, and that of course is central to your career and what you do today with,
with Science Co and innovation, I'm sure.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: sure.
Absolutely.
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Yeah.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: Yeah.
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: So let's talk a little bit about Science Co.
Um, and for,
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: for,
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: I've told you this and I don't mind
telling everyone for the first year I mispronounced the name 'cause
I didn't understand what it was.
Um, but I think we're in this place where people know who Science
Co is maybe so tell us more.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: we're almost two years old now, so we're
not, we're not quite at two years, end of this year, we'll hit, uh, hit two years.
and we're, Uh, about 13,000 employees.
We have manufacturing sites, uh, 60 manufac manufacturing
sites around the world.
you said earlier, uh, 2000 research and development scientists, so
you might say, how, how does a 2-year-old company end up with, you
know, that, that size organization?
Right.
Um, we have 160 year history, so as I, I mentioned earlier, we
were part of the solve a group.
and uh, back at the end of 2023, we split the company into two.
So Sovi was a, was a large multi, you know, national, I'd say
diversified chemical company, right?
So we had commodities, we had specialties, and over the previous, you know, four
or five years, the company was, was, you know, fixing the portfolio and, and,
you know, divesting certain parts of it and getting it ready for this split.
we got to a point where we had achieved our previous growth strategy.
Um, early and it, and we were prepared to now split the company into a, a commodity
business, which remained Solvay and then this new company that was the specialty
business, which became, uh, science Co.
So, know, pretty exciting, journey, if you will.
And now, you know, I could sit here and I could explain to you all the wonderful
products that we, we have, right?
But that would take hours.
I'd be
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Yeah.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: do it, but I don't think
we have the time in the
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Hmm.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: Um, but I would tell you we
have, we have two legs, right?
So we have a performance and care leg, uh, and then we have a materials leg.
The easiest way to explain it would be to say, if it flies, we are on.
It doesn't matter whether we're talking commercial aircraft, whether
we're talking, talking spacecraft, uh, urban air mobility, the new
air taxis or defense, uh, aircraft.
Everything that flies for the last 30, 40 years has had a
science cool material on it.
If it
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: That's amazing
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: amazing.
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: and, and I didn't know that.
Like I was that, so yeah.
That's cool.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: we are, we have, uh, one of the
largest composite businesses, and it's not just our composites
business, but we have lubricants, we have elastomers, we have, polymeric
materials that are all over the plane.
Coatings, you name it, we're, we're in it.
Uh, and I was saying if, if it drives, we're, we're in it, right?
So almost every car on the road, about 80% of the cars on the road
have a science co material in them.
And again, it doesn't matter whether it's an ice engine, uh, whether it's a hybrid
vehicle, a fuel cell vehicle, vehicle, or a, full battery electric vehicle.
Our materials make them lighter, uh, make them more, fuel efficient,
whether it's electricity or, or, uh, petroleum, it doesn't matter.
We make them more fuel efficient.
We make them lighter.
We make 'em safer.
In the space of, healthcare, our materials actually save lives.
So I'll give you an example.
Hemodialysis.
So patients that have kidney failure have to have their
blood filtered every few days.
The membrane is made out of a science co material, and, and, uh, there's,
there's millions of patients around the world that would not be able to
survive without science CO's technology, uh, water filtration, hundreds, you
know, hundreds of millions of people are, are drinking clean water that
are made by, uh, our membranes.
are, in reverse osmosis systems taking, uh, uh, salt water and turning 'em
into, uh, potable water that, that you can drink, uh, electronics, right?
We love our mobile devices.
We love our laptops.
We love our phones.
We love our tablets.
ai, we'll talk about a AI I hope at some point in this interview,
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Absolutely.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: absolutely.
Uh, AI and quantum computing wouldn't be possible without semiconductors,
and you cannot make a semiconductor without science coast materials.
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: That's really cool.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: cool.
And if you, if you, this morning in the shower, if you, if you use the shampoo
or conditioner, uh, probably 25% of the population used a science go material,
that was biodegradable by design.
We make surfactants, we make materials for cosmetics, materials for haircare,
and, and we focus on, uh, being biodegradable and being sustainable.
Yeah.
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Yeah.
That's awesome.
Well, and I would say in my career, I probably intersected with
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: with
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: ve uh, and now Science Co.
More in that per the care space, right?
So surfactants, et cetera.
It intersected with the work I did at Shell and clt.
But this whole material space is so fascinating and ever evolving.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: Absolutely.
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Yeah.
So you and Science Co have been on quite a transformation journey.
Um, and you've talked a little bit about the 160 year old legacy
splitting the company into two, becoming the New Science Co.
What's been the biggest challenges that you as a leader have faced?
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: like you said, we have this 160 year
old history going back to Ernest, ve and one of the challenges, you know,
but we also wanted to be this new company, you know, that was forward
thinking and, and, and not, not, uh, you know, 160 year old thinking.
Uh, so how do you balance this, this really rich and important history having
to become this new company and different?
You know, we said from the very
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Yeah.
Yeah.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: Science Co is just a, a smaller version of
Solvay, then we've, we've failed, right?
So we have to shift the culture and, you know, culture's
not an easy thing to shift.
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Yeah.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: but he also didn't wanna shift the
culture and, and not have a connection to this legacy that that is of,
you know, Ernest Soy was a pioneer.
He was an innovator.
You know, so, uh, how do you keep that and, and still, become this
new entity and this new company?
So I'd say that was the, has been the biggest challenge.
And I think we've,
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Hmm.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: managed that well, uh, because again,
we, we keep innovation and science.
At the core of our technology and at the core of our, of our culture,
which comes from Ernest Salve.
'cause like I said, he was an innovator and a pioneer.
So I think we've been able to do that nicely and we, we are projecting uh, for
the future with sustainable materials and, uh, going in, in, in new directions.
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Yeah.
That's really great and, and we might circle around and talk about that later
because this whole idea of innovation and sustainability is also attractive
to new employees, which helps keep revitalizing and evolving the culture.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: It's, it's
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Yeah.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: Right.
So I mean,
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Yeah.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: that Elam, our CEO has brought
to us was we really have become a purpose-driven organization.
She has taught us how to be, profitable and sustainable.
And, and I think that's, that's core and in really, as you said, important to our
current employees and future employees.
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Yeah.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: having that purpose driven around
being a sustainable company.
in the chemical industry, that's sometimes hard to do, right?
Because a lot of people think the chemical industry was part of the problem.
Actually, I believe complete opposite.
I think the chemical industry is absolutely part of the solution, and this
is the industry that will solve most of, uh, humankind's, uh, biggest challenges.
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: I agree.
I agree.
And even if you just talk about something like water filtration and
clean water, which is essential, right?
We would all agree that clean water is essential for, um, a healthy
population across the globe.
It's not happening without materials and products from the chemical industry.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: A hundred percent.
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Yeah.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: Yeah.
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: So let's talk a little bit about
research innovation and technology.
What are science coast's top priorities?
So you're obviously on this quest to keep evolving and innovating and growing.
So what does that look like?
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: like?
Our top priorities in, in research, um, a a as I, I, I already
touched on a little bit, you know, sustainability's at the forefront.
It's, it's part of our DNA, it's part of our purpose.
So everything that we're doing in research, we look at it
through a sustainability lens.
So we have this, what we call SPMA, sustainable Portfolio Matrix.
Every one of our RNI projects, um, and we right now we've got about 350
projects going on across the group.
goes through this, this gauntlet of, of a study before we start the
project to make sure that it's aligned.
sustainability trends, are we reducing carbon footprint?
Are we reducing waste?
I mean, either in our own operations or helping our customers do that.
So are we developing products that are gonna help the planet?
And, and if they are, then we call that a sustainable solution.
I'm really excited, happy to say that, you know, we've been progressing on this.
We've got about 85% of our RNI portfolio with a, as a sustainable solution.
Uh, so we're talking about biotechnology.
We're looking at new ways to do chemistry.
So, uh, one of the things is if you can use renewable resources right, then you,
you can have something more sustainable.
one of the challenges is, you know, in the chemical industry, um, a lot of this
stuff we have comes from the earth, right?
We have to, you know, uh, extract minerals.
We have to extract, uh, raw materials.
Uh, what we're doing now is we're actually using biotechnology.
So we have a lab in Cambridge, Massachusetts that is.
Designing microorganisms.
So it could be a bacteria, it could be an enzyme, a protein.
And then we're using those microorganisms to do, to
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Okay.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: to make a raw material that we could use
then in our process to replace something that we had the mind from the earth.
So now it's a renewable technology, you think about what organisms can
do, I mean, it's quite mind boggling and I'll, I'll use an example.
Uh, think of it like a chicken, right?
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Yeah.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: corn, actually you could feed a chicken
almost anything, and it can make an egg.
And if you were to study the material of, of what that egg's
made out of, it is extremely strong.
It is extremely thin.
If you were to try to do, I'm not even sure we can duplicate that in, in, in
a, in a laboratory, but if you were to do that on an industrial scale, it
would probably take you 15, 20 steps.
You plant would probably cover multiple, you know, dozens of acres.
be very, uh, you know, time consuming and expensive.
A chicken does it with or, or some other kind of food.
And it does it all inside its body.
That's why when we say biotechnology, that's what we're talking about.
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Yeah.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: uh, we're talking about
simple chemistry coming out of microorganisms, but that's the concept.
biological organisms can do chemistry better than we can in a plant.
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Yeah, I love that.
And I think you're right.
I mean, it's kind of one of these, um, miracles of life and science
and I think there's a whole lot of art, uh, to science that we still
are trying to understand and evolve.
You know, Mike, one of the bits, and it's, it's an interesting dichotomy.
I feel like we've got going on because I think, as you say,
biotechnology is the future.
We are learning so much, we're evolving, we're able to create new products, with.
Fewer resources or different resources.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: Mm-hmm.
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Um, and yet at times, you know, let,
let's talk about, for instance, in the food value chain, everybody's
like, Ooh, bioengineering is bad.
And yet we also know this is one of the ways that we fed the planet.
'cause uh, I think you and I are probably of similar ages and at one point,
like we were all gonna starve because population was gonna outpace food.
And yet through ingenuity, um, we figured this out.
How do you strike that balance?
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: co.
Science co helped, uh, do that.
By the way.
We
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Okay.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: seed coatings that
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Yeah,
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: uh, it's a polymeric material that you coat
the seed that helps germination so the seed doesn't die before it germinates.
We actually protect the environments.
Uh, we protect the, the seed and, and have a much higher germination rate
with using a science co material.
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: yeah, yeah.
So you guys are obviously balancing this and, and it's needed, this, this
biotechnology is needed for modern life.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: modern life.
Absolutely.
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: So one of the other things we started talking
about, and I, and I know you said I hope we talk about this and Absolutely.
'cause I know you're really passionate about it, is ai.
So
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: So,
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: harnessing AI is obviously,
um, a major focus area for you.
You've talked about building an AI culture and some of the
experimentations you're, you're doing,
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: doing.
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: what does AI mean for you and for Science Co.
Just at the simplest level.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: No, it's, uh, it's a great question.
I mean, so, you know, AI for us is, like I said, we're trying to build an AI culture.
So if I think about what does it mean for us, and we've been coining this phrase
across the group, you know, AI needs to be for everyone, everywhere, every day.
So it's not, you know, I, I, I think AI is probably, you know, science
and, and development and research.
It's probably one of the best applications for ai.
we want to have this as a culture across the entire science go group.
So it's everywhere, every day for everyone in the, in the world of science.
You know, this is for us, as I said, very, very exciting.
We've been using ai, and we started this journey about 18 months ago.
Um, you know, we've used AI for almost a decade, but when I say 18
months, our journey, it's really about the latest and greatest ai.
I'm talking about generative ai.
I'm talking about agentic ai.
So about 18 months ago, we started down this path and we
are now using, AI to develop new polymers with unique properties.
Uh, we're generating, you know, hypothetical polymers
from a pool of millions and millions of potential molecules.
And I think that's the, that's the real key, right?
So in a normal approach without AI and science, the first thing you would do
is you would go to the literature, you know, you do, you know, the research
to understand what's the state of the art out there today, what's already
been published, what's already been patented, just that study alone could
take you months and months to go through all of this and read all this.
We can do that now, a bibliographic search in minutes.
Right.
We could study everything that's out there and, and get it in a
concise report in, in minutes, right?
Then the next step you would do is you say, okay, I've got a problem I'm
trying to solve for one of my customers.
Okay?
And you come up with possible synthesis routes and things to, you know, how you
could approach that, solving that problem.
you have to choose which variables you're going to, know, mess around you.
You could have, a hundred variables that you could play with, but if you tried to
do that, it would take you 10 years to go through all of the possible combinations.
But with ai you can do that.
You can actually study all the possible combinations and narrow it down to the a
hundred experiments that you wanna run.
And now, instead of doing, months or years of experiments, you
can do it in weeks to months.
I mean, that's how AI is,
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Yeah.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: uh, helping us, get there.
The other thing we've done, which is, I'm sorry, you had a
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Now.
Yeah.
I was just gonna ask, has there been any resistance to this?
Because, you know, we've, I've had, you have conversations with people and they're
like, Ooh, AI is gonna take my job.
And it's like, hmm,
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: It's like, yes,
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: I don't think so.
But how, how have you, how are you navigating this?
'cause it's a big change.
Again, back to this whole change management and culture.
It's a big shift.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: It is a very big shift.
Uh, so as I said, we're on a journey, uh, and with the, the latest greatest
ai we started about 18 months ago.
But I would say, um.
You know, in the beginning we, we faced a very similar curve.
Anytime you try to change something in a big way, you, you find this,
this, this gowing curve where you got about, know, outta 10 people.
You got about two people that love it and they're pulling, they're like, I got it.
Let's go.
And they, they want it faster.
On the other end of the spectrum, you got a couple of people who are
fighting it, and I saw the same thing.
I had scientists sending me emails about how AI's never gonna work for chemistry.
It's not, it's not ready, it's not gonna happen.
Right.
And in the middle you've got the majority of your people.
You know, 60% of your people who are curious, they're
interested, but they're skeptical.
proof.
Why is this worth my time?
Is this gonna replace my job?
You know, I like it, but are we going down a path where I'm gonna lose my job?
Right?
So I could tell you over the last months, 10 months, we have seen a complete shift.
I've got nobody that I could tell, uh, fighting.
I got nobody sending me emails anymore, that this isn't gonna work.
In fact, majority of the people in the middle are now pulling for it.
so I would say that's evidence that we're creating this culture.
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Yeah.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: bigger challenge right now is scaling.
how do we get this, to a size that, uh, we can get it to all of our people
instead of just a, a, a select few.
Right?
So that's where we're at right now.
It's, it's, um, it's been a shift and it, and it is a journey, right?
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Yeah, absolutely.
And the scaling piece is interesting because I think, um,
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: um,
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: I had this conversation recently with
folks at the Chemical Summit that.
You know about the need for experimentation, the need that we need to
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: we need to
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: allow people to experiment with new
technologies, with ai, et cetera.
But then scalability is tough.
And, you know, our IT departments are built on, everybody must have
the same platform all the time,
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: Yes.
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: which can inhibit some of this
experimentation and growth.
But then at the same time, figuring out how to get it in the right
hands of the people, um, is big.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: So you're absolutely right.
And we, so we, we ran into the same thing, right?
I mean, so, you know, you, it could be a bottleneck sometimes 'cause
they want one thing that fits all.
But what we did was we create, you know, 18 months ago, we, we
said, okay, we gotta be different.
We're gonna pull this out of the IT group.
The IT group has to be involved to make sure we're secure, to make
sure we're, you know, we're, that it's integrated into our systems.
But the team, we built a team called Science code.ai
this team, is a group of, but also some scientists, right?
So we've got a, a, a team of people that, manage and look at and facilitate
the AI strategy across the group.
So that was like the first step that we did.
then what this team did very quickly, they came out with what was called side GPT.
So side GPT is science CO's own AI chat bot.
That gave, gave us a chance to put AI in the hands of all 13,000
employees in a very inexpensive way.
And what you said before, experiment, and that was part of the cultural building.
Right?
You know, we did this over, over 18, well, it was probably about a
year ago, a year and a half ago.
Um,
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Which is pretty fast, although AI's
moving fast, but that's still fast.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: It's, it was, but you know, at the
time there were people in the company that hadn't even looked at AI yet.
They hadn't used chat, GPT, they hadn't used anything.
And the problem with.
people using the external tools like Chat, GPT, which I mean, these are all
great tools, but you can't have them use company data on that open sourced
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Right.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: chat, GPT.
So we needed something in-house where we could let our people experiment learn and
build that culture in a safe environment.
So that's where side GPT came, then we took it to the next level.
We said, okay, what's next?
We said, okay, how could we use generative AI to help us
in our commercial organization?
So we created, uh, s Grow, right?
S Grow.
We think of it as a sales buddy, and it's able
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Hmm.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: out and look at all the markets and, and draw
some, some insights from our markets.
Long story short, with the, the sales buddy, our commercial frontline
has found over $140 million of opportunities that we didn't know
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Wow.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: Now we have to turn that into,
into actual business, but you gotta start with the lead.
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Yeah.
That's big.
That's great.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: super exciting.
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Yeah.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: with the support of Microsoft, so we've
been partnering a lot with Microsoft.
we've created the, the research buddy, right?
So in a similar way we've got a, a, our scientists now have access
to a research buddy that helps them do the literature searches,
helps 'em design their experiments.
and these are real life tools that our teams are using now, and we've also now
embarked on a new program with Microsoft.
We are their first.
partner, their primary partner in, uh, the chemical space for what
they call Microsoft Discovery.
And this is a new platform to do chemistry and to do science, not just chemistry.
It's doing all kinds of science.
But this tool will help us create new molecules.
It'll help help us create new, chemical pathways and, and it'll, you know, it'll
design, let's put it this way, I, I, I see this as a way to augment and improve
the capabilities of our scientists.
You said earlier.
are worried about losing their jobs.
I've said this in clearly in, in the webcast to all 2000 of our scientists.
That is not our objective.
Our objective is to give you tools to help you do even more than you can do
today to, to augment your abilities.
And I, we've got, some of our scientists have been using this and they will
tell you very clearly, they feel like they have superpowers, you know,
compared to what they could do before, uh, the speed at which they could
move now is, is just mind boggling.
So, and we're not, we're not finished.
We've got, uh, still a quite a bit of our journey to go.
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Yeah.
I, I love that.
And I think I like the word augmentation.
'cause I think that's the right, approach to this in that
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: that,
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: leading companies are using AI
to augment what they're doing.
And even that the, as you describe it, creating a sales buddy or a, a science
buddy, I mean, it's a, it's a team.
It's becomes part of the team as opposed to.
Something different.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: Exactly.
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Yeah.
so I know that, you know, you got innovation's not just about technology.
You're doing a lot obviously with technology, with ai, et cetera, and yet
I also know you guys are working really closely with your customers to, and
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: in
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: customer centric innovation.
How do you do this?
How, what's your focus as you collaborate with customers?
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: with customers?
our job is to turn molecules into money, right?
I mean, that's, that's what we do.
And, and we do that by solving our customer's biggest challenges.
So you can't do that if you're not interacting with the customer.
I, and I'll tell you the, you know, if you want your, your research
be spot on and you wanna solve the problem your customer has, you, you've
gotta be intimate with the customer.
You've gotta be collaborative right up from the get go.
I, I, many, many times I've seen, you know, we developed something and in
the, we didn't fully understand the customer's needs, so we gotta go back
to the drawing board and do it again.
Right.
We, that's, we've been moving away from that.
So by being more, uh, customer centric, We're, we're hitting
the target, the first time.
Uh, instead of having to go through some iterative process, sewing, throwing
samples over the fence to the customer.
And the way we do that is that we have built, what we call our, our,
um, uh, customer innovation centers.
So Alpharetta, where I'm, where I'm calling from, where we're
having the conversation from right now, one of our Starship sites.
It's a, uh, customer innovation center.
And when I say innovation center, it's not just a.
Uh, a, a building where we have laboratories, it's where we have
the entire cycle of the development, uh, in one under one roof, right?
So that we're fast.
So on the other side of this building, we've got or six pilot
that can make all the different types of polymers that, that we have.
You, you make a new polymer, you walk down the hallway, you know, 30 yards, and
you could turn that polymer into a part.
You could turn that polymer into a.
a thermoplastic composite tape.
So we have, we have, you know, equipment here that actually then turns it into
a material that the customer would use.
We could then walk down the other side of the building and turn that
tape into a part and then take it into our, uh, a development lab, customer
development lab, and then test it in the way the customer would use it.
customers don't want to be our laboratories.
They want us to bring them finished solutions.
So we bring the customers in and they spend time with us in
our customer development labs.
And we test the, the, the, the materials in the finished
form right there with them.
it's, it's been pretty effective.
And, and we've also started bringing AI into this and we've been digitally
connecting our facilities, right?
So not every facility around the world has the exact same capabilities.
Some have, are specialized in, in different areas.
So for example, what we've, we just did in Shanghai, big RR and D center in Shanghai.
We've created a room where we have, digital screens all around the room
and, and there's all kinds of cameras.
So we can bring a customer into our lab in Shanghai and they can digitally
connect with our lab and say, bate Italy.
it, when you walk in that room, you feel like you're in the lab
and the people are on the screens.
You walk around and they could work with the customer from 5,000 miles away.
You know, this is something new that we've done.
We're gonna start doing more of this to connect all of our labs digitally,
so you don't have to be at our center.
You could be close to where, you know, you could join one of our centers
close to where the customers are.
think this is, this has been, uh, very, uh, successful for us and as, as a way
that we really connect with our customers.
That's
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: great.
What's the, what's the customer response?
What do your customers say about this?
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: they've been blown away.
Right?
I mean, I can tell you at least, I mean, from this digital
connection, they've been blown away.
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Yeah.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: they come in there and, and we've
got some of the biggest customers, the biggest brands out there.
They come in and they, they're just, they've never seen it before.
Right?
So they're, they're quite impressed.
the ultimate thing is, are we getting business?
And the answer's yes.
So I, I, you know, it's, it's effective.
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Yeah.
Awesome.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: Awesome.
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Um, so let's we're, as we kind of get
close to the end here, let's talk a little bit about leadership.
So, um, it was recently announced that Science Co is,
Having a CEO change that your longtime CEO Elam cadre is
stepping down end of this year.
To be replaced by Mike
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: Mike
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Radici.
Leadership transitions can be
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: tough,
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: tough, right?
I mean, these are critical times
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: for a
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: for a company and organization.
How are you and the organization preparing for this transition?
I.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: So the good news is, um, it's been
under the works for, for quite some time, for some months, right?
there was a, a, a thorough search internally and externally
for, uh, a replacement.
they selected Mike Rodi, who was an internal candidate.
Mike's been with the company for, you know, over a decade.
Uh, he came from an acquisition.
He's been managing, you know, different parts of our business.
He's been part of all of the leadership team meetings that we have.
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Yeah.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: been, uh, uh, helping, you know,
contributing to the strategy.
So my, you know, when you have somebody from the outside, they come
in, they want to change everything and put their fingerprint on it.
Mike's already been part of who we are today, right?
So I think one from a leadership change standpoint, it, I think
it's gonna be much smoother than if we had an, an external candidate.
You know, the fact that this was, uh, uh, was not short notice.
It was planned.
I think we're gonna be, you know, it's gonna be, you know, smooth transition.
Of course, Mike's a new CEO, he is gonna put his fingerprint on things.
But, people know him.
he's got great credibility in the organization.
you know, honestly, uh, I think, you know, we'll be able to do this,
uh, in a, in a pretty smooth way.
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Awesome.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: Awesome.
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: That's great.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: great.
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Okay, so two final questions and
these are questions with advice.
So my first question is,
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: is,
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: you're obviously deep into this AI
transformation and creating an AI culture.
For Science Co.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: Co.
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: What advice would you give to other
C-Suite business leaders about putting AI at the center of the company?
How do they do this?
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: So I, I, you know, it's not, not easy.
I think the first thing that has to happen is you've got, uh, this
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: I.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: change and it requires
massive change, right?
Mindset change, cultural change.
It has to start at the top.
Uh, if the CEO of the company is not this is not driving this, uh,
it's probably not gonna happen, So I think that's your first step.
If you're, if you're a C-suite, you know, if you're a CEO of a company,
if you're not, if you're on the fence.
You are not gonna get there.
So find a way to get yourself there, right?
That's the first thing.
you've gotta find the people in your organization who
already have this mindset.
Uh, and I could tell you, I mean, there are, like I said, there's, there's,
there's a PO population in your company that, that is already there.
They're pulling, find out who they are and get them to catalyze this,
uh, you know, across the group.
Then, then I'd say the most important thing you gotta do is, is um, then
give them some tools that they can experiment and play with so they
could start seeing the value of it.
And you gotta train 'em.
It's not intuitive, chat.
GPT, for example, is not a replacement for Google.
And in fact, I know OpenAI is pretty upset that that's what most people use it for.
They use it to do Google searches, that they would usually use
Google, they now use chat GPT.
so much more powerful than that.
So you need to learn how to prompt and you gotta train your people
a little bit on how to do that.
And, and I'll tell you the other thing.
What we did, a lot of our guys did was just ask the GPT
to teach us how to use GPT.
And it's pretty simple, right?
It's pretty cool.
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Yeah, I That is cool.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: that is cool.
You gotta get the tools in their hands and then you gotta show them
how it's make, bringing them value.
'cause if the employees don't find value in using the tool, it's
not gonna spread widely, right?
And if they see that value, they're gonna be using it all across the boards.
And then the hard part is you gotta decide which rate route
you're gonna go as a company.
steps, it's about just getting awareness on it.
After that, you gotta decide, am I gonna do this?
Model by model.
Am I gonna do something over here?
Like, kind of like piecemeal, which is fine, the real value
comes when you do an end to end.
But
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Hmm.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: getting expensive, complicated,
and will take years.
So you, you kind of have to, you know, figure out how, what
your strategy is around ai.
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Yeah.
Great advice.
Okay, so now I'm going to the other end of this, uh, of our,
or our industry, which is,
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: is,
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: you know, what's your advice to a
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: a.
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: young professional who's early in their
career in the chemical industry, and that wants to realize success, perhaps
the success that you've realized.
Um,
your advice?
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: My advice would be, I think that
probably the most, and I would say this is for anybody at any point in
their career, but especially when you're early in your career, you gotta
learn to be grounded and balanced.
Right now, I, I've been fortunate.
I've had the opportunity, uh, ELAM, uh, re has, has brought this, uh, team in I've
worked with 'em for the last five years.
It's called Insight Principles.
And what they do is they teach you how your mind works.
That's all they do.
They don't teach you tips and tricks and all this kind of, they
just teach you how your mind works.
And it can only work one way and everybody's mind has
to work the exact same way.
And we go through life thinking.
Most people live their entire lives thinking they live in an outside
in world, when in fact you're living in an inside out world.
And what I
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Yeah.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: in is the world happens.
Stuff goes on.
You know, things go on, stuff in the office goes on, stuff
at your, at your home, goes on.
And most people believe that, whatever happened made you feel a certain
way, made you feel happy, made you feel sad, made you feel angry, and
that's not really what's happening.
What's really happening is you're taking that input and your brain based on your,
your, your programming we call it, right?
So your, your experiences in your life.
Are interpreting that
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Yeah.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: it's, your feelings are coming from your
own brain, so it's really inside out.
when you realize that right, when you catch that, you can turn it off, right?
And, and you recognize it takes a lot of practice, a lot of time and mean, there's
a book out there if anybody's interested, and I don't make any commission on
this, but it's called Invisible Power, uh, by Robin Shart and Ken Manning.
I'm
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: All right.
I'll link to it for people.
Yeah.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: on Amazon, I think it's $11,
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Okay.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: it's $11 well spent, and you learn
that the stress in life is optional.
And when you can get your brain to a grounded and balanced state where it's
clear, insights start popping, that's where the insight principles come from.
And, and you, you let your brain do what it was designed
to do, which is solve problems.
And I've, I brought this, I got a book for my kids.
It's changed their lives already.
They're young and they're entering the workforce.
And I could see the maturity and, and the groundedness that my, my
kids are approaching their jobs in.
And it's, it's quite impressive.
think if, if mo more people had this, I think the, the entire world would be
a, easier place to, to get along in.
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: great advice.
Awesome.
Thank you for that.
And Mike, thanks for joining me today.
This has been a great conversation.
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: I, I, I've thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed it.
Thank you very much,
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: Thank you and
squadcaster-db0e_1_10-23-2025_100814: and
victoria_3_10-23-2025_090814: thanks to everyone for joining us today.
Keep listening, keep following, keep sharing, and we will
talk with you again soon.