Victoria: Welcome to The Chemical Show, the podcast where chemical means business.
I'm your host, Victoria Meyer, bringing you stories and insights
from leaders, driving innovation and growth across the chemical industry.
Each week, we explore key trends, real world challenges, and the
strategies that make an impact.
Let's get started.
Welcome back to the chemical show.
I am continuing our conversation here in the month of March with
great women leaders in chemicals.
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So I am speaking with Christian McIver, who is the president and chief
operating officer at Pilot Chemical.
is a privately held and independent global specialty chemical manufacturer,
and I think that's always a great distinction since there's So much
private equity in our industry for it to truly be private and independent
is a real landmark consideration.
In Christian's role, she has full responsibility for developing, executing,
and delivering upon all the short and longterm goals, strategies, and other
business considerations for pilot.
Christian began her career at Ingevity Specialty Chemicals,
where she climbed the ladder and ultimately led some of the company's.
biggest businesses.
She joined pilot a couple years ago and is working her magic there.
So Christian, I'm so excited to have you here.
Thanks for joining me today.
Christian: Thank you, Victoria.
It's such a pleasure to be here on the chemical show.
Victoria: Absolutely.
So what is your origin story?
How did you get interested in chemicals and ultimately what
got you to where you are today?
Christian: Yeah, great question.
So I have always loved solving problems.
I can remember being a little girl and looking out the front window
waiting for my dad to come home because he would give me math problems
to do, really hard math problems.
And I love that.
And my dad and I, we would also do puzzles together.
Only we would turn them upside down and we would race, not being
able to see the picture, seeing who could do the puzzle the fastest.
Victoria: just based on the shape.
Christian: That's right.
Based on the shape.
Yeah, so I just grew up with this love of solving problems and
puzzles, which naturally led me to being good in science and math.
I was probably one of the few students that actually enjoyed the homework
because each of those homework problems was a little mini puzzle.
Victoria: Yeah,
Christian: I majored in engineering.
And chemical engineering.
And I actually thought that I was going to work in a plant with a
hard hat and steel toed boots.
That was what my plan was.
But, when I was interviewing, I had this, um, this interviewer who he stopped me
like midway through the interview and he said, I know you want to work in a plant,
but have you ever thought about sales?
And I looked at him like he was crazy because the only sales people that I'd
ever met were the guy in the mall selling vacuums and, the door to door sales person
selling encyclopedias when I was little.
And so I said, no, I, I would never want to go in sales.
He fixed me up with one of his female technical sales reps who was selling
industrial lubricants and, , put me on the road with her for a week so I could
see what it was I was missing out on.
And I tell you from that point, I was hooked.
So I totally switched my career search, wanting to go into technical sales.
So I think it turns out that that interviewer was the good salesperson.
Victoria: absolutely.
Absolutely.
And then it's, yeah, I think most engineers don't think
about going into sales.
And we all have these beliefs.
I'm not sure I knew that I was going to be wearing hard hats,
and yet I did for many years.
But I think it's just, an interesting part of the journey.
And so have you always stayed on the commercial side of the business?
Christian: Yes, for the most part.
So I had more of a traditional career track going into sales and then.
Moving into product management, sales management, and then director VP.
But, after many years on the commercial side, I actually, for
career broadening, took a role heading up a global supply chain team.
And that, that was really interesting because when I took the job, I
didn't realize that six months later.
the global pandemic was going to start.
Victoria: Oh,
Christian: so here I am really not knowing much.
Um, I still don't know much about supply chain, but being in this role,
having to lead a global team of over a hundred people through this, this
crisis that nobody had ever experienced yet, you know, and we had spent
years trying to make our supply chain lean and to optimize inventories.
And yet, you know, suddenly we're having not to just have a plan B,
but a plan C, D, E as every day.
The challenge was much different.
But, what I learned in, in that in supply chain, it gave me such an appreciation
for our team because when I went into supply chain, someone I worked with, it's
so true that when you look back on wars in the world, it's the effectiveness of
the supply chain that determines whether, whether countries or, the armies win
or lose wars, it's the supply chain.
And the same is true in business that it's how good your supply chain is,
whether you win or lose business.
Victoria: Yeah,
Christian: have such an appreciation for our folks in
all parts of our supply chain.
Victoria: Yeah, that is such a great perspective and so true because as we've
seen, you know, I've been calling the 2020s the decade of supply chain because
starting with the COVID crisis and then continuing on, supply chain has dictated
a lot of success and profitability for businesses of all varieties.
Christian: Yeah, you're right.
It takes thousands, hundreds of thousands of things to go right to get an order
in full on time in spec to a customer that's halfway around the world, but
it only takes one thing to go wrong.
Victoria: Yeah.
Absolutely.
And we take it for granted.
, so what brought you to pilot?
Cause you've been at pilot now for two years.
So you were doing great in longevity, you survived the supply chain challenges
of COVID, and now you're at pilot.
So tell us a little bit about that.
Christian: Yeah, I loved running a global supply chain learned a lot.
I was ready to get back to running a business though.
I love running a business.
And when I was.
Interviewing with the CEO at pilot, he put the company's strategy in front of me.
And this strategy, it's, a diagram of a solar system and at the center the sun is.
Our customers and the pilot team.
And yeah, you know, that, that was kind of my drop the mic moment.
Like that was it.
I was sold.
I was ready to come to work for pilot because through my interview process and
coming on board the last two years, a lot of companies might say that that's what,
what's at the center of their strategy.
But at Pilot, it really is true.
It's our team, it's our customers and everything we do.
It's a filter that we use.
Is this good for our customers?
Good for our team.
So we live it and it's so much fun.
I can't wait to get to work every day and be part of making
a difference in that way.
Victoria: I love that.
That is great.
So tell us other than customers being the center of the solar system
and strategy for pilot, tell us just a little bit more about pilot.
Christian: Yeah.
Uh, so we're a medium.
sized chemical company.
And you already mentioned that we're privately held and you know, there's
such a uniqueness and, and being privately held and medium size, or we
can be quick and nimble, we're big enough to deliver and flexible enough
to serve what our customers needs are, but pilot was founded over 70 years ago.
And pilot was based on an innovative technology.
So our founder invented a new way to sulfonate an ice cold way of sulfonation.
And that technology, it imparts greater quality, greater consistency in
essentially surfactants, which is what we still use that technology today.
for.
So that's still a backbone technology.
We also manufacture biocides and preservatives, and those products are used
in household and personal care products, industrial and institutional emulsion,
polymerization, metalworking, lubricants.
Victoria: Awesome.
That's really great.
Thank you for that.
So, I mean, pilot seems to be in a period of growth and transformation.
So you talk about, your sulfonation technology.
You guys have recently announced a plant expansion, you've announced some new
strategic partnerships with cow, um, and sustainable surfactants and, you
know, I know there's been a few things really over the past several years.
Is this a new pilot and a new strategy or is it part of a ongoing
bigger transformation story?
Awesome.
Christian: I think that you do see, as you mentioned, you see some new announcements
coming out from pilot and we have been dedicated to growth for many years.
And I think in the chemical industry, you have to grow because your costs
increase and inflation and benefits, all of those things, it becomes
more expensive to stay in business.
So you don't have a choice.
You have to grow.
I think what's different though, is we've gotten very specific about how we want to
grow and we, we call it our growth engine.
And so our growth engine, how do we take advantage of our size, our
ownership structure, um, our board who's committed to investing in
growth and what do we do with that?
We're trying to invest more.
We are investing more.
in those markets that are changing because when there are
changes, there are opportunities.
And for a company of our size, , we can change and adapt quickly
and, and meet those dynamic needs of customers in those markets.
So Victoria to two markets that we're focused more on now than
we were a few years ago, our household and personal care.
And so products, specifically cleaning products in those end
uses, those are what's changing today are environmental regulations.
For example, like, um, the low one for dioxane regulations that have come out.
Also, consumer preferences are changing.
Consumers want more transparency.
They want to understand what's in the product.
And then sustainability trends as well in the companies that make those.
products.
And so pilot, we ask ourselves, how can we help our customers and the end consumers?
How can we meet those challenges?
And so that's what we're focused on doing.
And that's why we're expanding our flagship plant in Middletown.
And that's why we're focused on bringing a portfolio of bio based
surfactants to those markets.
Victoria: Yeah.
And that makes a lot of sense.
And those are two really, unique markets driven a lot, as you point out, by
sustainability, by consumer preferences and requires that adaptation and support.
How is your, um, your team, viewing this?
So right there's a lot of legacy at Pilot, 70 years old.
Um, You know, so you're probably implementing along the way in order
to achieve this growth strategy, some changes around people, processes,
customers, how are they responding?
Christian: Sure.
I mean, no doubt we need some
Uses because they haven't been ones that have been such a focus as they are today.
But our team is super excited about our growth engine and they want to be part
of the story, part of pilot success.
And I've really been impressed by that when I joined pilot that pilots, a
company very low on ego, really high on hard work, doing the best job that
you can and focused on doing all of our parts to make the company successful.
And it's really, I love going around and joining our CEO for our town
halls and sharing with employees the difference they're making, how
they're part of our, of pilot success.
It's really cool to see how the strong foundations that our team has built over
the years, how we're combining that with new folks who've come on board and, and
focusing all of that on delivering growth.
Victoria: That's excellent.
And I know the people I know from pilot really love pilot, right?
They feel this strong affinity to pilot, to its customers, to its business.
And that shows, you know, we talked a little bit about change and one
of the things I've been talking with people recently, they've just.
Commenting on the rapid pace of change we're seeing here in 2025, particularly
when we think about trade and tariffs and all kinds of policies that are rolling
through with the new administration.
How are those changes affecting you in pilot and how do you even
get ready for uncertainty of the changes that are coming through?
Christian: Yeah, and it's dizzying, and I just saw an hour ago that it's
changed again, what the plan is.
Victoria: day.
Christian: Right, right.
You know, in a company our size, we don't have a big team that we can go
tell them to go work in a closet on this and tell us what the magic answer is.
Right?
We don't have that luxury.
So we are a lean team and we do scenario planning.
So we try to look at kind of 80 20.
What do we think the outcome will be here and put a couple different
scenarios together and then as it plays out react from there.
But fortunately, through COVID, we lessened our dependence
on outside supply chains.
So, um, I'm not, not saying we're insulated from tariffs because that's
certainly not the case, but much less than we would have been five
years ago if it had happened then.
what I'm starting to see unfold is more of a willingness to work
together across the supply chain.
So this doesn't seem, uh, like, There's any one party in the supply chain
that is trying to stick it to the, the one up or downstream from them.
I'm really seeing a partnership of how, how do we share in this together?
How do we work through these challenges, which is great.
Great to see that we've got relationships like that.
Victoria: Yeah.
And I mean, I think the chemical industry prides itself on its relationships
and, had to be strengthened through some of the supply chain challenges
we've seen over the past few years.
As we look at how business and markets are evolving, collaboration
and partnership is getting redefined and becomes really critical.
Christian: You're right.
And yeah, you know, we've.
been in business more than 70 years, most of our suppliers
and customers have been too.
Victoria: Yeah,
Christian: you see this kind of balance of power that it shifts, right?
Markets are short, markets are long, markets change.
And we plan to be in business another 70 years.
And I think the other parts of our supply chain do too.
So how do we look at this sustainably?
Victoria: Yeah.
Are most of your customers, North America?
Is it, is that largely where you guys are selling and marketing today?
Christian: Our manufacturing base is in North America.
So we have five plants in across the U S in Mexico and about a third of
our sales are outside of the U S.
So we manufacture in the U S and, and ship all over the world.
Victoria: Awesome.
Love it.
So, you know, we talked a little bit about sustainability.
We've talked about some of these supply chain and other things.
The other thing, you know, companies are really, Moving quickly on, we're not so
quickly in wondering where they're going is around digitization and AI, right?
So I think two years ago, nobody knew how to spell AI.
Um, today it's part of our everyday conversations, at least.
Although I think a lot of companies that I've talked to, in fact, I
had a conversation just yesterday, where they're like, we're
trying to figure this out still.
What about Pilot?
What's your approach to digitization and AI?
Is there anything new that you guys are rolling out or how are you approaching it?
Because, as you know, and we already talked about,
changes are occurring rapidly.
Christian: Right, right.
And it is rapid.
And I was very impressed when I joined pilot at the level of digitization
that's already taking place within pilot.
We have a digi team, and they also focus on automation.
And I mean, just from, like a data standpoint, just with a couple
clicks, I can find out all kinds of information and it's It's the same
source of information that everyone in the company is looking at.
So we're not reliant on spreadsheets.
And I think being our size of a medium company, I think that benefits us
in this way that we haven't, um, you know, our system is pretty simple to
navigate in order to extract the data.
get it in one place.
And, and also in our plants, we have, invested a lot of money in automating our
plants, looking at, how we take out the human factor of possibly making mistakes.
And how do we, how do we more do these things from control rooms?
And our board has been very supportive of that, of our plants.
And then as far as A.
I.
Goes, we still have a long way to go and and using A.
I.
And it keeps
Victoria: everyone,
Christian: you know, but I'm looking forward to seeing how we can leverage A.
I.
And technology specifically.
As the A.
I.
Programs evolve, I think it's more ready for a company our size.
Victoria: When you
Christian: I'm looking forward to that.
Victoria: think about, is this about in formulations?
Is it in your business lines?
How do you see yourself?
Attempting or trying to start utilizing AI more.
Christian: I think on our marketing and business development side,
there's an opportunity there and in innovation, like product
development and optimizing formulas.
I think both sides of that.
It'll be different A.
I.
S.
But we're ready to look at what makes sense for us.
Victoria: Awesome.
Christian: think like we're we're careful about what we invest in.
Right?
Right.
Like I don't know about being the early adopter, whether that yeah.
Makes sense for pilot.
But once something is, is ready and we see that it's going to add value, we're quick
to step up and make an investment in it.
Victoria: Yeah, and that makes sense, and I think, you know, have said this
before, I think a lot of companies kind of got burned by SAP, like it's such a
big, huge investment, and once you make the switch, you feel like you're stuck.
Christian: Yeah.
Victoria: when we think about digital applications and AI tools,
I think people, many companies are afraid of getting stuck.
You don't mind being the leaders.
You don't mind being fast followers, but there's a concern that what
if we adopt the wrong thing for us, but then we're stuck.
As I talked to people, in technology companies and others, I do think
the good news is, is that we're.
Moving into applications that are more, robust and resilient, being
able to bounce in and out and not being stuck with a single platform, but
being able to figure out what really works for you and adapt and evolve now,
this all plays out, time will tell,
Christian: Yeah.
And I think about like, how can we invest in technologies that allow us to
do things that we're not doing today?
And maybe if we were more back investing by having a I do things
we're already doing, maybe we would have that stuck feeling.
But I think today we're looking at how can this really superpower supercharge
what we're not able to get to today?
Victoria: yeah, I love it.
That makes sense.
You know, let's turn a little bit more to you.
You joined pilot two years ago, moving from a larger publicly traded company,
to midsize privately held company pilot.
What was the biggest challenge you faced in that transition?
Christian: Yeah, great question.
And I'll answer that two ways.
One, I actually have to read all my emails now, so I used to get copied on so many
informational emails and I would get, you know, hundreds of emails and a lot of
them I'd never even open and nobody would notice, but at Pilot, a smaller company,
medium sized company, that doesn't happen.
I'm copied on emails for a reason.
And it's kind of having, a smaller group who is informed on what's relevant in the
company, what's material in the company.
It allows us to make decisions so much quicker because we're already informed.
So that was a change for me.
I hadn't even thought about about that being a change.
And then the second one, and this is a really good change, is that craziness
leading up to a quarter, we don't have that being privately held, right?
Right.
We don't have a quarterly earnings call that is going to impact
our share price based on did we meet the analyst's expectations?
And that is so refreshing that we can, we don't have to compromise.
the long term for the short term.
And, of course we've got end of the year targets, but we're not in the
hot seat every quarter like that.
Victoria: Yeah, I love that.
And I think, two things.
Number one, I think that, you know, the email becomes, I think sometimes
we don't understand our decision making burdens that come along with it.
Right.
And that's an.
It's something that you come to grips with, right, good and bad, uh, in terms
of, of just kind of the focus of role.
So I think that's, I think that's really cool.
Um, and hopefully you have fewer emails, Christian, and the ones
Christian: It's manageable.
Victoria: you
Christian: That's right.
Yeah.
It's manageable.
Victoria: but I think the, this whole concept of having a longer term viewpoint.
Is so critical, because especially when we look at the last few years, just
the volatility in markets with supply chains being up and down and people
being overstocked and understocked, public companies have really been
whipsawed a little bit, whereas with private companies, and I've talked
to a lot of leaders from privately held companies, and you know, it
is a bit more of a balanced view.
Yes, you're running your numbers monthly, maybe daily, weekly, who
knows, on whatever, matters to you and makes sense for you to be
effectively running your business.
you can look at a longer term view.
And know that, it's not about the December 31st number.
It's about, hey, we said we were going to get to some place by May
1st and let's track to May 1st.
And that that's what makes sense.
And so being able to have a longer horizon and a more balanced horizon.
Christian: Yes.
And we do look at our numbers daily, right?
The numbers are.
important to us.
But if t what we expect, we're not forward or um, you know, in growth that we need to
refreshing and the board and shareholder And I've been so fortunat
Victoria: want to close with a question around leadership, which
is around, you know, advice.
What's one piece of advice that you've received in your career
that you consider to be so critical that you now share it with others?
Christian: To have worked with some great leaders.
So I learned from, from some of the best out there.
, so it's hard to pick one, one that has stuck with me is use your voice.
And I can remember being in my first job as a salesperson and sitting around the
table and my, my boss was proposing that we go out and raise prices by X percent.
And inside, I knew that wasn't the right thing to do.
I knew I was going to have a couple of customers that were going to
have a very hard time with that.
And, uh, I didn't speak up and yeah, you know, the boss said,
okay, everybody going to go do this.
And I raised my hand with everybody else.
Yes.
We're going to do this.
And sure enough, I lost a huge piece of business by forcing a price
increase through that I spent the next couple of years trying to get back.
But I mean, that's one example of use your voice, but it's, you know,
now when I'm in a meeting, I make sure I'm sitting at the table.
I make sure I speak up when I.
When I want, when I have a question about what's being talked about or a
concern about what's being proposed and, that's what I'm hired to do.
And I view all of our employees, we're hiring them for that brain that's
sitting between their shoulders, and we want them to use it on day one.
They don't have to be, have a certain level or be with the
company for so many years.
That's why we want them to lean in and speak up, use their voice.
Victoria: I love that.
And that's a, that is a great message.
We have a voice, use it.
Uh, that's great.
So Christian, thank you so much.
I'm really excited that we got a chance to do this.
I appreciate you sharing insights with myself and our
listeners of the chemical show.
And it's been great to have this conversation with you.
Christian: Thank you, Victoria.
And I appreciate what you do.
Thank you.
Victoria: Thank you.
And thanks everyone for listening.
Keep listening, keep following, keep sharing, and we will
talk with you again soon.
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