New Scott Bader Group CEO Appointed

Scott Bader has appointed Jean-Claude Pierre as its new Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO), taking over from Philip Bruce who retires at the end of June this year, after 10 years in the role and 41 years in the chemical industry. Jean-Claude officially starts onJune 15 and will take full control of the business; he will be located at Scott Bader’s global headquarters in Northamptonshire in the UK.

The appointment of Jean-Claude is based on an impressive performance record in a number of key senior management and board level leadership roles. He has more than 26 years of multinational business experience in a variety of roles and diverse markets including Automotive, Consumer Electronics, Appliances, Mining, Nutrition, Oil & Gas, Adhesives and Coatings. His career to date has spanned technical, commercial and management consulting positions, initially with blue chip companies ICI, Ashland and BASF, working in chemicals, automotive and speciality coatings based in the UK, USA, Germany and France, then nine years in China since 2006. During his time in China, Jean-Claude became President of the global division of Beckers Group, a Partner with HEJUN Management Consulting, and most recently was the Managing Director of EMS Group, China up until this new appointment at Scott Bader. His qualifications include a Master’s degree from ITECH-Lyon engineering institute for plastics, textiles and composites in France, a PhD in Organisational Systems from Saybrook University, and an MBA from Hult International Business School in the USA. Jean-Claude’s broad ranging business expertise and experience will enable him to quickly understand and add value to both the Speciality Chemicals and Composites business divisions that make up the Scott Bader Group.

Passionate about business transformation and people, the significant strategic changes made by Scott Bader under Philip Bruce are acknowledged by the incoming new CEO. Jean-Claude commented, saying: "I am very excited to be joining this uniquely independent business and to build upon what has already been accomplished by the team in changing the strategic direction of the business. The ‘Vision 2020’ strategy has added new advanced products and significantly increased Scott Bader’s global business presence through key acquisitions and joint ventures in recent years. The next five years are critical to leverage this expanded global position in key markets, find new opportunities, and continue to invest in innovation and people, the two core strengths of the business.”

Philip Bruce passes on the responsibility of leading Scott Bader with the business in good shape for the future, having steered it through the extremely difficult business climate from 2008-2011, a period that many economic commentators regard as the most serious crisis to hit the global economy since the Great Depression. The foundations of the "Vision 2020” strategy were laid back in 2007. It is now well advanced and has delivered both organic and inorganic strategic growth. There is significant new business in key composites markets globally, achieved though the creation of the new Adhesives & Advanced Composites business unit, which has developed innovative new high performance products, including the range of Crestapol acrylic resins and Crestabond primer-less methacrylate structural adhesives, using in-house technology and R & D expertise. Key Vision 2020 globalisation objectives have also been achieved through the selective Joint Ventures during 2012 and 2013 with partner companies in India, Saudi Arabia and Brazil, as well as the acquisition of Ontario based ATC Formulated Polymers to strengthen Scott Bader’s position in Northern America.

Philip has taken the Scott Bader Group from a largely EMEA regionally dependent business back in 2005 to its current US$287M annual turnover global position today, with manufacturing facilities in Europe, The Middle East, South Africa, India, Canada and South America and more than 640 employees worldwide. He leaves Scott Bader having put in place a number of key structural and strategic changes aimed at securing long term sustainability, while maintaining the unique structure, ethical, social, charitable and environmental values and guiding principles handed down by the Founder, Ernest Bader, which are ingrained in Scott Bader and the way it does business.

For more information about the Scott Bader Group, and the full range of solvent- and water-based speciality polymers, synthetic resins, structural adhesives and advanced composites materials, visit www.scottbader.com .