[December 27, 2023] Polina Ware was selected to receive the Management Division 2024 Young Leader Award. The Awards Committee selected Dr. Polina Ware for her impactful leadership roles at large enterprises: 3M, IBM, PPG, LANXESS, and Rogers Corporation. She is currently the Global Technical and Innovation Director at PPG, where she has positioned the packaging business for growth. Polina inspires a team of 150 to innovate in sustainability and accelerated product development through predictive modeling, digitalization, and AI. Dr. Ware started her career at 3M as an innovator, demonstrating her ability to predict emerging trends and new white spaces. Then, at LANXESS, she identified billion-dollar opportunities, expanding the organization’s per-polymer technology to coatings, adhesives, sealants, and elastomers. At Rogers Corporation, she delivered $30 million within six months, bolstered growth in Europe, and led M&A efforts through the acquisition and integration of Silicone Engineering.
Polina earned a B.S. in chemical engineering and a M.S. and doctorate in polymer science and engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She holds numerous patents on the sustainable recycling of polyurethane elastomers, the process for low free monomer NDI (naphthalene diisocyanate) prepolymer production and low free monomer polyurethane prepolymer composition, among others. She has chaired and spoken at important sustainability sessions at AIChE and other professional meetings. She is well-known for her work towards equity that started at the 3M Women’s Leadership Forum. She finds very rewarding that new employees and peers look for her as a mentor dedicating time to their development. She is currently pursuing an executive MBA at Kellogg Northwestern to learn how to lead with impact and create more value for her team and company.
In her free time Polina loves spending time playing chess and Legos with her 7-year-old son, snowboarding, hosting themed parties, powerlifting, and cooking ketogenic lifestyle meals.
The award will be presented at a special session during the 2024 Spring Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana. Stay tuned for details about the session and schedule.
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