PPG names new packaging coatings global technical director

PPG named Polina Ware its new packaging coatings global technical director, effective January ninth. Ware leads the packaging coatings leadership team with responsibility for the continued development of our industry-leading packaging coatings solutions that help protect consumers and the environment.

Ware will manage research and development teams at Packaging Coatings Innovation Centers in Milford, Ohio, Bodelshausen, Germany, and Zhangjiagang, China. Her team ensures that PPG and its can make customers comply with and stay ahead of evolving, global food-contact materials regulations. That work is done in conjunction with PPG's global technical service team to make certain that our coatings technologies perform in theory and practice.

"Polina's leadership in driving the growth of our sustainable solutions will be key to the continued success of our customers and our global packaging business," said Amy Ericson, PPG senior vice president, Protective and Marine Coatings, who currently leads Packaging Coatings. "She will ensure that we remain the standard of excellence for global can coatings and strengthen our leadership position in non-bisphenol food contact coatings for consumer packaging."

Ware joins PPG from the specialty chemical manufacturer Rogers Corporation, where she served as global research and development director. In addition, she oversaw a global technical service and application development team and a worldwide research and development center. Before that, she served in related leadership roles at the industrial manufacturers Lanxess and 3M.

Ware earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering and a master's and a doctorate in polymer science and engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She also 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 enjoys snowboarding, skating, soccer, and spending time with her seven-year-old son. She expects to complete Kellogg’s Executive Master of Business Administration Program at Northwestern University in 2023. In addition, Ware mentors and develops women executives as a member of the Chief Network, an organization of women senior leaders.