PPG appoints new director

PPG appoints new global technical director for packaging coatings

PPG has appointed Polina Ware as its new global technical director for packaging coatings, effective January 9. Ware leads the packaging coatings leadership team and is responsible for the continued development of our industry-leading packaging coatings solutions that help protect consumers and the environment.

Ware will lead the research and development teams at the Milford (Ohio), Bodelshausen (Germany) and Zhangjiagang (China) packaging coatings innovation centers. His team ensures that PPG and its can manufacturing customers comply with and stay ahead of evolving global food contact materials regulations. This work is done in collaboration with PPG’s global technical service team to ensure that our coating technologies work in theory and in 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 bisphenol-free food contact coatings for consumer packaging.”

Ware joins PPG from specialty chemicals manufacturer Rogers Corporation, where she served as global director of research and development. In addition, he oversaw a global technical service and application development team and a worldwide research and development center. Previously, he held related management positions at industrial manufacturers Lanxess and 3M.

Ware holds a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Polymer Science and Engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He also holds numerous patents on the sustainable recycling of polyurethane elastomers, the production process for low free monomer NDI (naphthalene diisocyanate) prepolymers and the compounding of low free monomer polyurethane prepolymers, among others.

He enjoys snowboarding, skating, playing soccer and spending time with his 7-year-old son. He expects to complete the Kellogg Executive Master of Business Administration Program at Northwestern University in 2023. In addition, Ware mentors and develops women executives as a member of Chief Network, an organization of senior women leaders.