IMCD Deep Dive chats - the podcast
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25 years in the making. Throughout IMCD’s history, we have always understood the importance of growth. But growth comes with challenges: that’s what makes it so exciting.
In our anniversary year, senior experts from across our industrial Business Groups are coming together in a series of podcasts to discuss approaches to fostering growth, sharing everything they’ve learned along the way.
Join our senior management as they share their insights and years of experience from the worlds of Advanced Materials, Coatings & Construction, Lubricants & Fuels and Synthesis in the months to come. Our podcast series sees four of our business leaders explore Growth from the ground up, then dive deeper into Talent, Sustainability, Innovation and Digitalisation. We’ll be exploring and comparing the impact of the trends on a variety of markets, and discovering more about the unique approaches of each expert.
Growth Pillars: The IMCD Recipe for Success – Episode 1
Successful growth requires a multi-faceted approach. As a leading global speciality chemicals distributor with 25 years of experience, IMCD has a multi-faceted approach for enabling it. We ask each of our expert guests how they approach growth and especially acquisition. What’s a healthy split between acquisition and organic growth, and what needs to be considered when integrating newly acquired companies? What is the best way to go about unifying people behind a common goal and culture?
Talent Management in Chemical Distribution – IMCD’s Got Talent! – Episode 2
People are the passion – and therefore the driving force – behind any business, as we at IMCD well know. Over 25 years of value creation, talent acquisition and making new people feel welcome has always been an essential part of our growth. In this episode of our podcast series, we’ll be asking our expert guests: what kind of talent does a global speciality chemicals distributor need? And what makes IMCD the kind of place where talented individuals can succeed and ultimately build a career?
Sustainability in Chemical Distribution – Helping to Create a Bright Tomorrow – Episode 3
What’s growth if it isn’t sustainable? At IMCD, we’re determined to grow in a way that protects and nourishes our planet and communities. That’s what will cement our position as a distributor of choice for forward-thinking manufacturers around the world. In this episode, we asked our team of experts to consider the ways that sustainable approaches are set to evolve over the coming decade. We explore the opportunities this creates as we discuss what matters most to change-making, mobilised consumers.
Innovation in Chemical Distribution – Co-Creating to Deliver Tomorrow’s Solutions – Episode 4
Innovation is an important growth enabler for the chemicals industry, but is equally difficult to master, throwing up unique challenges for manufacturers and distributors across a variety of end markets. We ask our experts to offer some guidance for companies who find themselves facing roadblocks, while also sharing their insights on how IMCD continually innovates to add even more value as a partner. At the heart of innovation lies co-creation, and today our podcast guests shed light on how that makes a real difference to our customers.
IMCD Digital Transformation: Embracing the Challenges of Tomorrow! – Episode 5
At IMCD, we are at our best when customers come to us with a challenge and we are able to help create a solution they might never have imagined. The digital revolution offers an incredible opportunity to make meaningful progress while nourishing growth, but many companies are afraid of what can seem like a complex, insurmountable task. In today’s podcast episode, we ask our experts to explain where IMCD is benefiting from digital transformation, and provide advice on how companies can identify the right digital approaches for their business.
Our expert speakers
Katrina Sichel
Event Moderator & Content Designer, Broadcaster, Communications Specialist, Writer, Voiceover Artist
Frank has a career spanning more than 30 years within the coatings & construction industry. Joining IMCD in 2000, he has been with IMCD been an integral part of its growth journey. He is our man with the mileage with a passion for art and sports cars (especially a well know German manufacturer beginning with P). His formulation for growth: “Don’t go with the flow. Determine the flow!”
Olivier Champault, Business Group Director Advanced Materials
Mr. Champault has an extensive international career in Latin America, Europe and Asia and has worked in management and strategy consulting. Before joining IMCD, he held senior positions in several large speciality chemicals companies. He is passionate with classical music and very fanatic about tennis. The team gave him a nick name as Duracell (the pink bunny always energetic) he brings high and positive energy to work and to the team.
Fikri Alemdaroglu, Business Group Director Synthesis
Fikri joined IMCD as Synthesis BG Director in 2020. With a PhD in Chemistry as well as experience with global chemical multinationals spanning from R&D to management, he has real passion for Chemistry. Even though he is not working any more in laboratory he has a small lab at home where he likes to mix different stuff. No dangerous lab work He lives in the wonderful city of Düsseldorf in Germany with his family and loves biking and playing tennis.
Marco Madeddu, Business Group Director Lubricants & Energy
Marco combines the roles of Managing Director for IMCD Italy together with leading our global Lubricants & Energy business. He has a background in chemical production and R&D. In his professional life Marco spent time working in the UK, prior to returning to his home country of Italy in 2017.
Marco has a passion for sustainability and for growing the business with like-minded supply partners. In his personal life he enjoys leaving the city and enjoying the beautiful mountain areas of Italy. He has a special passion for Sardinia (his hometown), books, wine and olive oil. He is a keen runner and will encourage colleagues to join during the downtime of team meetings.
Katrina Sichel, Event Moderator & Content Designer, Broadcaster, Communications Specialist, Writer, Voiceover Artist
Katrina's career path spans steel trading in West Africa to business development in the post-Soviet states for a multinational language-learning organisation; co-Director of an award-winning broadcast PR agency, to Head of Production for a London-based opera company. She fell into moderating alongside running big comms campaigns for the EU institutions. 'Likes' include MGM musicals, the poetry of Baudelaire, Belgian pralines, and tap dancing.
New & Upcoming episodes
Discover more about our Business Groups
Coatings & Construction
At IMCD Coatings & Construction, our speciality chemicals add colour, drive performance and enhance the durability of industrial paints, coatings, construction chemicals, adhesives and inks.
Read moreAdvanced materials
At IMCD Advanced Materials, we are active in the compounding, converting, composite, rubber and polyurethane industries.
Read moreLubricants & Energy
IMCD Lubricants & Energy brings together our expertise across the lubricants, fuels, oil & gas and energy sectors.
Read moreSynthesis
IMCD Synthesis is a leading distributor of monomers, reactive chemicals, building blocks and additives for the manufacturing of chemicals and polymers on an industrial scale.