Orion S.A. (NYSE: OEC), a global leader in specialty chemicals, has announced the appointment of Natalia Scherbakoff as the company’s new Chief Technology Officer. She succeeds David Deters, who has led Orion’s global innovation program for nearly a decade, positioning the company as a frontrunner in developing sustainable materials, battery additives, and technologies in the carbon black industry. Deters, who announced his retirement earlier this year, will stay on until the end of 2024 to ensure a smooth transition.
Scherbakoff comes to Orion from Trinseo, a specialty materials company, where she served as Vice President of Technology & Innovation. In that role, she oversaw global research, development, and technological innovation, focusing on sustainability and circular solutions. She also played a crucial role in key growth initiatives and mergers and acquisitions, and was a member of Trinseo’s Corporate Environmental, Social, and Governance Council.
“Natalia brings a wealth of global experience and a proven track record of successfully guiding ideas through the development process to product launches,” said Corning Painter, CEO of Orion. “Her strong interpersonal skills, coupled with a passion for innovation and delivering tangible results, make her an ideal fit for this role. As she joins us during this exciting phase at Orion, I look forward to her building on the successes we’ve achieved under David’s leadership in areas such as batteries, circular products, and coatings.”
Before her tenure at Trinseo, Scherbakoff was Vice President of Research Innovation & Product Lines at Plastic Omnium, a French automotive supplier now known as OPmobility. She also held positions as General Manager of Specialty Composites and Director of Global Innovation at Owens Corning, a manufacturer of building materials.
In addition to her industry experience, Scherbakoff is a non-executive board member at Clayens NP, a specialty materials producer, and is part of the Forbes Technology Council.
Scherbakoff holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Macromolecular Science from Case Western Reserve University (U.S.), a degree in Chemical Engineering from Mauá Engineering University (Brazil), and an MBA from Getulio Vargas Foundation (Brazil). She is fluent in English, French, Portuguese, Italian, and Russian.
She will be based at Orion’s main innovation hub in Cologne, Germany, overseeing the company’s technical centers in China, South Korea, and the U.S. Scherbakoff will focus on enhancing Orion’s innovation capabilities, including utilizing the new Battery Innovation Center in Cologne, equipped with comprehensive production, testing, and diagnostic facilities.
Furthermore, she will manage Orion’s €12.8 million investment, which includes €6.4 million in funding from the German government and the European Union, aimed at developing and demonstrating a climate-neutral process for producing carbon black from alternative carbon sources. This technology is designed to enhance Orion’s yield and throughput in carbon black production using circular feedstocks.
