Speakers panel

Amy Schumacher is the Chief Executive Officer of The Heritage Group, overseeing the company’s portfolio of more than 50 companies and 6,000 employees. She is also a member of its board of trustees. Amy has been part of The Heritage Group family of businesses since 2008, when she founded Monument Chemical — THG’s specialty chemicals business — and served as Monument’s President and CEO for eight years. In that role, she was responsible for growing Monument from a small, Indianapolis-based business into a global company with operations in Europe and the US. In 2016, Amy transitioned to President of The Heritage Group and was appointed CEO in 2020, marking the fourth generation of Fehsenfeld family leadership. She graduated from Purdue University with a B.A. in Education and B.S. in Civil Engineering and received her M.B.A. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She serves on the boards of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership, Calumet Specialty Products and the Purdue Engineering Advisory Council. Amy enjoys spending her free time with her husband, Jim, and her two daughters.

Dr. John P. (Jack) Dever is the Chief Technology Officer, leads a world class staff responsible for contract chemical technology programs, including lab, pilot plant and manufacturing technology development. He joined AVN Corp. in 2011. Prior to joining AVN, he had technology development and manufacturing leadership roles at Union Carbide and subsequently the Dow Chemical Company for 28 years. Jack holds several patents and was recognized by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) with the 2023 Lawrence B. Evans Award in Chemical Engineering Practice and was elected as a Fellow in AICHE and WVU Chemical Engineering Academy. He received a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Notre Dame.

Tanja Störmer is Vice President Product Development & Innovation at UPM Adhesive Materials, where she leads the global Product Development & Innovation organization and shapes the future of sustainable adhesive and labeling solutions. She has driven the transformation of R&D and Product Development toward agile, cross-regional innovation networks by building global innovation and technology platforms and regional development hubs.
Tanja brings extensive international leadership experience in the B2B and chemical industries, with a strong focus on scaling innovation through customer-centricity, data-driven decision-making, and agile development models.
Before her current role, she held P&L responsibility for the EMEIA Films & Specials SBU at UPM Adhesive Materials and served in multiple leadership positions at Henkel Adhesive Technologies.

Dr. Christina (Chris) Bodurow received her Bachelors of Arts from Kalamazoo College, and her Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Princeton University. Chris is currently Senior Vice President of Project Management at the Indiana Biosciences Research Institute. Chris’ prior roles include Deputy Director of the AVIDD/SyneRx NIH/NIAID grant at the Stanford School of Medicine, global Vice-President of Regulatory Affairs at IQVIA, and Eli Lilly and Company-Lilly Research Laboratories, Retired, 1984-2017. Chris also serves in a number of professional and community volunteer roles, including on the Board of Directors of the American Chemical Society, the Board of Directors of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, and the Board of Trustees of Kalamazoo College. She has been a member of the American Chemical Society since 1980.

Michael Lefenfeld is President and CEO of Hexion Inc., where he also serves as Chairman of the Board and on the Board of Managers for ASP Resins Holdings LP. Since 2023, he has transformed Hexion from a commodity chemical supplier into a technology-driven leader in advanced materials, embedding AI across operations and driving sustainable innovation with bio-based and circular materials. Lefenfeld has launched enterprise-wide initiatives to optimize efficiency, reduce waste, and improve operational performance. A scientist and serial entrepreneur, he holds over 100 patents, previously led Cyanco International and SiGNa Chemistry, and holds advanced degrees in chemistry from Columbia University and a BSc from Washington University in St. Louis.

Thanos Yiagopoulos is Chief Technology Officer at Momentive Performance Materials, where he leads the company’s global technology organization responsible for innovation, new product and process development, and strategic technology initiatives across a worldwide R&D network of more than 500 professionals. With more than 20 years of experience in the chemical industry, including leadership roles at Momentive, SABIC, and LyondellBasell, he has built and transformed global R&D organizations that connect technology strategy, market needs, and sustainability. Thanos is recognized for developing mature innovation systems that integrate strong processes, cross-functional collaboration, and external partnerships to accelerate innovation and deliver meaningful business impact.

Jayshree Seth is a Corporate Scientist at 3M and currently leads use-cases for Gen AI in R&D. She joined 3M in 1993 after a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Clarkson University and holds 80 patents. In 2020, she was awarded Society of Women Engineers (SWE) highest Achievement Award and in 2026 she was inducted to National Academy of Engineering. She is an accomplished thought-leader and was named to the 2025 Thinkers50 Radar. Jayshree is also author of The Heart of Science trilogy with over 50 actionable frameworks and mental models -- all proceeds go to scholarship for women in STEM.

Deepanjan Bhattacharya is an accomplished professional with extensive experience in the coatings and plastics industries, currently serving as Vice President of Plastics and Technology Operations and Vice President of Care Solutions Technology and Technology Operations at Eastman. Previously, Deepanjan held positions such as Director of Global Coatings Technology and Global Coatings Application and Research Development Leader at Eastman Chemical Company, as well as Global Market Leader for Transportation Coatings and Coatings Innovation Leader. Deepanjan began the career as a Principal Research Scientist at Eastman Chemical. In terms of education, Deepanjan earned an Executive Scholar Program degree in General Management from Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management and a Doctor of Philosophy in Polymer Science from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

Dr David Hatrick is Vice President of Strategic Marketing and Innovation at Huntsman Advanced Materials, located in Huntsman’s headquarters in The Woodlands, Texas. David leads the strategic planning and R&D activities for the division, from development of market insights, strategy development through to creation of new technology platforms and new product development. As well as the strategic planning team, his responsibilities cover the three major R&D centers, with marketing and technology teams operating in automotive, aerospace, adhesive, composite and electronic and electrical power markets. In parallel, David is responsible for an internal start up focused on scaling up a new form of carbon nanomaterials for diverse markets such as batteries, composites and concrete. He is also heavily involved in the divisions M&A activities and has been a key member of the due diligence and integration teams of three new businesses over the last 5 years. 

Mitch serves as a Venture Director on The Heritage Group’s New Ventures team, bringing practical operating experience to HG Ventures and internal incubation efforts. He is passionate about helping leaders and investors build and scale businesses. Mitch currently serves as a Board Member of StreetIQ and CSF Materials, Board Observer for Electramet, Voxel, and Valerann, and an independent board member of Refreshed Tech.

Previously, he led Motus’ managed mobility business unit and scaled three SaaS companies—MOBI, Viral Launch, and Shiftlab—leading capital raises, strategy, and go-to- market execution, with two achieving successful exits.