Leadership Recruitment Strategies for a Changing Chemicals and Plastics Industry

Evolution, not revolution. That’s how we might characterize the past fifty years in the chemicals and plastics industry. 

While perhaps not delivering headline-grabbing breakthroughs, the industry has quietly transformed how we use materials in our daily lives. Modern plastics are now stronger yet lighter than ever before, specialty chemicals enable electronics that were science fiction decades ago, and advanced polymers make everything from medical implants to aerospace components possible.  

These incremental yet important innovations have changed countless industries. Plastics themselves tell this story: once celebrated as wonder materials, then criticized for waste, now being reimagined as recyclable resources. Yet despite this technical evolution, the industry faces a different kind of challenge—a leadership revolution that hasn’t kept pace with its changing needs. 

Now the leadership pipeline has run dry. Baby boomers who built the industry are retiring by the thousands, and they’re taking irreplaceable institutional knowledge with them. 

Meanwhile, young professionals bypass the industry entirely. They see outdated management structures and environmental controversies, and understandably choose careers in technology or renewables instead.  

This talent exodus couldn’t come at a worse time—as the industry faces pressure to eliminate PFAS chemicals, develop truly circular materials, and reinvent supply chains fractured by global tensions. 

Why Traditional Leadership Development Failed

The chemicals and plastics industry can no longer rely on its historical leadership factory: chemical engineering degrees followed by decades of operational experience. This model worked when the industry priorities were maximizing production and efficiency. It fails now when companies must simultaneously deliver shareholder returns while improving their environmental footprint. 

The talent drought stems from three connected problems: 

• Demographic reality hits hard. The 1970s saw 25 million baby boomers enter the workforce in the USA alone. The coming decade will add barely 7 million new workers in total to the US workforce. The situation looks similar in other countries. Chemical and plastics companies compete for a drastically smaller talent pool against employers with better workplace reputations. 
• The industry’s business model has splintered. Chemical and plastics companies now operate in three completely different ways: as “natural owners” exploiting raw material advantages, as “differentiated commodities” businesses riding market cycles, and as “solutions providers” selling comprehensive services. Each requires different leadership skills, further stretching the talent pool. 
• Leadership development remains stuck in the past. Most chemical and plastics companies still train future executives to master existing processes rather than question them. A recent example: when PFAS contamination became a public concern, many industry executives trained in conventional risk management tried to minimize the issue rather than proactively develop alternatives. Their leadership training had taught them to defend existing product lines, not to lead courageous changes when circumstances demanded them. 

Four Overlooked Leadership Sources 

Chemical and plastics companies typically look for leaders in familiar places—their competitors, suppliers, and customers. But fresh leadership might come from unexpected quarters: 

1. The Startup Solution

Over 3,000 startups currently work in the plastics sector, with 1,620 in early development. These ventures marry technical expertise with entrepreneurial drive—exactly what chemical and plastics giants both need. 

NatureWorks is a good example of this approach, having commercialized PLA, a compostable polymer now used for packaging worldwide. Their leaders bring together materials knowledge and market creation skills—a combination traditional chemical and plastics executives often lack. 

Chemical and plastics companies can tap this talent source by acquiring promising startups not just for their technology, but specifically for their leadership talent—offering startup founders and executives leadership roles within the larger organization. Alternatively, they can create structured “acqui-hire” programs where they identify and recruit top startup executives even before considering technology acquisition.  

2. Chemical Safety Pioneers

The PFAS crisis has created urgency for leaders who understand both technical constraints and public health imperatives. Major manufacturers now face pressure to eliminate these “forever chemicals” from cookware, textiles, and industrial materials. 

SABIC’s TruCircle program for circular polymers from recycled feedstock provides an example of the advantage of executives who understand both chemistry and environmental stewardship. These leaders managed competing demands for performance, cost, and sustainability without compromising any dimension. 

Chemical and plastics companies can recruit specialists like these from regulatory agencies, environmental consulting firms, and their own product stewardship departments. Companies need these experts in leadership positions as regulators, customers, and investors demand solutions to chemical safety issues. In fact, some firms now bring environmental specialists onto executive teams where previously only those with technical or commercial backgrounds served. 

3. Manufacturing Technology Integrators

Most chemical and plastics companies trail other industries in digital adoption despite early experiments with artificial intelligence for molecular design and process optimization. The struggle isn’t starting digital initiatives but scaling them successfully across operations. 

Chemical and plastics companies could consider recruiting manufacturing experts from automotive or electronics industries where digital transformation already succeeded years ago. These leaders know which technologies actually improve production versus those that look impressive in presentations but fail in factories. Their experience helps chemical companies implement digital tools that deliver real operational improvements while avoiding the costly mistakes of first-generation adoption. 

4. Supply Network Architects

Global disruptions exposed fatal flaws in chemical and plastics industry supply chains optimized for cost rather than resilience. The industry needs executives who can build material flows that withstand geopolitical tensions, climate events, and policy shifts while managing international logistics under adverse conditions. 

Where can companies find these supply experts? Look to supply chain consultants, former military logistics officers, and executives from food companies who already solved these problems years ago with perishable goods. Their knowledge of creating backup supplier networks and alternative shipping routes helps chemical and plastics manufacturers deal with raw material shortages. Putting these experts in leadership positions elevates supply planning to the same importance as production—recognizing that efficient factories are worthless when materials can’t arrive or products can’t reach customers. 

Four Leadership Traits for an Industry in Flux

While the four talent sources above expand where chemicals and plastics companies can find leaders, they still need to know what makes a good one. The old promotion path focused narrowly on technical know-how and production experience. However, studies of executives who succeeded during industry upheaval and crises show four traits that chemical and plastics companies rarely prioritized—but now desperately need: 

• Emotional balance: Chemical executives face intense pressures—from community opposition to plant accidents—that test their psychological stamina. Crises like these demand exceptional emotional resilience—maintaining calm while helping teams through turbulence. 
• Mental flexibility: When BASF launched their waste-to-feedstock recycling initiative, they had to abandon decades-old production assumptions. Effective crisis leaders reject rigid thinking and explore options outside conventional boundaries. 
• Truth-telling: Chemical and plastics executives must communicate honestly about environmental challenges while offering viable paths forward—as seen when major firms address their PFAS legacies while developing alternatives. Balancing candor with hope prevents organizational paralysis during crises. 
• Uncertainty tolerance: Plant investments that once seemed straightforward now carry unprecedented risk due to regulatory changes and market volatility. Eighty-one percent of organizations say they need leaders comfortable with ambiguity and complexity. 

From Chemicals and Plastics to Leadership Alchemy

Chemistry turns basic elements into entirely new compounds. Alchemy aimed to turn common metals into gold. The chemicals and plastics industry now needs this same magic with its leadership approach—turning conventional managers into visionaries who can reinvent a stalled industry. 

By looking beyond the usual talent pools, creating honest employer reputations, and building cultures that welcome change, chemical and plastics manufacturers can find the leaders they need. These won’t be the same executives who mastered 20th century processes, but a new breed who can see beyond quarterly results to reimagine what the industry might become. 

The next breakthrough in chemicals and plastics won’t happen in test tubes. It will happen in boardrooms where leaders finally apply the industry’s creative power not just to making molecules, but to remaking itself. 

About the Author

Reinhard Halbgewachs is Partner at Stanton Chase Frankfurt and Global Subsector Leader for Chemicals and Plastics, bringing 30 years of experience to leadership challenges facing the industry. Reinhard specializes in helping companies adapt their senior leadership teams during generational shifts and technological changes. He holds a law degree from the University of Würzburg and a Master of Business Consulting from the University of Applied Sciences Wismar.