Josh Guilliams, Vice President of Consultancy, leads Smithers’ technical consulting team based in Akron, Ohio. Josh manages client relationships and works with other Smithers experts on complex projects. He also conducts in-depth investigations of a wide variety of rubber materials and final products on behalf of clients.
Before joining the team at Smithers, Guilliams spent several years in leadership at Polymer Valley Chemicals, Inc., as Technical Director and Vice President of Technical Operations. Prior to his time at Polymer Valley Chemicals, he held technical and commercial roles at Hankook Tire, EASTMAN Chemical Corporation, LANXESS Corporation, and Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations.
Paul Ita runs Notch Consulting, a Massachusetts-based research company dedicated to the market research needs of the global specialty chemicals industry. Mr. Ita focuses on raw materials for the global tire and rubber industries, with a particular focus on carbon black, silica, and rubber chemicals. Through Notch, he publishes the Carbon Black World Data Book and the Carbon Black Quarterly Newsletter.
Martin von Wolfersdorff, trading as "Wolfersdorff Consulting Berlin”, is an expert advisor and business partner of Smithers specialising in sustainable carbon blacks. Martin works with Smithers on carbon black consulting projects, writes Smithers reports and is the founder and business partner of the recovered Carbon Black Conference. Martin's corporate assignments were in carbon black, plastic packaging, plastic masterbatch and titanium dioxide. Martin has a Dipl. Ing. (Univ.) degree in chemical engineering from the FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg in Germany.
Shannon Higgins is Cabot Corporation’s North America Marketing and Account Manager for its Reinforcement Materials business. Shannon joined Cabot in 2014 and has served in a variety of commercial and marketing roles. She currently works with customers in the tire industry with a focus on improving product performance and sustainability to meet today’s market demands. She received her MBA from the Johnson School at Cornell University and has an undergrad degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Bucknell University.
With over three decades at Bridgestone Americas, Bill has extensive experience in both the technical and commercial aspects of the global tire business. Currently serving as the Executive Director of Sustainable Innovation & Circular Economy, Bill plays a pivotal role in shaping and executing the company's sustainable materials strategy, focusing on sustainable content, carbon intensity, certifications, and customer value … toward a fully circular and carbon-zero future in mobility.
Advanced laboratory skills and 14 years’ hands-on experience in organic, inorganic, and polymer synthesis and processing, formulation, structure and property characterization, and laboratory safety management. Deep knowledge of US, PCT, and Chinese patent law systems with the proof of a passing grade on the examination for registration to practice before the US Patent and Trademark Office (potential to be an in-house patent agent).
Shane Perl, a global chemical and energy industry expert with ~30 year’s experience. He is the founder and CEO of KERA Energy AG and its parent company ALPEN Group with offices in Boston, London, Rotterdam and Zug. KERA Energy’s mission is making tires and plastic circular. Kera focuses on tire and plastic recycling with a focus on technically and commercially optimizing the pyrolysis oils. KERA Energy, via its consultancy, aids customers to achieve accreditation in REACH, ISCC, and Enod of Waste (EoW). KERA also focuses on Plastic and Carbon Credits certification, marketing and sales as well as GHG/LCA calculations and ESG compliance for the recycling and petrochemical industry.
Prior to founding KERA Energy AG and ALPEN Group, Shane was the Global Feedstock Director (2009 – 2013) for the world’s largest Carbon Black producer, Cabot Corporation. Prior to Cabot, Shane worked for the world’s largest chemical company, BASF (1996-2009) with roles in various functions and global geographies. Educationally, his background is BS Chemical Engineering from Virginia Tech and a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Detroit.