Loïc graduated from the National School of Chemistry, Montpellier with a specialisation in Material Chemistry in 2011 and started a PhD with Hutchinson and the IMP laboratory in the INSA Lyon on the development of additives for the adhesion of silicone elastomers onto metals. In 2014 he joined the Research and Innovation Center at Hutchinson as Research Engineer and is in charge of the development of rubber materials to fulfil customers’ specifications and to develop new concepts/properties; he is also responsible for textiles. In 2021 Loïc took charge of the “sustainability program” for rubber formulation with the benchmark and assessment of new raw materials for the development of lower carbon footprint rubber formulations.
Vishesh Agarwal is CEO of Royal Carbon Black Ltd and has been involved in the management of the group since 2011. He is also a Director of the Association for Rubber & Tyre Recyclers across India (AIRTRA) and a committee member of both the NITI Aayog report on the circular economy in tyre recycling and the Ministry of Environment, Forest (MoEF) report on EPR for tyres. He is a panel member on BIS for making crumb rubber standards, a convenor of the BIS panel on rCB and a member of the ASTM committee on rCB. Mr Agarwal is a graduate of Babson College in Boston, USA.
Martin von Wolfersdorff is a consultant specialising in alternative rubber fillers and tire pyrolysis. He is in contact with over 320 tire pyrolysis companies globally and advises tyre manufacturing associations, tire manufacturers, tire collectors, refineries, pyrolysis technology providers & operators on the global tire pyrolysis industry and the marketing of recovered carbon black. Previously, Martin worked in the carbon black industry with Cabot, in the custom colour masterbatch industry with Americhem and in the white pigment industry with Huntsman Pigments. Martin holds a Dipl. Ing. (Univ.) degree in chemical engineering from the Friedrich Alexander University in Erlangen-Nürnberg in Germany.
Prof. Dr. Jorge Lacayo-Pineda is Head of the Expert Field for Materials Evaluation at Continental, Tires, and has hold different executive positions in the Materials Labs of Continental since 1998. He is Honorary Professor at the Leibniz University of Hanover and Visiting Professor at the Qingdao University of Science & Technology. He is Chairman of Sub-Committee D11.20 Rubber Compounding Materials & Processes of ASTM International, member of the US Delegation to ISO TC 45 – Rubber & Rubber Products, Convener of the ISO Working Group TC45/SC2/WG5 Chemical Tests of Rubber, and member of the Board Council of the German Rubber Society.
Pieter ter Haar is an expert in recovered carbon black (rCB), pyrolysis, and is a former rubber compounder. He has extensive expertise managing R&D for rCB companies in Europe and North America. After obtaining his Chemistry degree from the Hanze University (Groningen, the Netherlands) he worked as a Rubber Compounder for Fenner Dunlop Conveyor Belting in the Netherlands, where he was in charge of sustainability development of rubber compounds. Pieter joined Pyrolyx/cct Stegelitz in 2015 to develop, build, and manage the first R&D competence center fully dedicated to rCB research. He is one of the founding members of ASTM committee D36 on recovered carbon black, and in his current role as Vice Chair, he leads various task groups within the committee. Pieter is currently president of Terhaar Consulting Inc. in Ontario Canada and consults internationally on various topics related to sustainability, pyrolysis and recovered Carbon Black and is part of the advisory committee for “Recovered Carbon Black World”.
Katie Tuttle is a Global Marketing Manager for Sustainable Solutions at Cabot Corporation, responsible for overall program management and execution of sustainability related initiatives within the Reinforcement Materials business segment. Katie received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from North Carolina State University and a Master of Business Administration from The University of North Carolina, Kenan-Flagler Business School. Katie brings 10+ years of experience within the chemical industry, specifically in the plastics and automotive value chains, where she's held various roles in engineering and commercial functions.
In April 2022 Frank joined Bolder Industries as Technical Sales Manager, BolderBlack Europe where is responsible for sourcing clients and selling BolderBlack to the EU market.
Frank’s career started in a lab for Melchert Electronik (electroplating), Degussa, Evonik and Orion Engineered Carbons. He then moved on to sales with Azelis, Black Bear and Philips Carbon Black Ltd (now PCBL Ltd.).
Frank has a chemical and technical background and work in the Carbon Black industries since 1994.
His Carbon Black journey started at Degussa AG in the QC lab (Carbon Black and Carbon Black oil) and moved then to QM and R&D (CB production). In 2011 he moved to the R&D and application department and trained customers and employees in using and producing Carbon Black. At this stage he was the deputy head of the application department (Rubber, Specialties and R&D).
Frank has also an education as a firefighter and was the deputy head of the Kalscheuren plant fire department from Orion Engineered Carbons in Cologne.
Frank lives in Germany, speaks German, English and French. He enjoys time with his family, music, cooking and hiking in his spare time.
Until 2019 he was involved in the volunteer fire brigade as Fire Chief Inspector in his home town.
