Dr Rowena Sellens, CEO of Econic Technologies, started her career at the Imperial Chemical Industries working on novel polymerisation routes for one of the plastics businesses. Now CEO at Econic Technologies, she describes the company as having a diverse workforce with its founder and founding investor women.
Our reporter Grace Nolan talked with her to find out more about her role and thoughts on the challenges facing the plastics industry.
Q: How did you fall into the plastics industry or was it always your intention?
My first job was at the Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI), working on novel polymerisation routes for one of the plastics businesses. I have worked in various businesses and numerous roles, originally in technology management. I held the position of the global research director for a major business within ICI which was then sold off. I then moved into a more commercial role where I ended up as a general manager at a European plastics business.
Nearly five years ago I was approached for the role of CEO at Econic Technologies, which was too good an opportunity to turn down!
Q: Do you have a polymer-based qualification? If so, could you tell me how you received it?
I have a PhD in Chemistry and as part of my first job in ICI, I studied polymer science while doing a research fellowship at the University of Southern Mississippi. Whilst I have no formal polymer qualifications, I do have a solid training base and extensive experience in the plastics industry.
Q: As CEO at Econic Technologies what does a typical day consist of?
As Econic Technologies is a growing company, there is no typical day for the CEO! I could be meeting customers, presenting to a cleantech investor conference, attending a board meeting or conducting a routine safety audit. The key thing is that the team works closely together to deliver our objectives.
Q: What has been your biggest accomplishment so far in your career?
I don’t really think about achievements as mine. I’ve been fortunate to work with some amazing teams throughout my career and their successes have been fantastic: seeing the team work together to achieve what might have been impossible for individuals is something that makes me proud.
Q: What has been the biggest challenge in your career so far?
Undoubtedly, the biggest challenge so far has been driving this conservative industry to accelerate the pace of adoption of Econic’s exciting technology. This technology is really exciting, allowing manufacturers to produce CO2 containing polymers that have improved properties, at a lower cost, and are more sustainable. I find managing people is not without its challenges but overall it is very rewarding. We can’t achieve the things we want to achieve without a team.
Q: What have you learnt from working in the industry?
The knowledge I’ve gathered over time has made me the person and leader I am today. I’m still learning all the time, whether that is about people, technology or exciting customer opportunities. Being open to possibilities is key.
Q: How important do you feel female role models are to the younger generation and did you have one?
I think both female and male role models are important. I didn’t really have a female role model, but I had some outstanding male role models and mentors who supported me and gave me belief in my ability. They gave me the belief that I can achieve what i want and I didn’t have to become someone else to do it –I think that’s very important and at younger ages people need role models in the education system.
Q: Have you ever been in a situation at work where you have felt your gender has affected your progress?
I am fortunate not to have suffered from any direct discrimination, but I do believe that unconscious bias influenced some decisions that led to me not being considered for some roles and opportunities.
Q: What advice would you give to women entering a male dominated environment?
I hope that my advice could apply to all situations: know your values and stick with them, otherwise it is difficult to work hard and give your all to something if you don’t believe in what you are doing. Understand and be honest about your strengths and weaknesses, and let that give you the confidence to strive for your ambitions.
Q: What do you feel are the biggest challenges facing the plastics industry currently?
The plastics industry’s biggest challenge today is addressing the negative misperception that all plastics are bad. Plastics have revolutionised our lives and have had a massive positive impact on the sustainability of everyday life. We all want to work towards making the production, use and disposal of plastics more sustainable; to lessen the problems we see such as ocean pollution. But to totally eliminate plastics would be a negative environmental step. We need to ensure we are seen to be heading in the right direction and present the clear facts for balanced decisions. Educating people is fundamental to the industry.
Q: What is the workforce like at Econic Technologies?
We have quite a relatively diverse team with a balanced split of male and female workers. This continues right to the board. For many of our team members, Econic Technologies is their first industrial job and our people are working with the company because they want to make a difference.
Our founder and founding investment director are women. We haven’t set out with specific intentions to do this other than our objective is to find the right people with the right skills and right values that fit our business.
