Orion S.A., a global leader in specialty chemicals, announced the appointment of Natalia Scherbakoff as its new Chief Technology Officer. Scherbakoff will succeed David Deters, who has spent nearly a decade leading Orion’s global innovation program, positioning the company at the forefront of sustainable materials, battery additives, and carbon black technology. Deters, who announced his retirement earlier this year, will remain with Orion until the end of 2024 to ensure a smooth transition.
Scherbakoff joins Orion from Trinseo, where she served as Vice President of Technology & Innovation. At Trinseo, she led global research, development, and technology innovation with a focus on sustainability and circular solutions, while also supporting growth initiatives and mergers and acquisitions. She was also a member of Trinseo’s Corporate Environmental, Social, and Governance Council.
“Natalia brings extensive global experience, a proven ability to move ideas from development to successful product launches, and strong commercial acumen,” said Orion CEO Corning Painter. “She is joining us at a pivotal time, and I’m confident she will continue building on the success we’ve achieved under David’s leadership in batteries, circular products, coatings, and other key applications.”
Prior to her role at Trinseo, Scherbakoff held leadership positions at Plastic Omnium, where she was Vice President of Research Innovation & Product Lines, and Owens Corning, where she served as General Manager of Specialty Composites and Director of Global Innovation.
Scherbakoff is also a non-executive board member at Clayens NP, a specialty materials producer, and a member of the Forbes Technology Council. She holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Macromolecular Science from Case Western Reserve University (USA), a Chemical Engineering degree from Mauá Engineering University (Brazil), and an MBA from Getulio Vargas Foundation (Brazil). She is fluent in English, French, Portuguese, Italian, and Russian.
Based at Orion’s main innovation hub in Cologne, Germany, Scherbakoff will oversee the company’s technical centers in China, South Korea, and the U.S. She will focus on expanding Orion’s innovation capabilities, including the newly launched Battery Innovation Center in Cologne, equipped with cutting-edge production, testing, and diagnostic tools.
In addition, she will manage Orion’s €12.8 million investment, supported by €6.4 million in funding from the German government and the European Union, to develop a climate-neutral process for producing carbon black from alternative carbon sources. This innovative technology aims to enhance Orion’s production efficiency using circular feedstocks.
