CINCINNATI — The ChemQuest Group recently announced the addition of two new Directors — Lan Deng, Ph.D., and Jason Woods.

Deng has over 15 years of experience in the chemical industry, having served in leadership roles in Dow Chemical, Sherwin Williams and PPG across R&D, product management and strategic planning. Most recently, she served as the Global Technical Director for Automotive OEM business within PPG, where she oversaw the global product development of all technologies, including pretreatment, E-coat, primer, basecoat, clearcoat, as well as adhesives and sealants.

Deng earned a B.E. degree in polymer materials and engineering from the University of Science and Technology of China, and a Ph.D. degree in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley. She has co-authored six journal articles and holds 16 granted patents. Deng’s industry recognition includes R&D 100 Awards and EPA’s Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award.

“Our society is at a point when the next innovation wave is starting to pick up and accelerate. There are tremendous opportunities in health care, sustainable energy and digital transformation. The companies that can seize the opportunity to ride these waves will have long-lasting competitive advantages in the decades to come. As a technology leader, I want to help more companies, public or private, to catch and ride these waves; I also want to help the capital market find the right growth opportunity to invest so that our whole economy can benefit. ChemQuest can provide me an opportunity to do just that. I look forward to partnering with my colleagues and clients to create sustainable innovation and growth for the society,” said Deng.

Dan Murad, ChemQuest CEO, said, “We are fortunate to have someone with Dr. Deng’s depth of experience and capabilities join our team. Her passion for innovation, growth and job creation, and her strength in partnering with customers to create mutual value will help both ChemQuest and our clients to create win-win.”

Woods brings 25 years of experience in the paint industry to his new position. He has served in leadership roles in R&D, operations and quality in a variety of customer segments, including automotive OEM, automotive refinish, paint sundries, protective and marine, and architectural. Many of these functions also included international responsibilities in regions such as Asia, Europe and South America.

Woods studied chemistry and political science at Virginia Tech, and began his career at PPG Industries in Cleveland, Ohio. After a variety of roles, including an expatriate assignment in Japan, he transitioned to Sherwin-Williams, where he progressed through multiple leadership roles in various divisions. His last two positions were responsible for commercialization of North American architectural products, and R&D responsibility for Latin American architectural programs.

Woods is particularly interested in helping clients understand the process of commercialization, the stakeholders involved, and the practical steps associated with adapting a technology to a product. He is also well versed in developing innovation portfolios, improving efficiencies and developing the next generation of internal leaders.

“I've sought a diversity of experiences throughout my career in the paint industry. I value the opportunity to work with great people in a variety of functional areas, business segments and geographies. The more I learned about ChemQuest from my colleagues, the more excited I was at the breadth of opportunities available. I am looking forward to partnering with them and their clients to help design and implement strategies to aid in innovation, commercialization, process efficiencies and organizational development,” said Woods.

“We are fortunate to have someone with Jason’s depth of experience and capabilities join our team as our industry evolves into its new post-Covid normal. Jason’s international experience, along with his deep understanding of end-use markets and client considerations will be of great value to our team,” said Murad.

Learn more about ChemQuest at https://chemquest.com.