Polymers & Plastics Executive Search Expertise
At Kelham Partners, we specialise in retained executive search for manufacturers, converters, and chemical suppliers across the polymers and plastics industry.
From high-performance engineering polymers to sustainable packaging resins, we partner with businesses operating at every stage of the polymer value chain, including additives, masterbatches, compounding, extrusion, and end-use application development.
We support leadership hiring across EMEA, North America, and APAC for chemical producers, intermediates manufacturers, and vertically integrated converters all facing increasing demands for innovation, regulation, and commercial agility.
Who We Support
We work with businesses involved in
- Polymer manufacturers
Thermoplastics, elastomers, polyolefins, bioplastics, engineering resins - Compounders & masterbatch specialists
Colourants, additives, flame retardants, fillers - Plastics processors & converters
Injection moulding, extrusion, blow moulding - Sustainability-driven scale-ups
Bio-based and circular material innovators - Distributors & toll processors
Value-added polymer supply chain partners
Typical Roles We Recruit
We specialise in international recruitment across
- Commercial
BU Leaders, Sales Directors, Regional Heads, Strategic Account Managers and Business Developers, VP Commercial - Operational
Site Managers, Production Directors, Supply Chain VPs, CI Leaders, Operations Director - Technical & Regulatory
Heads of R&D, Application Engineers, QA/RA Directors - C-Suite
CEO, CCO, COO, CTO, CMO, CHRO
Global Reach. Technical Depth.
We understand the language of polymer science, the commercial dynamics of raw material markets, and the operational complexity of global manufacturing environments. Our international executive search capabilities mean we can deliver cross-border talent with both sector experience and leadership impact.
Case Study
Global BU Director – Thermoplastics Manufacturer
Client
A mid-sized, family-owned producer of engineering thermoplastics for the automotive and industrial sectors, based in Germany with operations across EMEA and the US.
Brief
Hire a Global Business Unit Director to relaunch and scale a lagging product group, with full P&L responsibility, global key account ownership, and strategic oversight of technical and commercial teams.
Challenges
- Needed deep polymer materials expertise and global commercial leadership
- Hybrid structure: reporting into Europe but managing US and Asia sales regions
- Required both legacy product turnaround and new market development
Our Approach
We ran a targeted retained search across Europe and North America, focusing on leaders with experience in technical polymers, global team management, and track records in turnaround or growth-stage leadership.
Outcome
The successful hire was a former VP from a global additives business with strong materials knowledge and a commercial pedigree. Within 12 months, the BU posted its first year of profitable growth in five years.
Need to hire a senior leader in polymers or plastics?
Let’s talk about how we can help.
Submit a BriefBook a Call