DAVID S. BEM, PhD

Senior vice president, Science and Technology and CTO, PPG

Could you please share your current role, what it entails, and what excites you most about it?

I’m the senior vice president, science and technology, and chief technology officer at PPG. My role focuses on how we create innovative products and services for our customers that drive productivity, sustainability, and value— both inside the paint can and outside the paint can. What that means is creating innovative coatings solutions from a formula perspective, as well as innovations that create more sustainable, productive, and digitally enabled processes and application techniques for our customers.

At PPG, we like to say, if it moves, we paint it, and if it doesn’t move, we paint that too. From the car that you drive to the computer you work on, we touch a broad range of end markets, which allows us to identify the best application or applications for our innovations.

What brought you to the coatings industry? Was it part of the plan, or did you discover coatings along the way?

I discovered coatings along the way—it certainly wasn’t part of my initial plan. I started my career in the oil refining industry making commodity and specialty chemicals from a supplier standpoint. After holding a few different roles, I found my career in paints and coatings. Now, I am driven by being able to modify and customize products for each customer and industry that we work in.

How important has mentorship or a piece of advice from someone been in your career—and have you had the chance to mentor others in return?

I’ve had so many great mentors from early on in my career that helped me learn to be a better scientist and challenged me to become a better leader. Jennifer Holmgren at LanzaTech, formerly at UOP, was one of these mentors when I worked in a team with several women leaders at UOP, which was rare in the 90s. Monty Alger is another mentor of mine who is at Penn State University. As I’ve continued in my career, I always pay it forward and mentor people both formally and informally. I consider mentoring others one of the most important things I can do.

How, if at all, did your educational background shape your path into coatings?

I’ve always had diverse educational interests. I think this fits well with the coatings industry where there are a lot of different types of applications and end uses of our products, so you have to learn about each industry that we serve. Even after a decade with PPG, I still feel that I learn something new every week—how something is made, how we interact with a surface to meet a customer need, etc.

What’s one project or innovation you’ve worked on that you’re especially proud of?

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention PPG’s INNOVEL® and NUTRISHIELD® innovations, which I’ve seen from launch to commercial success over my time with the company. PPG Innovel coatings are primarily used for beverage cans, while PPG Nutrishield coatings are designed for a wide range of food cans. Both product lines are known for their non-BPA (bisphenol A) formulations, which are increasingly important due to regulatory and consumer demands.

It’s also been impressive to see the end-to-end digitalization of our Refinish digital tools, known as the PPG LINQ® ecosystem. This ecosystem aims to modernize repair processes by connecting digital hardware, software, and services through a cloud-based platform. Key components include the PPG VISUALIZID™ software and PPG DIGIMATCH™ spectrophotometer, which streamline color identification and matching. Additionally, the PPG MOONWALK® system automates paint mixing, reducing waste and improving efficiency.

How do you stay current with advancements in coatings technology?

I read a lot—mostly about science and nature, visit our customers, and engage with academic and national labs to collaborate on future innovations and learn from one another.

Have you ever taken a detour or changed directions in your career? What did that pivot teach you?

I’ve pivoted in my career more than once. One detour I took was joining a startup that was formed from a company I was working for. It taught me broad skills about commercial selling, business acumen, and more. I was a scientist by training that had to sell and learn how to acquire customers, walking in their shoes to determine their needs. While sales ultimately wasn’t for me, it helped me see innovation from a customer perspective. I was able to move into a leadership role at Celanese because I had certain experiences from my prior role at the startup.

How has the coatings industry changed since you entered it? What trends or developments do you think are shaping the future of coatings?

A lot! When I entered the coatings industry, it was in the very early stages of consolidation. Now, there are several key global leaders, PPG being one of them. Regardless, there is still some fragmentation, and the end applications are constantly changing, so it remains vibrant and exciting.

Over the past few decades, we’ve also seen a notable shift toward more sustainable coatings innovations which has caused us to rethink how we deliver coatings solutions for our customers and make them more sustainable in their end product or the processes for coatings application. Sustainability also dovetails into productivity—we are constantly thinking about how we can make our customers more efficient and deliver a superior product compared to incumbent technologies.

In addition, digital innovation is way more prevalent than when I entered the coatings industry. It’s no longer optional—customers are more digitally savvy and almost expect digital tools to buy and use our products, such as the Refinish LINQ example that I mentioned.

Are there particular industry innovations or shifts you’re excited about?

I’m excited about continuing to leverage sustainability and productivity as a growth driver based on customer demand.

For example, in our architectural coatings business in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), we launched a campaign called “Tomorrow Included.” The concept aims to highlight the sustainability advantages of many of PPG’s architectural products and serves as a way to communicate the company’s sustainability story to customers. Across various PPG brands, including the TIKKURILA®, BECKERS™, SIGMA®, JOHNSTONE’S®, and ALCRO® brands, sustainability advantages will be showcased. Durability, energy savings, safety, carbon reduction, and recyclability will become visible on product packaging and in marketing materials. We hope this will help guide our customers toward the right solution that aligns with their sustainability ambitions and position PPG as a leader in this space.

In addition to our architectural business in EMEA, our Comex business in Mexico is making sustainably advantaged choices more accessible to customers, offering a new range of products with sustainability benefits at no price premium over existing products. In 2024, Comex launched the Producto Eco product line in Mexico, which features products that offer benefits such as reduced volatile organic compounds (VOCs), increased use of recycled materials such as tire rubber and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastics, and enhanced energy efficiency via coatings with reflective thermal insulation properties. The line delivers use of recycled materials such as tire rubber, PET, and polyethylene bags; energy savings in homes and buildings via coatings with reflective thermal insulation properties; and reduced VOCs.

What skills or traits do you think are essential for success in this industry?

Being curious and adaptable. First and foremost, you have to listen to customers and understand how they use your products or how you can solve a need for them. I always tell our chemists that you don’t just sell a product in a can—you sell a solution. Coatings have the ability to transform a product for our customers and end users.

What advice would you give someone just starting out in the industry or considering a career in coatings? What’s something people outside the industry might not understand or be surprised to learn about working in coatings?

Coatings is a great industry to work in because you have an impact you can see. We coat the car you drive, the airplane you fly in, the bridge you drive over, the cell phone and computers you use, the golf ball you hit. We’re protecting countless surfaces in order to make them last longer and also ensuring color, beauty, and aesthetics. In a lot of other industries, you can’t see the direct impact that you’re making every day.

What keeps you motivated and eager to come to work each day?

Personally, I’m motivated by being able to see people have an impact on each other and the products that we deliver to our customers. It’s rewarding to win new business or innovate a solution for a customer that solves a pain point. I love seeing creative ways that people innovate solutions within our teams.

How does company culture impact your work and ability to perform successfully?

Company culture at PPG is critical. We have to be highly collaborative, and I’m a strong believer that teamwork wins the day. Especially in a global company, we need to be able to work together across industries, time zones, cultures, and countries. I’m also a firm believer in talent development as a means of retention and driving culture within an organization. We do a great job of identifying strong performers within the organization and providing opportunities that steer them in the direction they want to take their career.

What opportunities or unique advantages does your company offer that someone new to the workforce or not too familiar with coatings should consider as a career pathway?

What’s unique about PPG is the breadth and depth of our coatings expertise and our ability to apply various technologies across markets to meet the needs of our customers. We serve various geographies, businesses, and markets that are vastly different—from cell phones to ship hulls.

David Bem is senior vice president, science and technology, and chief technology officer of PPG. He joined PPG in November 2015. Since 2016, Bem has been a member of PPG’s operating committee and serves as assistant secretary of the board’s sustainability and innovation committee.

Prior to joining PPG, Bem worked for Dow Chemical, where his last role was as vice president, research and development, consumer solutions, and infrastructure solutions. Bem’s previous roles with Dow included global research and development director, core research and development; global research and development director, Dow Automotive Systems; and research and development director for hydrocarbons and energy, chemicals, and alternative feedstocks.

Before he joined Dow in 2007, Bem worked in research and development roles with UOP LLC, a Honeywell company formerly known as Universal Oil Products; Torial, a subsidiary of UOP; and Celanese Corporation, where he advanced to become a member of the corporate executive committee and research and development director for engineering polymers/Ticona.

Bem is active with many industry organizations and in 2021 was elected a National Academy of Engineering member, one of the highest professional honors accorded an engineer. He has authored more than 20 technical publications and is named in nine U.S. patents.

Since 2019, Bem has been a member of the board of directors of Brady Corporation, serving on the audit committee, management development and compensation committee, and the technology committee. He also serves on the advisory board of the Kamin Science Center in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Bem earned a Bachelor of Science in chemistry from West Virginia University and a Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

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