YASMIN SAYED-SWEET
Head of Coatings, Inks, and Specialties, LAMBERTI S.p.A.
Could you please share your current role, what it entails, and what excites you most about it?
As head of Coatings, Inks, and Specialties for Lamberti S.p.A., my focus is on strategic projects, in particular, M&A commercial coordination. This entails integration of acquired technology, products, markets, and commercial activities that align with my parent company’s strategy. I especially enjoy collaborating, interacting, and learning with new colleagues across cross-functional global teams internally and in the marketplace.
What brought you to the coatings industry? Was it part of the plan, or did you discover coatings along the way?
During my postdoctoral period, a recruiter contacted me and introduced me to the world of coatings. This was the start of my journey in the paint and coatings industry.
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?
Mentorship has played a key role and was a catalyst in my career path from technical to commercial and now with various levels of management. Over the past five years, I have had the opportunity to participate in mentorship programs at Lamberti, guiding capable junior-level employees into technical marketing positions and preparing them to assume commercial roles that will help move our industry forward.
How, if at all, did your educational background shape your path into coatings?
My technical education, including a doctoral degree in Chemistry and later an MBA, helped pave the path for the advancement of my career—from R&D to marketing, business development, sales, and management.
How do you stay current with advancements in coatings technology?
Every day is a learning experience. With so much information available and accessible, I had to devise filtering processes to stay productive. Reading multiple industry magazines and journals, electronic newsletters, and other sources of information has helped me to keep abreast. Most importantly, having conversations—both within and outside of my organization—and developing good listening skills have helped me to better understand the needs of the customers and the marketplace. Collaborating and interacting with customers, marketplace participants, and academic universities has been instrumental in advancing my knowledge.
How has the coatings industry changed since you entered it?
Over the past few decades, the biggest change has been in the acceptance and now preference for water-based and energy-efficient systems for various coating applications. Biobased and sustainable coatings are now preferred in DIY and selective industrial applications. Brand owners now pay attention to their customers’ voices. In addition, there are more tools available to us to distribute information to customers and actively engage in the marketplace. With increased communication methods, connecting with colleagues and customers across the continents is readily possible.
How does company culture impact your work and ability to perform successfully?
Company culture has played a pivotal role in motivating me to always strive for higher goals. Culture that fosters collaboration across cross-functional teams has helped me to work towards the common goals of the company.
Is there anything else you’d like to share or express that isn’t captured in the previous questions?
The coatings industry is truly global—linking diverse markets and countries from around the world. Professionals in this industry are able to make connections through regional coatings associations. These organizations can play a pivotal role in bringing professionals together to strengthen and grow the global coatings industry.
Yasmin Sayed-Sweet is head of Coatings, Inks, and Specialties for Lamberti S.p.A. For the past seven years, she has worked on strategic corporate projects such as mergers and acquisitions with teams across the company. In this role, Sayed-Sweet’s focus has been on building Lamberti teams in the Americas to grow in the coatings, adhesives, textiles, and digital printing markets. Formerly, she served as vice president, Sales and Marketing, for Alberdingk Boley. Sayed-Sweet earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Wyoming and MBA from Michigan State University.