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Board of Directors
Biographies of Board Members

BIOGRAPHIES

 

Charles Brumlik

Charles Brumlik advises multinational corporations with hands-on consulting on commercialization, due diligence, and technology sourcing in alternate energy, materials, cleantech and nanotechnology. Application areas include membranes, separations, chemical functionalization, ultrafine particles, high surface area materials, cermets, displays, solid state lighting, sensors, and electronics.  As a business attorney, he advises international technology companies, startups, and venture capital groups. At ExxonMobil, Honeywell, and a Princeton law firm, he specialized in transactional and patent issues in chemistry and materials science commercialization for corporations, academia, and governments. He earned a law degree at New York Law and a chemistry Ph.D. at Texas A&M.  His legal career started as a registered patent attorney and developed to include technology transfer, sponsored research, joint ventures, international business transactions, due diligence and related business law. Brumlik has dual U.S.-E.U. citizenship and is fluent in French.

 

Neil Burns

Neil Burns is managing partner of Neil A Burns LLC, a private equity investment and strategic advisory firm focused on the chemical industry. Neil A Burns LLC invests private equity capital in mid-market chemical companies to support growth, recapitalizations and management buyouts. Target EV’s are in the range $50 Million to $1.5 Billion.  The firm also provides advisory services on strategic matters affecting chemical companies and their owners, including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and major investments. As part of the advisory practice, Neil A Burns LLC manages the surfactant technology business of Desmet Ballestra sPa in North America. Mr. Burns sits on the board of SiVance LLC and the operating boards of GenNx360 Capital Partners and Linley Capital. Previously, Mr. Burns was CEO of Oxiteno USA and VP US Operations of VVF Ltd. He holds a BS in Chemistry from the University of York and an MBA from the Wharton School.

 

Christopher D. Cerimele

Christopher D. Cerimele is a Director in Houlihan Lokey’s Chicago office. He is a member of the Industrials Group and is Head of Chemicals for the firm. He has approximately 15 years of experience in buyside and sellside mergers & acquisitions, debt and equity financings, valuations and fairness opinions, and other advisory for chemical and industrial companies. Examples of recent transactions include advising Royal Adhesives & Sealants on its sale to Arsenal Capital Partners, and Hexion Specialty Chemicals in its merger with Momentive Performance Materials. Mr. Cerimele also provided in-court expert testimony in connection with Chemtura Corporation’s bankruptcy proceedings. Before joining Houlihan Lokey, he spent more than seven years with Lincoln International, where he founded the firm’s chemicals practice and served as Global Co-Head of Chemicals.  Previously, he worked for Credit Suisse First Boston, Sony Corporation and KPMG Peat Marwick.  He is the recipient of a 40 Under 40 Recognition Award from The M&A Advisor. Mr. Cerimele earned a B.S. in accounting from the University of Southern California and an M.B.A. from Chicago Booth. Mr. Cerimele is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive) and is registered with FINRA.

 

David J. Deutsch

David J. Deutsch is the founder of Vista Marketing and Financial, which specializes in assignments involving business and market research, financial analysis, strategic marketing, and business development for the broad-based chemical and plastics industries as well as other manufacturing. Deutsch began his industrial career as a process design engineer, later worked as an editor with McGraw-Hill's Chemical Engineering magazine, served as a Product Manager for the Chemtox database, and formerly was the Chemical Industry Analyst with Chase Manhattan's Market Intelligence Group. David has been an active member of the American Chemical Society, serving as the Treasurer for the Division of Small Chemical Businesses (SChB) since 1996 and formerly as a Director for the Division of Business Development & Management (BMGT). Deutsch is also the Secretary for the Chemical Marketing & Economics Group, a topical group of the New York Section of ACS, and a Member of the Planning Board for the local Metro New York Section of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), and a former Director of Societe de Industrielle Chimie, American Section. David earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from City College of New York, and was awarded an M.B.A. from Fordham University. His publications include "Sources and Production Economics of Chemical Products," "Process Piping Systems," and "Microcomputer Programs for Chemical Engineers, Volumes I and II".

 

Rhoda Kriesel

Rhoda has more than 30 years experience in specialty chemical, semiconductor, petrochemical, and energy industry operations functions. From working with isocyanate manufacturers to solve toxics problems, to being part of the technology transfer team negotiating a deal with China satisfying to both parties,  the hands - on task of introducing new toxics measurement technology to improve operations as well as protect plant, product, and people has always been daunting and groundbreaking.  Analysis of the aerospace and military needs for toxics protection as well as being part of the DOE’s Industries of the Future, downloading energy efficient methods of operation, are two other aspects of Rhoda’s experience in the toxics/operations field. Demonstrating the positive economics of using  equipment led to several years profiling various markets for new product and application potential, which in turn led to consulting within various industries on energy efficiency and new market potential for a variety of new products, mainly under the flag of Touchstone Marketing, in Montclair, NJ. Rhoda has a BA from Valparaiso University in Chemistry, and an MA [UConn] and Ph. D [U of M, Ann Arbor] in French language and culture.  In 1990 she received an MBA from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management.

 

Paul Pospisil

Paul Pospisil’s primary focus is to assist biotechnology and biopharmaceutical companies in recruiting for positions such as chief executive officer, chief business officer, head of research and development and other key executives. With over fifteen years in the industry as a successful executive and investor, Mr. Pospisil brings a thoughtful perspective to executive search, shaped by a breath of experiences in new product development, business development, M&A, financings, strategy, company building, operational leadership and board functions from start-up, growth to mature biotechnology and biopharmaceutical companies. Prior to joining Korn/Ferry, Mr. Pospisil was a co-founder and managing partner of both Aduro Capital LLC, an investment management company focused on the public healthcare sector and Aduro Partners LLC, an advisory firm focused on helping venture-backed and public life science companies assess, evaluate, partner opportunities and build businesses. Previously, he was a partner in life science investments at Atlas Venture and earlier was with Millennium Pharmaceuticals, where his last position was director, strategy leadership. Earlier, he was a new product manager at Altus Biologics, a spin-out of Vertex Pharmaceuticals. Mr. Pospisil holds a doctor of philosophy in organic chemistry from Harvard University and a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from New York University. He also attended Harvard Business School’s Program for Management Development (PMD).

 

George Rodriguez

George Rodriguez is Director at Argeni LLC, a consultancy on technology, business  and investments that helps clients build innovative and sustainable business units in energy, materials and life science. Mr. Rodriguez has held advisory and executive roles at global firms such as Pfizer, Asahi Glass, Nagase and Union Carbide. Prior to Argeni, he served for seven years at the U.S. subsidiary of Nagase, a $7 billion Technology & Intelligence Japanese firm, as Deputy General Manager and Vice President of Business Development in Biotechnology & Nanotechnology, driving initiatives to enter new markets, scouting investments and strengthening alliances in chemicals, plastics, electronics and health care. Previously, Mr. Rodriguez provided business consulting services and built a distribution business. During 11 years, he played a central role at Pfizer in global sales & marketing, product stewardship, cross-border acquisitions, deal integration and operation in Latin America. He worked in sales at Union Carbide Inter-America. George is Chair of the CM&E Group and Board Member of the American Chemical Society New York Section. Mr. Rodriguez graduated first in class in both of his degrees: B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Peru’s National University of Engineering, and M.S. in Industrial Management from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

 

Fred Siemer

Fred Siemer is Principal at Siemer Management.

 

 

 

 

Rick Templeton

Rick Templeton is the managing Partner at Hilbert Peers & Young, Inc.

 

 

 

 

James M. Weatherall

James M. Weatherall is Vice President for Global Business Development at SpecialChem S.A., based in the greater New York area.  SpecialChem is a global interactive marketing and business development firm, headquartered in Paris, France.  Prior to joining SpecialChem, Mr. Weatherall was Principal and Founder of Weatherall Group LLC, a management consulting firm based in the greater New York City area.  Prior to founding Weatherall Group, Mr. Weatherall was Senior Vice President of Kline & Company, Inc., a leading global management consulting and market research firm, based in the greater New York area.  During his more than thirty-year career, Mr. Weatherall has developed extensive experience in serving the innovation support, business intelligence, and market research needs of multinational companies in the specialty chemicals and materials, consumer products, specialty petroleum products, and agricultural/specialty pesticides industries. Mr. Weatherall holds a Master of Management Science and a Bachelor of Science in chemistry, both from the Stevens Institute of Technology.  In addition to serving as a Board Member and Program Chair of the Chemical Marketing and Economics Group (CM&E) of the ACS-NY Section, he also serves as a member of the Advisory Board of Kulper & Company, an executive recruiting firm, as well as a member of the Societe de Chimie Industrielle, American Section. He and his wife, Maureen, reside in Hoboken, NJ. They have two grown children, and enjoy reading, sailing, equestrian activities, and touring on their Honda GoldWing.

 

Charles Brumlik

Charles Brumlik advises multinational corporations with hands-on consulting on commercialization, due diligence, and technology sourcing in alternate energy, materials, cleantech and nanotechnology. Application areas include membranes, separations, chemical functionalization, ultrafine particles, high surface area materials, cermets, displays, solid state lighting, sensors, and electronics.  As a business attorney, he advises international technology companies, startups, and venture capital groups. At ExxonMobil, Honeywell, and a Princeton law firm, he specialized in transactional and patent issues in chemistry and materials science commercialization for corporations, academia, and governments. He earned a law degree at New York Law and a chemistry Ph.D. at Texas A&M.  His legal career started as a registered patent attorney and developed to include technology transfer, sponsored research, joint ventures, international business transactions, due diligence and related business law. Brumlik has dual U.S.-E.U. citizenship and is fluent in French.