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Believing deeply that technology stuck in a lab is of little utility, Richard thrives at the intersection of materials innovation and manufacturing. At Gen Phoenix he is responsible for new product management, interfacing with customers, chemists and machine operators to bring Gen Phoenix’s materials to life for every customer application. A Six Sigma Black Belt, Richard is known for his creativity and is as comfortable working the factory floor as he is guiding technical trials. He joined the company in 2019, and no one is more responsible for the haptics, beauty and durability of our materials.
After earning his PhD, Richard worked as a Research Associate for the University of Cambridge doing advanced research on controlled polymer synthesis. Immediately prior to joining Gen Phoenix, he spent 15 years at the construction materials company Altro, where he held product development positions of increasing responsibility. Sustainability has always been a passion and, as Innovation Manager for Altro, he was responsible for the development of products that could be recycled or replace PVC. Over the course of his career there he developed a reputation for taking on the toughest technical problems the company faced, and solving them. He retains that reputation at Gen Phoenix.
Richard’s comfort with complexity extends to his personal interest in photography. Not satisfied to use the latest innovations in digital imaging, he prefers to work with such historical techniques as cyanotype and gum bichromate printing.
Richard is a Chartered Chemist, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, and holds a PhD in Chemistry from Durham University.