Accelerated leadership development that inspires.
Orbia is a global company driven by our purpose to advance life around the world. We welcome purpose-driven, achievement-oriented dreamers, doers and builders, ready to realize their full potential. To guide us on our growth path today and into the future, Orbia has created innovative, hands-on leadership development programs to identify and support high-potential talent, accelerating learning, broadening skill sets and building professional networks across Orbia businesses.
The Succeed program is calibrated for leaders currently at director and similar managerial levels. Participants are selected based on their potential, as evidenced by a desire to learn new skills, ambition to assume more complex and strategic roles, and the ability to overcome obstacles while still delivering results.
Succeed is designed to balance the two key focus areas of business and people depicted in our Future-Fit Leadership model.
Program participants form a vibrant community across Orbia, taking part in a rigorous 18-month schedule of learning experiences provided in multiple delivery formats. These include:
- Courses from one of the world’s leading graduate business schools (INSEAD).
- A competitive, team-based business simulation exercise.
- Webinars conducted by Orbia senior leaders.
- Assessment and development planning, cap-stoned by a group coaching and in-person learning and networking event in Mexico City.
The following profiles of Succeed participants highlight the backgrounds of these outstanding Orbia leaders and demonstrate the value of the Succeed program.
Going beyond sales and solutions to deliver more value.
Any sales process is inherently complex and entails much more than a transaction. Customers don’t buy from an entity; they buy from people they trust and believe in. Scott has internalized these truths ever since studying consumer affairs and financial management in college. Throughout his tenure at Orbia Connectivity Solutions (Dura-Line), Scott strives to instill an ethos in his team grounded in honesty and transparency, noting, “It's attitude and behavior, both individually and as a team, that elevate performance and enable us to add value."
That edge is needed now more than ever, given the increasingly fast pace of business in a turbulent macroeconomic environment. Participation in Succeed offered Scott new insight and perspective: “One of the first classes we took in the Succeed program was ‘Leading Organizations in Disruptive Times’. That helped us think on a different level about the challenges we’re dealing with, like the sharp demand fluctuations during and after the pandemic. The class reinforced the benefits of embracing change, not merely reacting to it.
The Succeed workshops were particularly insightful, helping managers more effectively enable their teams. Through the lens of Orbia’s Future-Fit model, Scott can better convey the interrelationship of specific business and people goals.
“It’s brought more structure and depth to how I work with my team, requiring that I adjust my approach, to influence individual and group behaviors as we move forward. We’re meeting more frequently for one-on-ones, talking things through to make sure everyone understands how their pursuit of individual goals contributes to success for the entire enterprise.”
Scott joined Orbia in 2006 and is based in the U.S. in Elyria, Ohio.
Scott Wells
Director of Sales – Eastern U.S. Region
Orbia Connectivity Solutions (Dura-Line)
Resolved to keep Orbia secure from cyber threats.
Miranda studied both computer science and international affairs and finds it fascinating how geopolitical forces can be at work in the cyber world. Here at Orbia, Miranda leads the Cyber Threat Operations team globally, responsible for responding to cybersecurity incidents and system vulnerabilities. Miranda also recently took on the additional role of Business Information Security Officer for Orbia Building and Infrastructure (Wavin).
She welcomes challenges and enjoys building things from scratch. “I like it when there isn’t a precedent in place and I can come into a clean slate and really leave my mark. I feel like I can make a big impact here at Orbia,” she said.
Participation in Succeed is enhancing Miranda’s deeply felt sense of purpose of building a center of excellence to meet the cyber threat challenge. As a team leader, she's implementing Orbia's Future-Fit Leadership model, helping gauge performance versus potential for her direct reports and her team as a unit.
With Succeed, she is able to address business needs while helping each person on her team experience their own professional growth path.
“Succeed did a really great job in helping us to manage how we attract, retain and develop talent internally in a sustainable way.”
Miranda is based in the U.S. in Washington, D.C. and has been a part of the Orbia family since 2021.
Boosting personal development to help others thrive.
Taking risks and literally going that extra mile characterize Will’s quest to becoming an effective global human resources leader. Not only has he taken on a variety of roles at Orbia with exposure to different industries, his journey includes relocating from Mexico to Guatemala, to the U.S., and in 2020, to the U.K. That flexibility yields a breadth and depth of experience that enables Will to see the big picture through a local lens, regardless of the challenges at a given moment.
Will brings an owner's mindset as a leader in Orbia's global People team that imparts a special sense of purpose to the broader organization and its stakeholders. That connection gained increased resonance with the recent arrival of fatherhood, and the thoughts and concerns about our planet’s future that flow from nurturing the next generation. Will reflected, “It’s so important how Orbia cares about the future. Business success is essential, but sustainability is deeply embedded in the way we operate. It’s in our core, and I love that.”
Will appreciates the new professional relationships made through the Succeed program and the opportunity to share learnings across business groups and functions. Succeed also included an assessment module to help participants fine-tune key aspects of their work. Will found great value when receiving input from his peers, as he strives to help people develop their careers.
“For me, the cornerstone of Succeed was the comprehensive 360-evaluation, including analysis and constructive feedback. Now I can more precisely apply my strengths and take action to benefit the wider team.”
Will joined Orbia in 2015 and is based in Chester, U.K.
Gaining broader perspectives for greater impact.
Stefanie Jannowsky
Global Commercial Director
Business Unit Specialty Resins
Orbia Polymer Solutions (Vestolit)
Stefanie is accustomed to the role of trailblazer. As a woman in the chemical industry, determination and the ability to work well with people from a variety of backgrounds have helped her rise to leadership positions in Orbia Polymer Solutions (Vestolit) throughout her 20-year career. Today, Stefanie uses the lessons learned along her own career path to be both a leader and a mentor to her global team. “This is where I can have an impact on something bigger, helping people know their value and making the most of their lives,” Stefanie said.
Participation in the Succeed program provided Stefanie access to the breadth of Orbia, across all its business groups. This expanded horizon gives her a new frame of reference and the opportunity to fine-tune her leadership toolkit. Exchanging experiences with her global peers has underscored the value of communication, noting, “If you communicate everything openly and provide vision and direction by breaking things down into manageable tasks, big initiatives can seem less daunting.”
Conversations during Succeed also yielded valuable insights on how to give feedback. In a global context, cultural norms can vary widely on balancing positive and negative comments.
“For me, it's even more important to give positive feedback, to help people see their strengths, because often we aren’t aware of what we do best.”
Stefanie joined Orbia in 2004 and is based in Marl, Germany.
Building winning teams fit for future growth.
The foundation of Erick’s leadership approach is identifying each person’s potential, so they can contribute to the success of the entire team. He developed this practice during years of management positions throughout his career, as well as in his personal life while coaching youth sports. “With every team I’ve ever built, I’ve brought people together and made sure they each have a part to fill and know what their purpose is,” Erick said.
An education in chemical engineering, augmented by business studies, prepared Erick to master core functions ranging from R&D to logistics, production and commercial management. That broad background has far-reaching impact, as Erick is helping to guide the St. Gabriel, Louisiana, plant through a comprehensive expansion phase, noting, “Driving new growth projects means making sure that what we're building is safe and profitable for years to come.”
Through his active participation in the Succeed program, Erick has forged new professional relationships that help him solve challenges with input from his peers, reflecting,
“While interacting with Succeed program participants, I quickly learned that we held a lot of similar perspectives, regardless of business group. Where we saw opportunities for improvement and opportunities for growth, we discovered unity and a common purpose across Orbia. I found that very powerful.”
Erick joined Orbia in 2018 and is based in the U.S. in Baton Rouge and St. Gabriel, Louisiana.
Taking business and the team to the next level.
Numbers tell most, but not all of the story. Jay instinctively knows this. She looks beyond spreadsheets to the factory floor and our customers to see the big picture, upping her game as finance director and people manager. Jay’s sense of purpose has evolved and expanded as her career has progressed. “I think I enjoy more of the people side of things now. The leading, managing, engaging, motivating side of things,” she said.
Jay’s expertise includes all areas of finance, particularly management accounts and audit. She recently moved from Orbia Polymer Solutions (Alphagary) to Orbia Building and Infrastructure (Wavin). The timing of her participation in Succeed has helped jumpstart the transition between business groups. The wins were immediate. Becoming part of the broader Orbia community on this level through Succeed helps Jay feel that she can ‘own’ her career, benefitting from the interplay and encouragement experienced during workshops and group assignments.
Succeed has helped Jay put our leadership development strategy, the Future-Fit model, into action, noting,
“It's about identifying the right people and putting them in the best possible place when you need them. You must be able to toggle between business and people priorities, paying close attention to your team even though you've got things to deliver. For me, Orbia’s Future-Fit Leadership Model and the Succeed program help make sure I keep that agility,”
Jay joined Orbia in 2021 and is based in Doncaster in the U.K.