Dr Sally Beken FIMMM appointed Chair of the IOM3 Polymer Group

Professor Sally Beken FIMMM is the founder of the UK Circular Plastics Network, a community working to ensure that less plastics waste enters the environment or is sent to landfill. She is currently the UK Circular Plastics Network Connect Manager at Innovate UK, a role that involves strategic interventions to support and shape projects with multiple stakeholders across the polymer supply chain, from SMEs and academics to major retailers. 

Previously, she worked in the medical industry, developing polymer-based medical devices with new formulations aimed at reducing their impact on the ozone layer. Having spent many years working with polymer experts she has an extensive personal network to draw upon from both the academic and business communities to facilitate the changes needed in the sustainability of polymeric materials and innovation for future polymer products. Her PhD focused on the modification and pyrolysis of polymer compounds, and she holds an honorary professorship at Brunel University.

She was integral to the set-up of the £60m UK Smart Sustainable Plastics Packaging challenge and has supported multiple polymer innovators during the challenge delivery phase. Professor Beken has been active in the knowledge transfer and business support for the polymer community for over 20 years, and we are delighted that she will be chairing the IOM3 Polymer Group.

Professor Beken says, 'I’m honoured to serve as Chair of the Polymer Group at IOM3. In leading this group, I hope to further the IOM3 mission as a global network for the materials cycle, promoting sustainability and greater circularity in the processing and use of natural resources. I am particularly excited to work with a diverse range of experts on the Polymer Group Leadership Team and other thought leaders, whose insights and contributions will drive the group's mission forward and help shape the future of the polymer industry.

I am committed to creating an inclusive and dynamic environment that encourages open dialogue, knowledge sharing, and enhancing the understanding, access and skills of IOM3 members required for a successful sustainable career in the polymer sector. I see my role as a great opportunity to elevate the IOM3’s Polymer Group's influence across the broader materials community, while championing responsible and forward-thinking technologies and practices in polymer use and sustainability.'

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