Unexpected Lessons on an Unexpected Journey: My Career as a Chemist, Lab Manager, and Business Manager

Sherri Bassner obtained her PhD in inorganic chemistry from The Pennsylvania State University in 1988. She began working for Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., in the fall of that year. Most of her 22 years with Air Products were spent in business unit R&D positions, first as an individual contributor and then in technology management positions. Her areas of expertise focused on solvent and water-based coatings and adhesives. Her experience with Air Products included almost 4 years in Mexico where she built applied technology organizations in both Mexico and Brazil to provide local support to business in region and managed the Mexican business. After four years managing Air Products’ Global Analytical Sciences organization, Sherri moved to Intertek USA in July 2010, where she assumed business management responsibility for the Intertek Chemicals and Materials lab in Allentown, PA. Her last role at Intertek was as vice president for chemical services, building a platform across global business lines to provide comprehensive testing, development support, investigations, and regulatory consulting for customers across industries. Sherri is currently enjoying retirement, participating in part-time consulting and leadership coaching. She blogs on personal and professional development as well as other topics at www.sherribassner.com.