Innovation
Meet our first Innovator of the Year
Chinese R&D colleague powers to victory
Meet our first ever Innovator of the Year – Chinese colleague Aglaia Zhao, a Project Leader with our Powder Coatings business who is based at the company’s Shanghai Technology Center.
She’s been recognized for playing a key role in co-developing a new product with electric vehicle maker NIO, which won one of the automotive industry’s most coveted innovation prizes.
Designed to protect electric battery bottom plates, the specially formulated product within the Interpon A1000 range triples the life of the battery shielding coatings compared with existing solutions.
By creating a dedicated coating specially engineered for superior durability, the project perfectly aligned with the purpose of our internal Innovator of the Year contest – to recognize original thinking within the global R&D function that helps to deliver strategic value.
Reliable product
“The coolest part of my job is delivering our powder coating solutions to customers and then seeing our products in action in the real world,” says Aglaia. “I love creativity and every day I get to experiment with formulations, troubleshoot challenges and collaborate with our team to turn a concept into a reliable product for our customers. I feel very fulfilled when the powder coatings we develop meet or exceed the performance expectations.”
The Innovator of the Year contest replaced AkzoNobel’s Scientist of the Year competition and Aglaia beat off stiff competition to win the inaugural award.
“The new award is designed to celebrate individual R&D employees whose recent ideas have demonstrated creativity, problem-solving and measurable impact and Aglaia is a very worthy winner,” adds David Williams, AkzoNobel’s Chief Innovation Officer.
Aglaia’s passion for science began when she was a teenager and she’s continuously honed her skills during a decade with AkzoNobel. “My interest in science began when I was a student. I studied polymer materials for both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees and I was always fascinated by how polymers can be designed, improved and applied in industry.
“That passion and curiosity led me to a role in Powder Coatings R&D. Over the past ten years, I’ve worked on various innovative development projects, transforming scientific knowledge into real products. I’ve also had the opportunity to collaborate with global teams and share expertise in coating technologies. It’s been a very rewarding journey.”
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