The WACKER ACADEMY Team of Instructors
Theoretical expertise and practical experience are the cornerstones of the WACKER ACADEMY team. With backgrounds in sales or technology, our experts come to the table with extensive application knowledge. They are also trained instructors and moderators with a sixth sense for current trends and market developments.
Instructors for Architectural Paints and Coatings
Jesús Acuña
Jesús Acuña is WACKER POLYMERS’ sales manager for the Andean region. He joined WACKER in 2015 after working for Esenttia as a senior R&D engineer for polypropylene. Jesús is a chemical engineer and holds an MS degree specializing in polymers. He is currently responsible for sales and market development at WACKER POLYMERS for the construction, adhesives and coatings industries in Colombia and Ecuador.
Anna Artamonova
Anna Artamonova joined WACKER Russia in 2008 as a technical assistant for Construction Polymers. Since May 2018, she has been a technical manager for Polymer Dispersions at the Moscow technical center. She has an education in organic chemical engineering. With a focus on Coatings, she is responsible for technical support, laboratory trials and seminars for customers in Russia and CIS countries.
Kory DeCesaris
Kory DeCesaris is a technical manager in the Construction Polymers (LNB) group based out of WACKER's Allentown, PA Lab. Kory supports the cement-based construction business via cementitious formulating, technical service, and new product development. Kory joined WACKER in 2017 as a chemist in LNB prior to transitioning to his current role in Summer 2022. He is a graduate of Penn State University (B.S. Materials Science and Engineering ’17) before joining WACKER.
Cheryl Fan
Cheryl Fan is a senior technical manager at the WACKER Shanghai technical center and is in charge of technical service and support for HDK® fumed silica for Asia Pacific. She has been involved in sealants and adhesives, as well as in coatings research and development activities and product applications. Cheryl Fan joined the Shanghai center in July 2013.
Josef Gong
Josef Gong is a China technical manager at WACKER Shanghai technical center. He is mainly responsible for promotion and technical support of VAE dispersions for industrial and chemical consumer goods in China.
Ricardo Gouvea
Surabhi Jain
Surabhi Jain joined WACKER in 2020 as Manager Technical Services for Mumbai Technical Center. She holds a M.Tech. degree in Polymer Science & Technology from Indian Institute of Technology- IIT Delhi. She has about 12 years of experience in construction chemicals and applications. She supports for training customers in applications for Plaster, Skimcoat and Waterproofing membrane.
Rajendra Kholiya
After working with PPG Industries and BASF in India, Raj joined WACKER in Dubai in 2016 as regional business development manager for Polymers in Middle East & Africa. He is currently located in Ann Arbor, MI and responsible for global strategic management of Industrial application of Cyclodextrin product portfolio in BioSolutions division. He covers a wide range of market segments such as household & personal care, paints & coatings, sustainable packaging, specialty additives, and so on. Raj is a chemical engineer and has also earned his master’s in business administration from University of Manchester, UK.
Pedro Marani
Technical Manager for Construction Silicones in South America, Pedro Marani is a Bachelor in Chemistry from University of São Paulo, Master in Polymer Chemistry from University of São Paulo and MBA in Innovation Manager from Business School Sao Paulo, with more than a decade of experience in the Construction Chemicals industry in companies such as Dow Chemical and MC-Bauchemie. Working in Wacker Brasil since 2013, his main activities are in silicone specialties for the construction and coatings industry, developing new applications and solutions for the local market.
Timothy McCormack
Timothy McCormack is a seasoned technical manager with over 27 years in the paint and coatings industry and 20 years in the silicone sector. Holding a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Polymer Chemistry, he has driven innovation at major industry players, earning three patents for groundbreaking solutions. At Wacker, as a technical manager at a global chemical leader, he has led advancements in Architectural and Industrial coatings, establishing himself as a respected figure known for solving complex challenges and shaping the future of coatings technology.
Dr. Holger Poths
Dr. Holger Poths has a PhD in chemistry with a focus on polymer synthesis. He was technical service manager for nonwoven / textile customers at WACKER POLYMERS and AIR PRODUCTS POLYMERS (APP) for over 17 years. He has been platform manager for nonwovens since 2008 and heads three chemical laboratories dealing with application development and technical service for EU customers. Since March 2012, he had been head of the global competence center for nonwovens, coordinating application development worldwide and supporting global customers on technical issues.
Daniela Querci
Daniela joined WACKER in 2019 as WACKER POLYMERS commercial manager for the Middle Americas region. Her previous employers included Stepan, Grupo Petroquímico Beta, Akzo Nobel/Comex and Hercules-Aqualon. She has over 15 years’ solid experience, covering market analysis, R&D, quality control and a wide range of applications (in construction, paints, architectural coatings, oilfields, personal care and the household sector). Daniela has a Chemical Engineering degree from the Technological University of Mexico and several certificates from organizations such as the IMCYC, ACI and UNAM.
Angelita Saul
Angelita has over 17 years’ experience in coatings and adhesives technologies, working as analytical and R&D chemist. She started working for WACKER in 2014, as a Technical Manager for dispersion polymers and special resins in Latin America region. Angelita has bachelor’s degree in Industrial Chemistry by Universidade Luterana do Brasil (ULBRA) and master’s degree in Chemistry at Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), in which she has studied smart coatings and advanced techniques in anticorrosion coatings. She is currently taking her MBA in Business Administration at Fundação Getúlio Vargas.
Katrin Schachtner
Since completing her training as a chemical lab technician in 2017, Katrin Schachtner has been working in the Construction Chemicals laboratory for WACKER SILICONES. In 2021, she completed advanced training as a WACKER lab technician certified by the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK). She offers WACKER ACADEMY courses on applications and products in our SILRES® BS line, with a focus on the paint and plaster industry.
Mark Sha
Mark Sha is a technical manager at WACKER’s Shanghai technical center. He is in charge of technical service and support for silicone oligomers in coatings and for water-resistant products in China. Mark Sha has worked in production, R&D and technical service for coatings since 1995. He joined WACKER’s Shanghai technical center in August 2005.
Dr. Constantin Tiemeyer
Dr. Constantin Tiemeyer is a technical service manager for coatings at the Consumer & Industrial Polymers business unit. In 2010, he finished his degree in chemistry (Dipl. Chem.) at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). He earned his PhD (Dr. rer. nat.) there in 2014. Since January 2019, he has been working as a technical service manager at WACKER POLYMERS’ East business team.