Bakelite Synthetics Executive Leadership Team
Each member of our Executive Leadership Team has more than 20 years of experience in the chemical manufacturing industry and brings a depth of knowledge and expertise, diverse experiences, thought leadership, and strategic perspective to drive financial health and growth for the company and our customers we serve.
JP Aucoin
President and Chief Executive Officer
Jean-Paul Aucoin is President and Chief Executive Officer of Bakelite Synthetics since its inception in April 2021. Mr. Aucoin oversees the mission, vision and direction of Bakelite.
Before starting Bakelite Synthetics, Mr. Aucoin was the Senior Vice President and General Manager of Hexion’s Global Phenolic Resins and European Forest Products and led the business through its sale and carve out to form Bakelite Synthetics.
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He has over 25 years of experience in the chemical industry in various executive, technical and commercial roles based in Edmonton, Canada; Rotterdam, Netherlands; Melbourne, Australia and Columbus, USA. He is accomplished in designing ground-breaking business solutions and leveraging global resources to drive the success of billion-dollar chemical companies.
Mr. Aucoin earned Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in wood science from the University of Toronto.
Barry Canipe
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Barry Canipe is Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Bakelite Synthetics and oversees Bakelite’s finance and accounting team as well as setting the strategic direction, priorities, policy and governance for enterprise-level decisions with the Executive Leadership Team (ELT).
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Before joining Bakelite Synthetics, Mr. Canipe served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Serta Simmons Bedding from 2019 to 2021. Mr. Canipe joined Bakelite in 2022, bringing with him 30 years of finance experience including a strong track record of value creation and driving large-scale transformation in both publicly traded and private equity-backed companies across global manufacturing and service businesses.
Mr. Canipe earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from James Madison University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.
Curtis Shelast
Executive Vice President and Americas General Manager
Curtis Shelast is Executive Vice President and General Manager for Bakelite Synthetics, overseeing the North and South American sectors of Bakelite’s commercial, technology, research and development, manufacturing and supply chain functions.
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Mr. Shelast came to Bakelite after a 32-year career with Hexion, Inc., recently having served as the Vice President for Global Procurement. From Borden Chemical to Hexion and currently Bakelite, Mr. Shelast brings a lasting leadership legacy that spans the chemical industry with his experience in engineering, operations, procurement, supply chain and logistics.
Mr. Shelast earned a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from The University of Alberta.
Julian Welfoot, Ph.D.
Executive Vice President and Managing Director, Europe
Julian Welfoot, Ph.D. is Executive Vice President and Managing Director for Europe at Bakelite Synthetics, where he is responsible for Bakelite’s European commercial, research and development, manufacturing and supply chain activities. He previously served as Bakelite’s Chief Operating Officer.
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Dr. Welfoot has over 20 years of experience in the chemical industry, including operations and finance leadership roles with Hexion, Inc., based in Europe, Latin America and North America. He brings to Bakelite a proven track record in business performance improvement.
Dr. Welfoot earned a Master of Engineering and Doctor of Philosophy in chemical engineering from Swansea University, as well as a Master of Business Administration from Durham University.
Paul Vogt, Ph.D.
Executive Vice President and Chief Procurement Officer
Paul Vogt, Ph.D. is Executive Vice President and Chief Procurement Officer at Bakelite Synthetics, where he is responsible for the Global Procurement Team, managing all aspects of Bakelite’s strategic procurement processes.
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Before coming to Bakelite, Dr. Vogt served as Vice President of Supply Chain Services for SI Group and has more than 25 years of service in the chemical industry with roles in research and development, operations, manufacturing, transformational growth and strategy. Dr. Vogt was awarded the 2008 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award for his work at SiGNa Chemistry.
Dr. Vogt holds a Doctor of Philosophy in chemistry from The University of Notre Dame and a Bachelor of Science in chemistry from Seton Hall.
Andrea Croslyn, Ph.D.
Executive Vice President, Business Process and Sustainability
Andrea Croslyn, Ph.D. is Executive Vice President for Business Process and Sustainability at Bakelite Synthetics and leads improvements in Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) as well as global, cross-functional business processes.
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Before starting in this role, Dr. Croslyn spent 20 years in the chemical industry in progressive technical, business process, and leadership roles, and she holds a Master Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma. She is also the recipient of a U.S. national Jefferson Award for her volunteer work in public schools. Effective leadership and strategy execution are a few of the many talents Dr. Croslyn brings to Bakelite.
Dr. Croslyn earned a Bachelor of Science in chemistry and Russian from The University of the South (Sewanee), and a Doctor of Philosophy in analytical chemistry with a minor in environmental engineering from the University of Florida.
Alex Greenberg
Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer
Alex Greenberg is Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at Bakelite Synthetics, where he oversees human resource strategy, total rewards, talent acquisition, training and development and all other aspects of the global Bakelite Associate experience.
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Prior to joining Bakelite at its inception in April 2021, Mr. Greenberg spent 25 years in chemical industry management with Hexion, Inc., Momentive Performance Materials and General Electric. Mr. Greenberg has global experience with both private equity and publicly traded companies recognizing how valuable people are to chemical manufacturing.
Mr. Greenberg earned a Bachelor of Arts in economics and political science from the University of Rochester and a Master of Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University.