The Ropella Group Assists Itaconix in Finding Chief Commercial Officer
January 4, 2021 – The Ropella Group, an executive search firm specializing in the chemical, consumer products and technology industries, has assisted Itaconix Corp. in the recruitment of Monna Manning as vice president of marketing and sales and chief commercial officer.
“I am excited to have Monna join our executive team,” said John R. Shaw, CEO of Itaconix. “Her success and skill at creating demand for new ingredients will add new revenue potential for both our current products and new products emerging from our development pipeline.”
Ms. Manning joins the company with extensive experience at generating demand for specialty materials with technical sales operations to engage with customers on new product formulations. She has more than 20 years of product development and sales, applications, and plant scale-up in the oleochemicals industry. Ms. Manning served most recently as general sales manager North America and Latin America for Glatfelter, having previously worked at Peter Cremer, Siovation and ABITEC. Ms. Manning holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and biology from the University of Notre Dame.
Headquartered in Stratham, NH, Itaconix Corp. is a global provider of polymers from itaconic acid. The company has a growing a portfolio of functional ingredients that are used in a range of consumer products, including laundry detergents, auto dish wash (ADW) pods, odor management products and hair styling.
Veteran Search Consultants
For the past 35 years, Ropella has been a strategic partner serving clients in the chemical, technology and consumer products industries. Among the firm’s clients are chemical companies such as BASF, Dow, Akzo Nobel, Tate & Lyle, National Starch (Ingredion), IFF and Lonza; technology companies such as GE, J&J, Ethicon, Tyco, Sony, PPG and Benjamin Moore; and consumer products companies such as Clorox, Nike, Bayer, Whirlpool, JM Smucker, Shell Gas and Reckitt Benckiser. The firm is headquartered in Milton, FL.
The firm’s president, Robbie Ropella, works closely with her husband, Patrick, chairman and CEO, to provide synergy and balance to the search team. Ms. Ropella has over 25 years of recruiting experience in the chemical, allied and high technology industries, giving her insight into the unique career, recruitment and hiring challenges faced by leaders in these areas.
The SMART Search System
Ropella uses its proprietary SMART Search System, which was designed to drive the quality and speed of its searches. The system “helps us find highly specialized executives you can’t effectively recruit on your own, in about 10 days,” said the firm. “It impacts an organization’s long-term success, enhances their employment brand and yields a greater quality of hire.”
“I speak for myself when I say that the Ropella process has been impressive with regard to other search firms and headhunters we’ve used in the past,” said Clint Shepard, talent acquisition leader at the Dow Chemical Co., one of Ropella’s clients. “Truly a dynamic process between the research efforts, skill surveys, marketing piece and executive summaries.”
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media