Pearl appoints general manager in Europe

Pearl Group, a global provider of polyurethane (PU) insulation solutions and other PU-based applications, announced this month that Jose Díaz has joined the company as general manager Europe and to strengthen its global technical division. In this role, Jose is responsible for expanding the Pearl business in Europe and will support Pearl’s R&D, product development and technical service capabilities. Innovation and R&D are core tenets of Pearl’s approach of continually advancing its polyurethane formulations and technical expertise.

Jose brings more than 21 years of chemical industry experience, including 14 years in PU systems and extensive international experience in the UAE, USA and Germany. He has considerable knowledge of the company from his previous role at Bayer Pearl, where he spent five years heading up its technical department and product development activities.

By ensuring Pearl remains at the forefront of technical innovation and service, this important role will help Pearl Group meet its objective of becoming the global market leader in polyurethane-based solutions by 2034. Jose reports to Martin Kruczinna, Pearl Group’s chief executive officer.

Martin Kruczinna, Pearl Group CEO, said: “At Pearl, we strive constantly to lead the industry in product innovation, technical expertise and service excellence. Jose’s extensive global experience and industry relationships will be instrumental in allowing us to further expand in Europe, while ensuring we serve our global customers with our high-quality, diversified range of polyurethane-based products. We warmly welcome Jose back into the Pearl family.”

Jose Díaz, general manager Europe, said: “I am delighted to join Pearl’s renowned research and development unit and to lead Pearl’s European expansion. I am returning at a pivotal time for the company as it continues growing internationally and broadening its product lines. I look forward to working with the Pearl team, its partners and its customers, both in Europe and globally.”

Jose joins Pearl from Covestro, where he was most recently head of scale-up and quality excellence, based in Leverkusen, Germany and where he had previously held various engineering operations and project assurance roles in the United States. Prior to that, Jose specialised in spray foam product strategy and management at Accella Performance Materials, later bought by Carlisle Construction Materials. He was previously responsible for technical innovation at Covestro and has also held positions at Bayer Pearl and Bayer Material Science.

Jose is joined in Pearl’s technical team by Laxman Biradar, who has already been working with Pearl’s customers in India. Laxman will relocate to Dubai to serve the GCC market, as well as further supporting the dynamic growth of India’s metal panel sector.

Photo: Jose Díaz (© Pearl Group)

Pearl Group