Sally Lawrence is an experienced Research Leader and Scientist. She trained as a synthetic chemist and has a B.A. mod in Natural Sciences from Trinity College Dublin and a PhD in Organometallic Chemistry from the University of Oxford. Upon graduating, Sally joined the oilfield services industry and spent over a decade researching and leading research into improving the environmental profile of stimulation fluids and utilizing produced or recycled water in hydraulic fracturing operations. In 2016, Sally transitioned to the petrochemicals industry where she led New Catalyst and Polymers R&D for NOVA Chemicals. Driven by her passion for sustainability, Sally gained a MicroMasters in Sustainable Energy from the University of Queensland in 2020 and she is now the Team Leader for Feedstock Solutions and Sustainability at NOVA. In this role, Sally is responsible for NOVA’s big bet research portfolio in the areas of decarbonization and advanced recycling.
Anna Rajkovic is the Circular Economy Market Manager at NOVA Chemicals. In her role, she is responsible for the company’s PCR product portfolio, and more broadly driving circularity with plastic converter customers and across the entire plastics value chain. Anna joined NOVA Chemicals in 2008; prior to her current role she was an applications development specialist in the circular economy space as well as a technical service specialist for the drum and pipe markets. She has also been deeply involved with industry associations: Currently Anna is serving on the Association of Plastics Recyclers (APR) Film Technical Committee and the Alliance to End Plastic Waste Thematic Expert Group, as well as representing NOVA Chemicals at IPANA, RIBCA, PDA, PPI, ASTM and CSA. Prior to joining NOVA Chemicals, Anna was a regional sales manager at KWH pipe in Calgary and an account manager at Jana Labs. Anna has a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. She lives in the Okanagan with her family including two young children, where she gets to enjoy skiing, mountain biking, and the local lakes and vineyards.
John Avolio is the Value Chain Manager for NOVA Chemicals’ polyethylene business. In his role, he works closely with brands and retailers to help them meet their 2025 / 2030 sustainability commitments through collaborations with plastics converters and NOVA Chemicals’ deep applications development expertise. John’s technical expertise ranges across markets including food and beverage packaging, heavy duty sacks, and e-commerce and other secondary packaging. John joined NOVA Chemicals in 2012; prior to his current role he managed our Sales activities for our Caps and Closures market. John holds a Bachelor of Science in Plastics Engineering from Penn State (The Pennsylvania State University).