Scott Pearson, Chief Technology Officer
Meet Scott Pearson – our new Chief Technology Officer. As a global pioneer within innovation and sustainability, Scott brings tons of experience and know-how to the Syre team and mission.
Tell us a bit about your background
I have had the good fortune to spend my career in research and development, helping big companies grow and become more sustainable. My most recent positions were in global R&D leadership roles at two well-known companies: The Coca-Cola Company and 3M, where I focused on developing new technologies and improving products. My background includes a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, and my leadership expertise lies in strategic planning, developing new materials and technologies, and building and leading teams to bring new products to market.
From packaging to textiles – what are the similarities?
It is actually not that different, in the end it is all about creating circularity through reducing waste and reusing polymers. At Coca-Cola, I had the opportunity to lead teams in several areas including innovating and scaling materials and solutions that reduced the use of plastics in packaging and finding ways to recycle plastic waste. At 3M, I had many opportunities that cut across their businesses, including leading R&D for one of their consumer businesses, again, helping the company create new products and find new ways to use technology to improve them. I have always liked the challenges of innovation and the teamwork required to bring something successfully to market.
What made you join Syre?
I have been frustrated at the challenges we continue to face in reducing waste and reusing polymers for many years. And while there are many teams trying to advance technical solutions in this area, they largely have yet to make a significant impact on reducing our use of virgin, fossil-based polymers. So, from a mission POV, I’m very aligned with what Syre is: a textile impact company decarbonizing and dewasting the industry through textile-to-textile recycling - a thyperscale. But beyond this, the team at Syre is among the most engaging, dedicated and talented I’ve ever come across. Who wouldn’t want to work here?
Based on your experience, what is key to succeed with scaling?
Scaling up a chemical process simply means making it bigger and more efficient. For a business to do this successfully, you have to move quickly to get to market, but not so fast that you skip over the science and engineering. You need to leverage knowledge gained from experiments and computer models, and put a lot of focus ultimately on controlling the process. The goal isn't to make a perfect process with zero chance of failure. It's to build a tough and flexible one that can handle some challenges without falling apart. You tackle this by clearly identifying the end target, and then start to manage the risks and make decisions quickly, all while having solid backup plans in place.
Also, we know that your passion outside of work is painting! Tell us about that, and how art and tech are linked in your mind
I love creating. Art and science might seem like opposites at first—one often associated with creativity and expression, the other with logic and analysis—but they share some deep similarities. Both require imagination and creativity. And both start with curiosity, requiring trial and error, experimentation, and refinement. Basically, innovation no matter in which field comes from thinking beyond what already exists.