Chemicals & Materials Now!
From basic to specialty, and everything in between

About the author:
Stephen Toton is a former R&D executive with over 35 years of experience working with DuPont, Kodak and other corporations in leading large R&D organizations, ventures and startups in commercializing transformative products and providing excellence in innovation best practices.
Steve is a subject matter expert in leading ventures and improving the effectiveness of R&D based innovation
Posts by Stephen Toton
How to Measure the Effectiveness of R&D Based Innovation
Posted on October 28th, 2016 in Chemical R&D
Like it or not, we work in an environment where corporate shareholders, board of directors and the C-suite want to see a return on their investment in R&D-based innovation. This has become a significant challenge for technology and marketing executives to answer. Continue reading “How to Measure the Effectiveness of R&D Based Innovation” »
Four Leadership Roles that Foster Innovation
Posted on August 8th, 2016 in Chemical R&D
In my 35+ years of experience leading R&D organizations and ventures, I have witnessed many different leadership roles that help foster innovation. I’ll discuss four – the Entrepreneur, the Project leader, the Growth Business Leader, and the Functional Leader.
Continue reading “Four Leadership Roles that Foster Innovation” »
Implementing a Project and Portfolio Management IT System Across the Enterprise
Posted on June 10th, 2016 in Chemical R&D
With today’s demand on real time information, the Business Unit executives and the C-Suite are asking for more data and analytics on the R&D / Innovation investment and project status. Continue reading “Implementing a Project and Portfolio Management IT System Across the Enterprise” »
Leading a Venture within a Corporation
Posted on April 12th, 2016 in Chemical R&D
Finally, after many months of making a business case to the C suite, you get the approval to fund a transformational project across two businesses or with a major partner. You’re ready to execute. So how is this different than leading any other innovation project? Continue reading “Leading a Venture within a Corporation” »