Kris Wadrop

Kris is the Managing Director of Materials.

As Managing Director Kris provides leadership to the Materials business within CPI. Materials is a very broad market topic, from CPI’s perspective Materials means anything and everything from sustainable chemicals and formulations to battery components, biopesticides and biostimulants, polymers for packaging and the alternative proteins and novel foods that could be packed in them. All these market applications support the UK’s target of NetZero by 2050 and will be the primary component of the products we use on a daily basis in the coming decade.

Kris has executive accountability for two of CPI’s operating sites, at Wilton, Redcar and the Coxon Building, NetPark, Sedgefield. Working closely with Alex Smith and Tony Jackson, who lead the teams at these sites. Kris drives the development and execution of the company strategy in the Material market segments. CPI also has close working relationships with the Regional Authorities in Liverpool and Manchester where the Materials team are delivering elements of the business strategy.

Kris joined CPI in 2015 as Technical Programme Director developing the Biotechnology strategy for CPI and securing long term partnerships with customers such as Calysta LLC; Kris became the Director of Biotechnology in 2016 from which time he has helped steer the National Strategy to a sustainable and prosperous future for UK manufacturing. Kris joined the CPI Executive Leadership Team in 2020 helping steer the company through the COVID pandemic. Kris is a member of the Industrial Biotechnology Leadership Forum (IBLF); the IBLF is the collaboration between UK Government and Industry to drive the UK’s Bioeconomy.

Prior to joining CPI Kris was a customer through an SME he founded; he continues to use this experience to drive a culture of Continuous Improvement within CPI to continuously delight customers. The second half of Kris’ career was in SME’s, driving fundraising in combination with technology and project development. The first half of his career was in ICI. Whilst at ICI Kris held both operational and technology management roles across a range of sites stretching from Indonesia to the USA making the essential ingredients for everyday products used in detergents, lubricants and clothing.

Kris’ entrepreneurial spirit and drive for results enables him to see the big picture whilst designing a tactical plan to deliver near term results; Kris’ ability to join the dots and take existing technology into new applications and markets often enables customers to make step changes in their innovation journey.