Senior Vice President, Science and Technology and Chief Technology Officer
David Bem is senior vice president, science and technology and chief technology officer of PPG. He joined PPG in November 2015. Since 2016, Bem has been a member of PPG's operating committee and serves as assistant secretary of the board’s technology and environment committee.
Prior to joining PPG, Bem worked for Dow Chemical, where his last role was as vice president, research and development, consumer solutions and infrastructure solutions. Bem's previous roles with Dow included global research and development director, core research and development; global research and development director, Dow Automotive Systems; and research and development director for hydrocarbons and energy, chemicals and alternative feedstocks.
Before he joined Dow in 2007, Bem worked in research and development roles with UOP LLC, a Honeywell company formerly known as Universal Oil Products; Torial, a subsidiary of UOP; and Celanese Corporation, where he advanced to become a member of the corporate executive committee and research and development director for engineering polymers/Ticona.
Bem is active with many industry organizations and in 2021 was elected a National Academy of Engineering member, one of the highest professional honors accorded an engineer. He has authored more than 20 technical publications and is named in nine U.S. patents.
Since 2019, Bem has been a member of the board of directors of Brady Corporation, serving on the audit committee, management development and compensation committee, and the technology committee. He also serves on the advisory board of the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Bem earned a Bachelor of Science in chemistry from West Virginia University and a Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.