Stefano D.

Business Development Manager at Biesterfeld Plastic GmbH

Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

About

Industrial Chemist | PhD Candidate | Business Development Manager | High-Performance Polymers I'm a technically grounded commercial professional with 4+ years of experience spanning R&D, product management, and business development in the polymer industry. My career has been defined by one consistent thread: translating deep material science into tangible business outcomes. My technical foundation was built in R&D, where I worked on Double Metal Cyanide (DMC) catalysts for polyether polyol synthesis — developing a hands-on understanding of catalysis, synthesis, and process chemistry that still shapes how I approach commercial problems today. From there, I moved into the commercial world at Biesterfeld, progressing from Product Manager to Business Development Manager with a portfolio spanning high-performance polymers including PSU, PESU, PPSU, PPS, PEEK, PAI, and PI. My focus sits at the intersection of advanced materials and demanding applications — particularly Fluid Management in Oil and Gas, where material selection is safety-critical and supplier credibility matters enormously. What sets me apart is the ability to operate fluently across the technical and commercial divide — holding a detailed conversation with an R&D engineer in the morning and presenting a business case to a procurement team in the afternoon. I understand how materials behave, how markets develop, and how to build the kind of trust that turns a supplier relationship into a preferred partner. Open to roles and collaborations at the frontier of advanced materials, strategic business development, and application innovation.

Experience

  • Biesterfeld Group (Full-time · 2 yrs 4 mos)
    • Business Development Manager
      Sep 2025 - Present · 10 mos

      Performance Polymers Fluid Management (Oil & Gas) Biesterfeld Plastic GmbH

    • Global Product Manager
      Mar 2024 - Aug 2025 · 1 yr 6 mos

      Standard Polymers Polyolefin Elastomers (POEs) PE/PP Copolymers & MAH-grafted materials Biesterfeld Plastic GmbH

  • R&D Scientist at PolyU GmbH
    Jan 2022 - Feb 2024 · 2 yrs 2 mos

    Research and development of Double Metal Cyanide catalysts (DMC) for the production of Polyether Polyols (PPG)

  • Hamburg University (Part-time · 4 yrs 2 mos)
    • PhD Candidate & Research Associate
      Jun 2020 - Feb 2024 · 3 yrs 9 mos

      Universität Hamburg, Fachbereich Chemie Institut für Technische und Makromolekulare Chemie 20146 Hamburg, Germany

    • Research Assistant
      Jan 2020 - May 2020 · 5 mos

      Universität Hamburg, Fachbereich Chemie Institut für Technische und Makromolekulare Chemie 20146 Hamburg, Germany