3M names new chief innovation officer
Dr. Ashish K. Khandpur is 3M’s new SVP of research and development and chief technology officer, a role that carries high innovation expectations at a company with a reputation for game-changing product development.
Khandpur fills a position previously held by Dr. Frederick Palensky who retired after a 37 year career with the company. Khandpur joined 3M in 1995 in the company’s adhesive technology center in St. Paul, Minn. He earned multiple promotions within 3M’s central research laboratories before moving to the company’s office supplies division laboratory. In 2006, the native of India relocated to 3M India to establish and lead the company’s first local laboratory. He subsequently served as technical director for 3Ms industrial and transportation business in Asia Pacific, and in 2012, he was appointed vp of research and development for the worldwide industrial and transportation business. Khandpur’s most recent leadership role was vp and general manager for 3M’s personal safety division.
“Ashish is a highly accomplished and respected leader with a proven track record of success across multiple 3M businesses and geographic regions," said Inge G. Thulin, 3M’s chairman, president and CEO. “As our chief technology officer, his global experience is a huge asset and I am confident that he will lead our research and development teams to even greater success in the future.”
Khandpur earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi, and a Ph.D. in chemical engineering with a specialization in polymers from the University of Minnesota.