Dutchman at home in Shanghai

Headquartered in Midland, Michigan, in the United States, Dow Corning has made China one of its priority markets and an engine for its future growth. The company opened its first China office in Hong Kong in 1973.

The chemical giant has invested about $2 billion in China, and it is still upgrading its process in product developments and lab facilities every day. Its manufacturing site in Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu province, is a world-class facility and the largest of its kind in China.

The plant boasts strong operational cleanliness for a closed-loop site, and it has been recognized by the local government as an environmental education base.

"We use and reuse many of our materials. We make sure that the factory has as little waste as possible, and it doesn't pollute the local environment. We have strong filters to guarantee that there is no (hazardous) steam and we don't emit any bad chemicals into the air."

Bloemhard said that due to Dow Corning's focus on innovation in China, Shanghai will play a major role in its research and development network. With hundreds of scientists and application engineers located in Shanghai, they will design specific products for the Chinese market.

In pursuit of business opportunities, it is expanding its regional R&D center in Shanghai, to make sure that its products cater to the needs of emerging markets.

"We see that the Chinese market is growing strongly, and we will definitely invest in the product development and application engineering capabilities. Therefore, we can work very closely with our customers and ensure that they get the products they need."

Bloemhard is known for his high standard of performance, and he also expects the same from his team members. Bloemhard said he truly trusts the people that he works with, but also believes in an environment of challenging each other to make the right decisions, in a company that builds its success on innovation.

"I strongly value diversity, and I like to have different opinions from people with different backgrounds, to make sure that we have the broadest points of view on how to address a problem and approach a new opportunity."

He may be somewhat of a hard taskmaster, but Bloemhard appears an amiable person with a down-to-earth disposition. Away from the office, he prefers simple local food to high-scale restaurants.

"Chinese people are very hospitable, and they always invite me to dinner at very high-end restaurants. But they quickly realize that I don't like it very much, and now they know that just a bowl of noodles or fried rice is good enough for me."

During his spare time, he likes running and playing golf with his wife, and explores small streets and local scenes of Shanghai. "We are trying to force ourselves to find a new restaurant every time we go out, preferably a restaurant with no Westerners. We really like to experience that."

BIO

Jeroen Bloemhard

China chief of Dow Corning

Born in Groningen, the Netherlands in 1968 Married

Career

1993-2014: Held various leadership positions at Dow Corning in Belgium, Japan, the United States and China.

2014-present: China chief of Dow Corning

Education

1992: BA, Hanze University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands

2008: Executive education in finance at the Ross School of Business, the University of Michigan in the United States