Nancy Easterbrook Joins HarbisonWalker International as Recycling Director

Veteran growth and innovation executive Nancy Easterbrook has joined at HarbisonWalker International (HWI) as Director of Recycled Materials. In this new role, she is responsible for developing and commercializing a platform of offerings related to recycled refractory materials to realize customers’ long-term sustainability aspirations while supporting HWI business and environmental goals. HWI is the largest supplier of refractory products and services in North America.

As part of HWI’s ongoing commitment to set industry standards, Nancy will lead HWI’s Recycled Materials function, leveraging customer-driven solution initiatives and third-party partnerships to create operating recycling streams for material technologies. Her responsibilities are integral to supporting HWI’s employee-led Sustainability (ESG) initiatives and customers’ ESG goals for environmental stewardship. Demand for closed-loop refractory recycling solutions continues to increase due to environmental considerations, rising prices, and supply issues for raw materials.

“We are thrilled to welcome Nancy as a key member of our HWI Research and Development team. Her skills and proven track record as an innovator, visionary leader, and growth expert are an ideal fit for creating our recycling platform,” said Dr. Martha Collins, Chief Technology Officer, HarbisonWalker International. “Nancy and her new role reflect our commitment to drive improvement as an innovative and sustainable company while leading recycling solutions for our customers and the refractory industry.”

Prior to joining HWI, Nancy was most recently Strategic Marketing Lead for the Water Division of Buckman Laboratories International, Inc., where she drove enterprise strategic vision by reshaping global water strategy for the digital age and building a strategy-led marketing function for Water. Previously she served as Strategic Marketing Manager in Corporate Innovation for Eastman Chemical Company to introduce and launch “Strategic Foresight,” a new capability to future-proof businesses against disruption.

Before joining Eastman, Nancy began and advanced her career through several business development and innovation roles at Air Products & Chemicals, Inc. She progressed to become Growth and Innovation Manager for Air Products’ Industrial Gases Americas division, where she designed a new business portfolio based on digital solutions to result in significant revenue increases.

Nancy earned her Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, NY, and has received business development certifications from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and Lehigh University.

She is a member of the RPI Lally School of Management’s Technology Commercialization Board of Directors and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. She has also served as Chair of the Educational Foundation for the Product Development and Management Association (PDMA) and President of the Commercial Development & Marketing Association (CDMA), as well as the Chemical Heritage Foundation’s (CHF) Chemical Heritage Council.

She will be based in Pittsburgh at HWI’s Advanced Technology and Research Center (ATRC), which is the largest refractory industry research facility in North America.