Dr Uta Sundermeier
Senior Manager Startup Innovation, Henkel AG & Co. KGaA
Dr Uta Sundermeier is a Senior Manager in Henkel’s Adhesive Startup Innovation team. Since joining Henkel in 2005, Uta has held various laboratory and technical management roles within the company’s Laundry and Home Care and Adhesives Research groups in Germany and North America. After completing her Chemistry studies at the Friedrich-Schiller-University of Jena, Germany and her Ph.D. work at the Leibniz-Institute for Catalysis in Rostock, Germany, Uta conducted her postdoctoral work at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. She is currently based at Henkel’s headquarter in Düsseldorf, Germany, working with a global cross business team.
Building Stronger Bonds Through Industry–Startup Collaboration
The adhesive industry stands at a critical inflection point. Geopolitical uncertainty, tightening regulatory frameworks, volatile supply chains, and accelerating sustainability demands are reshaping how materials are developed, sourced, and deployed across industries. In this environment, startups are emerging as key catalysts of transformation, bringing agility, interdisciplinary innovation, and new business models that challenge traditional approaches to adhesive formulation, manufacturing, and application.
By leveraging advances in bio-based chemistry, digital materials design, circular economy principles, and smart manufacturing, startups can help future proof the adhesive value chain. Their ability to rapidly prototype, test, and scale novel solutions enables faster responses to regulatory pressure, decarbonization targets, and shifting customer expectations. At the same time, collaboration with established industry players creates a powerful innovation ecosystem—combining entrepreneurial speed with industrial scale, market access, and technical expertise.
This evolution redefines adhesives not merely as enabling materials, but as strategic solutions embedded in resilient, sustainable, and digitally enabled systems. Connecting startups with industry leaders is therefore not optional—it is essential to navigating uncertainty and shaping a competitive, compliant, and future ready adhesive industry.
Breakout V – Market Dynamics & Collaboration – 17 September 2026 – 12:30 – 13:00 – Room Fleming – F3