Dr. A.H.M. Kayen (1945, Dutch, married and 3 children).

Born and raised in Amster­dam, Dr. Kayen graduated in Physical Organic Chemistry in 1971.

Supported by the government sponsored Netherlands Organization for Pure Research (ZWO) he obtained his PhD in 1975 (Thesis: Photochemistry of Geminal Chloronitroso Compounds).

From 1969 - 1979 he was part-time teaching at High Schools (VWO) and also educated non-graduate technical laboratory staff, (HBO). He joined Shell at the Koninklijke/Shell Laboratory in Amsterdam (1975), and he was active in Process Development for Shell's epoxy resins.

From 1979 - 1981 he was assigned as Group Leader Product Development and Customer Technical Service for epoxy powder coatings in Shell Development Company, Houston, U.S.A.

Returning to the Netherlands in 1981, he was appointed as Senior Advising Technologist in the Shell Nederland Chemie (SNC) manufacturing organisation in Pernis. He was responsible for C4/C5 butadiene/isopre­ne monomers, later including isoprene rubbers, solution- as well as emulsion based styrene/butadiene rubbers ("CARIFLEX"), epoxy resins ("EPIKOTE"), EO/PO based polyols ("CARADOL") and the epoxy esters of "VERSATIC" acids ("CARDURA").

In 1985 he moved to the SNC Rotterdam office as Head of the department Product Application Development and Market Research, covering Industrial Chemicals and (mainly) Shell Polymers Development in the Benelux. He served on various industry committees.  He was Secretary of the Management Team in the SNC Rotterdam organization.

Back in Pernis in 1988, he was Head of Technology for Crop Protection and Fine Chemicals Manufac­ture. His group was responsible for technical/eco­nomical assessment, development and implementation of new processes as well as trouble shooting/improve­ments of the existing ones.

He lectured Industrial Chemistry at  the Leyden State University,  (1990-2000).

In 1993 Harre Kayen was appointed Head Plastics Waste Management in Shell Internatio­nal Chemicals in The Hague. He advised on technology assessment of mixed plastics waste disposal in the Royal/Dutch Shell Group.

Kayen supported attempts to quantify the balance between costs and environmental impact of the various waste disposal options. He supervised several joined Industry/Government life circle analyses (LCA) studies on plastics waste and polymer combustion.

As secretary of the Energy Recovery Task Force of the APME (Association of Plastics Manufacturers in Europe), he contributed to R&D on effects of polymer incineration at full scale in German municipal solid waste combustors.

In 1996 Kayen transferred to the 'Steering Committee PVC and Chain Management' in the Netherlands.

The Steering Committee, - collaboratively funded by the the Dutch PVC manufacturers and converters - aims at determining the environmental effects of PVC application by generating scientifically sound, verifiable data.

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As Steering Committee co-ordinator, Dr. Kayen seeked to identify options for further minimization of the environmental impact of the manufacture and use of PVC. He represented the PVC industry in discussi­ons with Dutch Government Authorities  (Min VROM, EZ, VWS) as well as in industrial committees and NGO's.

End 1999, Harre Kayen elected to retire as coordinator , but continues to be available as a consultant to the Polymer and Chemical Industry.

Since 2000, Kayen provides Executive Search Services.

He was appointed as member of the Advisory  Board of the HBO Institute for Higher Laboratory Staff Education, (98)

Finally,  he is  president of the “Rotterdamsche Chemische Kring”  and  vice president of  the Working Group

 “ History of Chemistry” of the Royal Dutch Chemical Society.