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Adam Rothman joined Boston Consulting Group in 2009. He leads the Chemicals and Process Industries Topics for North America, and is a core member of the Process Industries and Building Materials, Strategy, and Operations practice areas at BCG. 

Adam’s client work focuses on long term transformative growth agendas for major multinationals as well as turnaround strategies for businesses in crisis. He has led client projects in business unit and growth strategy, commercial due diligence, and corporate portfolio and value creation strategy, across the chemicals and building materials sectors spectrums, for clients on four continents.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

EDUCATION

  • PhD, Chemistry, University of Chicago
  • BA, Princeton University

Publications and Videos

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Petrochemicals Growth Is Slowing. Here’s What It Will Take to Win.

Eight important trends will reshape the industry over the next ten years. Players must adapt to these developments or risk losing their competitive edge.

How the Chemical Industry Can Transition to Net Zero

LyondellBasell’s Andrea Brown, the Global Impact Coalition’s Charlie Tan, and BCG’s Adam Rothman discuss the challenges that companies face and the collaboration and innovations that can speed change.

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Value Creation in Chemicals 2023: Facing Unprecedented Pressures

In our most recent report, total shareholder return fell dramatically across the industry, rising only in emerging economies and a few product categories. Is this a temporary shock or a new normal?
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Can Carbon Help Decarbonize Chemicals?

Carbon transformation, or CO2 to X, is rapidly emerging as an economically viable alternative to fossil fuel-based chemical production. Big companies need to engage.
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How Synthetic Biology Can Make a Materials Difference

Synthetic biology is a difficult technology to master and especially tough to scale. Chemical and materials startups and their backers need to find the meeting place of technology capability, market need, and cost.
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Value Creation in Chemicals 2022: Building Resilience as the Crisis Unfolds

Our annual assessment of chemical companies’ TSR shows steady growth from 2017 to 2021, daunting turbulence so far in 2022, and viable strategies for recovering.
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The State of Change in Chemical Innovation

Chemical companies are shifting to a new, multifunctional, more collaborative form of R&D, where growth depends on their ability to engage with the outside world.
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Ten Years of Steady Growth—and a Few Superstars

In this tenth-anniversary report, BCG looks back and ahead. What distinguishes the industry’s highfliers? It’s not location, product line, or M&A. It’s innovation and acumen.
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2020年化工行业价值创造报告

化工行业在2020年经历了跌宕起伏，2021年总体行情向好，但不确定性依然存在。化工企业的当务之急是仔细评估当下形势，做到了然于胸，同时结合自身的价值链、资产布局、终端行业覆盖，以及技术、商务和数字化能力制定具体的调整举措。
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Value Creation in Chemicals 2020

Companies that overcome the near-term hurdles of the pandemic will gain long-term advantages.
Innovative Chemical Distributors Gain a Digital Edge

Innovative Chemical Distributors Gain a Digital Edge

Those that expand or build a high-quality, innovative online platform will have a clear advantage.
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Value Creation in Chemicals 2019

Chemical demand weakened last year. Here’s how the winners adapted—and how sustainability impacts the industry.