Unstoppable People - Deidre Sandrock - Director of Sustainability - Chemical

Milliken’s Unstoppable People series highlights Milliken & Company associates who guide us to success and embody our values: integrity, excellence, innovation, sustainability, and people.

“Just think about how to make it better—to make anything better.”

When Deidre Sandrock accepted her current role as Director of Sustainability and Innovation for Milliken’s Chemical Business in 2021, she knew it would be an exciting opportunity to pioneer a newly created position. Connecting Milliken’s innovation and sustainability initiatives are well within Deidre’s wheelhouse, but she knew that she’d be laying the groundwork and pitching in to make things better.

“Cindy [Boiter] had just started as the business president in early 2021, and part of her overall analysis indicated she didn't have a single point leader overseeing innovation or sustainability. And as we look to grow our chemical business, especially towards our companywide 2025 and 2030 sustainability and growth goals, that was going to be a very key role in helping create a cohesive voice across those two growth levers.”

Deidre, a longtime Milliken associate and a scientist by trade, stepped up to fill the gap.

“We were looking to stand up a more mature innovation organization, codifying how we innovate, how we measure ourselves, how we hold ourselves accountable to delivering on new product development growth, and how we grow the business as a whole. We had to create a way of doing things that everybody agreed to, and so over the last 18 months, that was a huge focus—to develop a harmonized innovation framework across the five units of the chemical business.” It was a worthwhile journey, though admittedly not always the simplest.

“This focus on structure wasn't just about efficiency; it was about empowering our scientists. Innovation is key to unlocking sustainable solutions and meeting the evolving needs of our customers in a competitive marketplace. By establishing a clear framework, we could give our teams the freedom to be creative within a framework that encourages sustainability breakthroughs.

Deidre’s love for science and technology dates back to her childhood. “I am, and have always been, in awe of what science can do. I’ve always felt like scientists can do great things and achieve the impossible once we agree on a problem to be solved and of course, add a healthy dose of curiosity and hard work.

“Having a unique thought that no one else has thought of before and being able to create something that someone hasn't created before—science can do that. Milliken extended that passion for me into my professional career. As materials science experts, we have a fundamental understanding of how we apply learnings and discoveries to enhance our customers’ products. That's always been the ask of me and of other scientists here: How do I leverage my expertise, my problem-solving skills to figure out how to improve the world?”

Deidre, time and again, continues to apply her skills to improve things around her. Since joining Milliken more than 10 years ago, she’s been an innovator, a sustainability champion, a team player, and a leader. Charting her course within the diverse technical community that is Milliken has been an exciting challenge, but it’s also encouraged her to think more broadly. “I wake up every day for work, and I think about how I can make things better. Whatever it might be. Maybe it’s ground-breaking technical research, maybe it’s updating a conference room to enhance working conditions for my team.

“Whatever your job is, how do you not just, you know, check the box but be an active contributor to making things better?”

Curious about Milliken’s sustainability journey? Read our latest report.

Want to join our team of #UnstoppablePeople? Visit our careers webpage to learn more about your next opportunity.

Do you know an Unstoppable Person you’d like to recognize? Nominate them at [email protected].