Julio Tabegna

A play to win engineering leader with 20+ years of experience in establishing the link between scientific discoveries and the commercial applications that meet consumer needs. Expert on R&D, application development and leadership to develop and launch new products. Engages individuals to achieve superior results, highly adaptive to the ever-changing market needs, able and willing to embrace difficult challenges. 

As the Head of Research and Development at Eppendorf Group, I lead a multi-disciplinary team of 19 managers and individual contributors to develop innovative and optimized devices for laboratories. With over 5 years of experience in this role, I have successfully launched three new products using agile methodologies: 571, 440 and 101 ULT freezers.

Before joining Eppendorf Group, I held leadership roles at DuPont, where I managed a global technology organization and a regional application development team. I have a strong background in mechanical engineering and business administration, with a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Science degree. I am passionate about driving innovation and growth through technology and product development.

Head of Research & Development | Eppendorf Cryotech, Maldon | Jul 2020 – Present 

Lead research and development for a leading biotechnology company, providing medical devices to laboratories on academic and industrial research across the globe. 

• Deployed and oversee a20-member multi-discipline team in management, engineering design, embedded systems, testing &prototyping and product maintenance whilst growing the medical device offerings of the company’s instruments business
  • Devised annual capital plan, in advance of projects, allocating a budget for specific research projects to gain the necessary data required to develop market-leading products
  • Spearheaded the in-house development of critical capabilities to maximize design quality and value, including mechanical and thermal simulations, PID control systems, verification & validation (V&V) planning, and precision machining 
  • Executed a £750k programme to reduce product cost
• Actively involved in the innovation team, researching new technologies to address customer unmet needs and their impact through business cases rationale analyses, creating solutions for cooling control and heat rejection
  • Launched three new products (571, 440 and 101 ULT freezers) through agile methodology
  • Initiated a benchmarking programme focused on competitor solution analysis to measure the company’s market position

Global Technology Manager | DuPont, Richmond| Apr 2018 – Jun 2020

• Technology Lead for a global provider of energy solutions, developing a diverse range of thermal insulation technologies using inherent flame fibre (Nomex®) whilst brainstorming comprehensive business strategies for market growth
  • Led the technology roadmap for electrical infrastructure and battery business
  • Created the IP strategy target market analysis, improving trade secret protection and competitiveness
  • Led a 22-member team of engineers and technicians, based in Asia, North America and Europe in areas including research & development (R&D), application development, technical support and labs
  • Fostered robust relationships with clients and OEMs such as Siemens, BMW, ABB, General Motors and LG, as well distributors, regulatory committees, research centres and universities

Regional Application Development Manager | DuPont, Barueri | Dec 2013 – Apr 2018 

• Directed the development of all the applications of Kevlar®, Nomex®, Tyvek® and Corian® within the Latin America 
  • Conceptualised and implemented the technology strategy whilst overseeing capability building within the 13-member R&D team, focusing on regional market growth and business priorities
  • Led the ideation process of innovation growth projects for safety products pipeline management and sponsorship of regional growth board
  • Contrasted DuPont product performance against competitor products and presented technical data to provide the customer/ end-user with a full understanding of the product benefits
  • Headed the introduction and maintenance of flame resistance lab testing in Latin America, Thermo-Man®
  • Influenced the Latin America market through technical specialists, leading PPE regulations establishment 

Product Stewardship & Regulatory Manager | DuPont, Barueri | Sep 2012 – Nov 2013 

• Managed the business process responsible for the product offerings throughout the product lifecycle, reducing the impact on safety, health and the environment whilst cutting potential business liabilities
  • Succeed on process risk management implementation by a complete organizational mindset change
  • Achieved zero complaints or impacts on the product line throughout tenure

Product Manager | DuPont, Barueri | Feb 2008 – Aug 2012

• Led the engineering team in the development of the product and the manufacturing process/ quality assurance
  • Design guidelines, best practices, standards and quality management system development and establishment
  • Enabled new technology research and implementation to the product development pipeline, including reverse engineering, rapid dies prototyping and adhesives development
• Developed and implemented the DuPont Armura® product, civilian car armouring system for the Brazilian market
  • Realised a reduction in product development time by 40% and a 35% cut in expenses within three months, leveraging strengthened understanding of the product development phase while delegating tasks internally instead of outsourcing

Executive Master of Business Administration (MBA), Insper, São Paulo, Brazil, 2015

Master of Science in Engineering (MSc) – Artificial Vision, Escola Politécnica da USP, São Paulo, Brazil, 2004 

Graduate Degree in Finite Elements, Escola Politécnica da USP, São Paulo, Brazil, 2002

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (BSc), Instituto Mauá de Tecnologia, São Caetano, Brazil, 1997