Kim Houchens, Ph.D. Email & Phone Number

Seattle, Wa, Us

Seattle, Wa, Us

Striving to be Earth's Best Employer. I lead Amazon's global Benefits Experience and Technology team that is focused on Health, Wellness, Financial and Educational Technology.

Seattle, Wa, Us

AWS Industry Products co-develops software with our largest customers in the Clean Energy, Automotive, Healthcare/Life Sciences, Media/Entertainment/Telco/Sports, Sustainability, Manufacturing, and Operations industries. I led the research science and UX design teams supporting the division, and the product vision for the Manufacturing industry, creating software tools for factories that reduce waste, improve quality and drive sustainability.

Seattle, Wa, Us

Created an incredible packaging team that is reinventing packaging and fulfillment processes for the e-commerce marketplace. Team has developed machine learning engines to reduce wasteful packaging, created more compact packaging to reduce air shipped, and drove advances in material science to replace plastics with novel recyclable material. We have led innovations that scaled across +12B shipments/year, driving waste reduction and sustainability wins for customers. Since 2015, Amazon has reduced packaging weight per shipment by over 38% and eliminated more than 1.5 million tons of packaging.

Research Triangle Park, Nc, Us

Elected to the Board of Directors representing the North Central Region of the U.S., also serving on the executive and finance committees. The society encourages research through grants from our endowment, administers the grants program for the National Academy of Sciences, and publishes the American Scientist magazine. We also foster high school STEM programs by publishing research articles from students in a new digital magazine. Sigma Xi is the largest scientific honors society in the world with over 40,000 members in 100 countries. The organization was founded in 1886 to honor excellence in scientific investigation. Our mission is “to enhance the health of the research enterprise, foster integrity in science and engineering, and promote the public's understanding of science for the purpose of improving the human condition.”

Bentonville, Arkansas, Us

My team was responsible for creating new capabilities to forecast the future of retail through big data and analytics. Responsibilities included; enterprise-wide financial planning and analysis; the visualization of big data; and marketing and customer analytics. I also played a role in creating the enterprise-wide technology strategy and the strategic roadmap for the integration of physical stores with the future of digital commerce.

Perrysburg, Ohio, Us

Charged with leading global R&D team to reinvent glass manufacturing and substantially reducing company’s ecological footprint and manufacturing costs. Led global R&D team that invents, engineers, and commercializes all glass manufacturing equipment that supports O-I’s 81 plants and global business partners. Managed 120 staff, representing all design, engineering, software and science disciplines, as well as analytical and global technical field services.

Zurich, Ch

Built world-class global product development (R&D) organization, developed new technologies, and served the packaging design and development needs of Coke, Pepsi, Campbell’s, Diageo, Method, Bausch & Lomb, J&J, hundreds of leading FMCG brands, and OTC/pharmaceutical manufacturers. Created new injection molded preforms and blow molded and extrusion plastic packaging used in hot-fill, carbonated and aseptic fill applications. Managed 120+ staff ($29M budget) in all areas of product development: market research, industrial design, computer-aided design, finite element analysis, engineering, innovation, global technical services, AIB-certified pilot plant, and analytical services. Developed and managed P&L, operating plan and strategic growth plan as key member of executive staff for $3B division producing 28 billion containers each year. Team delivered 5-year improvements in operating margin (6.1% to 8.1%) and PBIT ($9.4M to $15.5M). Drove innovation, growth, and business value through upgrading talent, creating product design capability, and partnering with business to deliver initiatives that enabled growth, speed, and agility. New products launched increased 120%, hit rate increased from 22% to 57%, sales of new products drove 3-year NPDV (new product development vitality) from 27% to more than 52% and new product sales refreshed the product portfolio, delivering $700M/year.

Bloomfield Hills, Mi, Us

Recruited to build and lead the R&D organization, develop and commercialize portfolio of patent-protected products, and lead intellectual property strategy as part of the executive staff. Developed and managed the operating and strategic growth plan to prepare the company for public offering or acquisition. Built and managed the R&D, technical service, and quality control functions worldwide, with more than 70 staff in 8 countries.Launched 5 new chemical treatment products (Repels and Releases Stains, Coolest Comfort, Resists Static, Neutralizer, and Dry Inside) to the global network of licensed mill partners. Efforts resulted in a commercial product that won NASA’s Nanotech Briefs Nano 50 awards in 2005 for “Best of the Best” – the innovative people and designs that will move nanotechnology to key mainstream markets.

Beachwood, Oh, Us

Managed the product development portfolio to satisfy customers’ needs for innovative decorative products. Directed 36 engineers and chemists in 6 locations; influenced development in 2 Asian joint venture facilities. Contributed to the development of company’s strategic plan, operating plan, and restructuring strategies.Designed and implemented a Stage-Gate product development process that nearly doubled the impact of new innovative products on sales (rising from 19% to 37%). New products created growth of over $80M/year.

Midland, Michigan, Us

Worked with business managers to identify target markets for new inventions, creating profitable new business. Contributed to research, development, and testing for new portfolio of apparel fiber-forming polymers. Served as technical advisor on super-absorbent binder fiber development that improved cost and performance of diapers and other absorbent products. Key developer for XLA elastic fiber, including creation of yarns and textile products. Efforts resulted in a commercial product that won R&D Magazine’s “R&D 100” award for the most innovative new products of 2003.

Ph.D., Material Science And Manufacturing Technology Management

Ms, Textile Engineering, Chemistry And Science

Associate'S Degree, Design

Bs, Human Environment And Design