Engineer · Switzerland
Dr. Ana Vallejo Vitaller
Product Manager and Sustainability Project Manager at Sika AG
Engineer with international experience in technical product and project management in industrial settings. I turn technical and customer requirements into solutions that work both technically and commercially.
About
I work where industrial product management meets sustainability. At Sika AG I manage technical product portfolios in adhesives and sealants, and I carry out Life Cycle Assessments that support the company's 2050 Net Zero goals.
My background combines industrial engineering, product strategy, sustainability and stakeholder management in highly technical sectors. I hold a doctorate from ETH Zurich on the corrosion of iron-based alloys in geothermal power plants, and I have worked in research, process engineering and pharmaceutical validation.
I coordinate teams across R&D, operations, quality, procurement and sales in global organizations.
Experience
Sika AG
Sustainability Project Manager
Sep 2024 - Present
Combined with the Product Manager role.
- Support the implementation of the sustainability roadmap, in line with corporate and regulatory requirements.
- Carry out cradle-to-gate Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) following ISO 14040 and 14044, using Sphera software.
- Coordinate sustainability-related customer requests and technical communication materials.
Product Manager
Aug 2021 - Present
- Manage technical product portfolios in adhesives and sealants, with annual sales in the double-digit millions of CHF.
- Oversee the full supply chain for sustainable cost structures and pricing, and shape global market strategies across EMEA, the Americas and APAC.
- Research industry trends, customer needs and market access to find gaps in the portfolio.
- Support the specification of key products, including structural silicones, polyurethanes and acrylic polymers.
- Lead coordination across R&D, operations, quality, procurement and sales for product development projects.
- Trained more than 100 colleagues worldwide on product application, quality and sales strategies.
Agidens AG
Validation & Compliance Engineer
Dec 2020 - Jul 2021
- Carried out installation, operational and performance qualification (IQ/OQ/PQ) of clean rooms and pharmaceutical laboratory equipment according to ISO 13485.
- Prepared testing protocols, technical reports and standard operating procedures following Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP).
ETH Zurich
Researcher & Project Manager
Aug 2014 - Jul 2020
- Developed experimental setups for high temperature and pressure, designed mechanical components with CAD/CAM software, and automated data acquisition with MATLAB.
- Coordinated the installation of laboratory infrastructure on time and within a budget of 90 kCHF.
- Defined material testing procedures for more reliable detection of material failures, and published the results in international journals.
- Lectured B.Sc. courses and supervised M.Sc. projects.
SMS Concast AG
Process Engineer & Metallurgist
Nov 2012 - May 2014
- Developed CFD and FEM models to improve metallurgical and mechanical processes, and applied PFMEA to raise product quality.
- Designed plant technology and process parameters for large outputs (about 1 million tons per year).
- Ran functional and production tests during steel plant commissioning, and acted as technical contact for customers.
Aalto University
Research Assistant
Jan 2012 - Aug 2012
- Numerical simulation of the basic oxygen converter process for steelmaking, mainly of high-temperature chemical reactions.
- Further development and validation of the in-house CONSIM (Converter Simulator) software.
Education & PhD
Doctorate (Dr. sc. ETH)
Aug 2014 - Feb 2020
- Thesis: "Corrosion of iron-based alloys in geothermal energy power plants".
- Funded by the Swiss Competence Center for Energy Research, within the Energy Strategy 2050.
Student Exchange & Master's Thesis
Aug 2011 - Aug 2012
- Thesis: "Simulation and Optimization of the Basic Oxygen Converter Process using CONSIM software", with the Research Group for Metallurgy and Ruukki Metals Oy.
B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Industrial Engineering, Major in Materials Engineering
Sep 2005 - Jul 2011
PMP certification (in progress)
May 2026 - Present
Publications & talks
Peer-reviewed papers
2020
2020
2019
Talks
- Speaker, Sika Door and Window Innovation event (2023)
Skills & languages
Product & project management
Sustainability
Materials & engineering
Quality & compliance
Data & tools
Languages
- Spanish
- Native
- English
- Business fluent (C1)
- German
- Business fluent (C1)
- Italian
- Intermediate (B1)
- French
- Basic
Volunteering
Board Member
Dec 2022 - Present
Swiss Association of Women Engineers
Supporting networking initiatives and STEM promotion for women engineers in Switzerland.
Contact
The best ways to reach me are LinkedIn and email.