Greene Tweed had a significant impact as a sponsor of our Women’s Build event in March 2024. We had the honor of inviting Magen Buterbaugh, President and CEO, to reflect on her accomplished career and offer guidance to encourage women to achieve their career aspirations.
Q: Can you share a little bit of your personal journey and experiences that led you to become the first female CEO of Greene Tweed?
A: As the first female CEO of the company, I understand the significance of the milestone – it’s a clear indication that gender is not a barrier to success even if there are still glass ceilings. For me, becoming a CEO isn’t just about achieving a title or position of authority, it’s about embracing a responsibility to lead with a vision and making a broader impact on an organization.
From an early age, I had a passion for problem-solving, innovation, and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. This curiosity and drive led me to a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Penn State University and an MBA from Widener University. I started my career at DuPont, worked there for 15 years and another two at their spinoff Chemours Co. During my time there, I had the opportunity to lead cross-functional teams and work in a variety of capital engineering, strategic planning, operations, commercial, and business management roles across several business units. Before joining Greene Tweed, I led the global commercial, product, technology, and regulatory affairs organization at DCL Corporation, a global manufacturer and supplier of high-quality colored pigments for the coating, plastics, and ink industries. As I progressed in my career, I switched businesses, changed functions, and gained experience at a startup as well as a multi-billion-dollar company, ultimately culminating in my appointment as a CEO at Greene Tweed.
Q: What’s one challenge and one opportunity you encountered as a woman in leadership, particularly in your industry?
A: I would say the greatest opportunity to date is to be appointed CEO of Greene Tweed – to lead a global manufacturer of high-performance engineered components that outperform in the demanding environments of the semiconductor, aerospace, upstream oil and gas, and industrial and life sciences industries. The opportunity to take the company into its next stage of growth is an exciting one! The biggest challenge I had was, at times, earning the credibility and respect as a young emerging women leader in the chemicals and materials industries – and it was never an issue inside the company I was working for, but at times with external suppliers, partners, and customers in the very male dominated industries that I grew up in.
Q: As a female leader, how do you approach leadership and mentorship to encourage the professional growth of women within Greene Tweed?
A: I believe that effective leadership is about empowering everyone, especially women, to reach their full potential and pursue their dreams with a growth mindset. At Greene Tweed, we’ve taken proactive steps to create a culture of inclusion, diversity, and equal opportunity. I take pride in the fact that four out of our six executive leadership team members are women. To me, we serve as a living proof that women can thrive and excel in male-dominated industries.
When it comes to mentorship and creating a supportive ecosystem, I take a hands-on approach and support networks to nurture talent and fuel professional growth. I’m a member of the 2024-2026 cohort of Advancing Women Executives sponsored by McKinsey, an initiative to increase the portion of women in executive roles. Throughout my career, I have mentored hundreds of young professionals to help them with career development and coaching. As a leader, it’s my role to constantly support and groom the next generation of leaders.
Q: Given the associated stigmas around STEM, how does Greene Tweed encourage more women to pursue careers in STEM within the organization?
A: Greene Tweed has a rich history of inclusion, where all employees have a sense of belonging and diverse backgrounds are respected in the workplace. We recognize that diversity drives innovation and ensure that our recruitment and career growth processes are inclusive. In addition, we have created employee resource groups for women that provide a safe space to share their experience, provide them with the tools and resources (via events, workshops, and learning campaigns) they need to excel and ascend.
Q: What advice do you have for women aspiring to pursue leadership roles in traditionally male-dominated industries? Are there specific skills or qualities that you believe are crucial for women seeking success in your field?
A: There is no magic formula, but I believe in three core principles that have been the bedrock of my journey:
Break Barriers with Grit: We can do great things when we have the passion, the perseverance to do something, and the grit to see it through. Grit is what has fueled my journey right from my college days to the challenges I saw during my career. As pioneering psychologist Angela Lee Duckworth says in her book ‘Grit’, “To be gritty is to keep putting one foot forward in front of the other. To be gritty is to hold fast to an interesting and purposeful goal. To be gritty is to invest day after week after year in challenging practice. To be gritty is to fall down seven times and get up eighth.”
Embrace Discomfort: My early mentors taught me to never say no to opportunities just because they scare me. I have taken up roles that pushed me beyond my comfort zone, switching from capital engineering and operations to business management. Also, I left my big, secure comfortable corporate job, leading a billion-dollar business, to run a startup because I no longer felt challenged in my previous role. To quote Tory Burch, “If it doesn’t scare you, you’re probably not dreaming big enough.”
Negotiate for What You Want: As a woman working to climb the ladder in a traditionally male-led industry, you have to be willing to ask for a seat at the table, find your opportunities to shine, and unapologetically ask for what you want. Fifteen years ago, as I was flipping through a magazine, I remember seeing a large photo of a beautiful, sophisticated woman clad in a sharp suit, confidently puffing on a cigar. The headline was “You don’t get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate.’ And that’s been my mantra ever since.
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