We would like you to meet four individuals who have made it their life’s work to bring sustainable odor control to the world of textiles.
As founder of Life Natural, Tom brings more than 25 years of experience in the materials technology field. Norwegian born and raised, he received a finance degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and went to work for a New York-based investment bank. One of his corporate clients was an early antimicrobial pioneer, and Tom immersed himself in the category. Over the next decade, he built and eventually bought that company’s Asian operations. Tom ultimately sold the business to develop his own antimicrobial company. In 2017, after years of development work, the company launched Life Natural with the mission of making plant-based technologies the sustainable global standard for bacteria and odor control.
Equal parts investor, entrepreneur and environmentalist, Christian started his career as a venture capitalist in Oslo, Norway. A life-long soccer enthusiast, he has created and managed companies in sports and healthcare, including International Sports Management (ISM) and the World Series of Football. He also co-founded Mylna Gruppen, Scandinavia’s leading fitness equipment company.
Christian and Tom met and formed a durable friendship at the Wharton Business School. Christian later became an early investor in Tom’s antimicrobial technology pursuits. Christian has served as advisor to Tesla Motors, Orion Systems, and the Grassroots Soccer organization for young players. Christian helped develop and launch Life Natural in 2017.
Scientist by training and Sales Director by sheer product knowledge and personality, Barrie is a UK-born Bangkok resident who earned his degree in chemistry from the University of Toronto. With this global perspective, he brings over 25 years of experience in the textile chemicals business. Barrie came to Life Natural from a Canadian based chemical company, where he specialized in antimicrobials for textiles and polymers. A strong proponent of Life Natural’s organic approach to odor control technology, Barrie is known for the speed at which he can put our product into your mill for a highly persuasive trial run.
Armed with a degree in chemical engineering, Lisa’s first job after graduating from the University of South Carolina was in synthetic textile fiber manufacturing. From R&D she moved into finance—as she continued working on her MBA. Lisa’s unique qualifications as a chemical engineer and financial analyst soon led to a variety of leadership positions with global corporations, including a global business leader for a US based antimicrobial company, Honeywell, BAE Systems, and Natureworks / INGEO. With proven skills in business growth, marketing and intrapreneurship, Lisa’s expansive career has been intensely focused on fibers, antimicrobials and specialty chemicals. At Life Natural, she’s a passionate advocate for plant-based technology innovations—and bringing them to market in North America.
