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Dr. Diana Radovan joined IPC in August 2024 as the advocacy lead for sustainability policy, a role that requires awareness of global policy activities. From the IPC Munich office, Diana has been busy working as a policy analyst with Dr. Kelly Scanlon, IPC lead sustainability strategist. In this interview, she shares her background, her role at IPC, and what she wants to accomplish for the benefit of our industry.
Diana, tell me about your new role at IPC.
Diana Radovan: I am the director of sustainability policy, part of the IPC Global Government Relations team. Although I am based in Germany, my advocacy role is a global one. I am the industry’s point of contact as a policy analyst and advocate, a connector of technical and policy leaders, an active contributor to various industry working groups, and the coordinator of the Environment and Health Strategic Management Team (ENV SMT). I am also a blog writer, webinar host, and newsletter contributor. My goal is to always be one step ahead of emerging policies and to work with the industry to propose pragmatic solutions for their implementation, or for the need for us to engage directly with government and policymakers.
IPC has always distinguished itself as a key voice for the electronics industry on environmental issues. Dr. Kelly Scanlon held this role before me and recently stepped into a new role at IPC as the lead sustainability strategist. As sustainability policies are important to and even drive decisions about sustainability for electronics, Kelly and I work together closely. I also liaise with IPC’s EU and U.S. government relations senior directors Alison James in Brussels and Richard Cappetto in Washington, D.C.
Tell me more about your background before coming into this role.
More than anything else, I am an explorer. I’ve always been passionate about science, technology, and communication. I have a doctorate in physical chemistry from the Technical University (TU) Dortmund through the International Max-Planck Research School Dortmund in Germany and did post-doctoral work at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. I am multilingual and a dual citizen of Germany and Romania. I’ve always enjoyed writing and discovering other cultures through learning different languages. I also feel lucky to live in such a beautiful area. I love nature and spend much time hiking in the Alps close to the German-Austrian border. Before joining IPC, I worked in the healthcare industry, most recently in a leadership role in regulatory affairs.
I am a passionate volunteer who has worked on human rights, climate change awareness, and science communication campaigns. While volunteering toward the end of my post-doctoral training, I had the chance to interact with the Governor of Alberta for Advanced Education and Technology who suggested that I would be great in science policy. That idea stayed with me. Simultaneously, I realized that one of the most valuable skills gained from a scientific education is critical thinking, and that can and should be applied in many areas.
It's been 13 years, and I can say that the regulatory field has given me many rewarding experiences. I am proud to have contributed to shaping policies. There is an interdependence between policy and progress. The policy landscape is constantly evolving, often driven by, or in response to, emerging technologies. I find purpose in navigating the space in between. I always keep three things in mind: overall strategy, core messaging, and timelines. Given that I am a trained scientist with a passion for communication and, sometimes, for challenging the status quo, as well as a human being with a genuine love for the natural world and a strong desire to protect it, I feel right at home in sustainability policy.
Continue reading this interview in the Winter 2025 issue of IPC Community.
