Bertrand Heib: Bostik and theater stick perfectly together!
Let's start by looking back at your academic background...
Bertrand Heib : I studied to become a chemist specializing in adhesives: after completing a science-focused high school diploma, I attended an engineering school specializing in chemistry in Bordeaux in southwestern France, followed by a doctorate in polymer chemistry in Lyon, in the Rhône-Alpes region, supplemented by training as a specialist in bonding (European Adhesive Specialist).
Why did you go all the way to a PhD?
B. H. : I was interested in applied research.
I was able to benefit from an industrial research training agreement (Cifre), supported by the French government to strengthen exchanges between public research laboratories and industry.
My thesis focused on the development of an electrical insulation varnish designed to protect wind turbine motors.
What about adhesives?
B. H.: The same technical issues arise in terms of adhesion and bonding.
To simplify things greatly, an adhesive will join two parts together, while a varnish will only be applied to one part, but the chemical mechanisms of polymerization and adhesion are very similar.
Technical expert providing direct support to sales teams
Where does your interest in adhesives come from?
B. H.: The turning point came during an internship I did while studying chemical engineering at Rescoll, a company specializing in industrial bonding. That's where I really discovered the field and all the technical aspects of adhesion and adhesives. After that, I had opportunities to stay in this field. I worked for 12 years at a distributor as technical manager and product line manager for adhesives and sealants before joining Bostik two years ago as field technical support manager for engineering adhesives (BU Engineering Adhesives).
What is the advantage of moving from the world of distribution to that of manufacturing?
B. H. : Distributing products means being as close as possible to customer expectations. This is very useful experience when you are, as I am today at Bostik, at the junction between the technical and business sides of the business. My job is to be the technical expert supporting our sales teams directly with users.
I manage a team at the Bostik Smart Technology Center in Venette, which is responsible for laboratory work and conducting studies and tests for our customers, in particular to recommend products and processes to them.
We have all the expertise and technical equipment needed to meet virtually any request. We work closely with the BU's Business Developers, R&D and Product Development team members.
Has your field undergone any changes at Bostik?
B. H. : Yes, significant ones. The Engineering Adhesives division, created in 2018, was seen, not so long ago, as a Bostik start-up. We started with a small range of cyanoacrylate adhesives, which has expanded considerably through various acquisitions, product developments, and transfers of a range from one BU to another.
Today, we cover nearly twenty different technologies in addition to cyanoacrylates! So, in the space of seven years, we have moved to a portfolio of solutions that are much better suited to the diverse needs of our customers.
What direction are these solutions taking?
B. H.: First and foremost, we are focusing on offering even greater sustainability, for example with bio-based products that are more respectful of the environment and the health and safety of operators. We are also seeking to offer faster products to enable our customers to achieve higher production rates. Our customers also want adhesives that can be applied with greater precision. This is particularly true in electronics, where components are becoming increasingly miniaturized. Finally, we are developing products that do more than just stick; they provide real technical added value.
For example, thermal or electrical conductive products are highly sought after in electronics to protect parts or ensure electrical conductivity. Bostik's capacity for innovation, reinforced by Arkema's enormous potential, enables us to be even more innovative and to offer products that stand out from the crowd.
In a nutshell, what is the ambition of Bostik's Engineering Adhesives division?
B. H. : To grow and take market share from the competition, particularly in certain niche industries that require high value-added products, such as the medical, luxury, and electronics industries. That is our current challenge. Naturally, I feel very invested in this.
Taking to the stage: fun and hard work
When did your passion for theater as an actor begin?
B. H. : In the 1990s, there was a TV show called “La Classe” that featured comedians, some of whom went on to become famous in France. I was nine years old. I said to myself: I want to be like them! My first real experience of theater came thanks to a drama teacher who had put together a small troupe to perform end-of-year shows.
I remained faithful to this activity until I was seventeen, before joining various amateur companies directed by theater directors.
Is being an actor a gift?
B. H.: For me, it's more the result of hard work and concentration. If only to master your lines, even before you want to improve your acting.
I've known people who were completely uncomfortable when they started out and became good actors through hard work, by overcoming their stage fright, becoming more expressive, conveying more emotion, and facing the gaze of others.
Well, keep in mind that when you're performing, you can't see beyond the first two rows of the audience (laughs)!
Do you have to like exposing yourself?
B. H.: Not literally, although I have had to perform in my underwear (laughs). You have to dare to reveal what is deep inside you so that the audience can feel the emotions of the character you are playing, their anger, joy, love, or disgust...
But one of the first things you learn in theater is to speak clearly so that you can be understood and heard by both the front row and the back row. So it's a lot of work on your voice, volume, and articulation. I should point out that I've never been able, or wanted, to give up my Toulouse accent (laughs)!
Do you have a favorite genre?
B. H.: Ultimately, today, I prefer to play dramatic roles. Firstly, because I'm part of a company that tends to explore this genre, and secondly, because it's the kind of role where it's easier to try to convey emotions to the audience. Above all, I love all roles, whether they're leading or supporting. Because, in any case, it's a team effort and performance. For a theater troupe to work, no one can hog the limelight. Either we all win together, or we all fail together! For me, that's fundamental. Success requires deep group cohesion. It takes a lot of bonding and trust.
Either we all win together, or we all lose together!
What makes a performance successful?
B. H.: When the audience applauds. And when my fellow actors congratulate us. Their feedback is more precise than that of the audience. Sometimes it's also more blunt. They don't hesitate to tell you when you've been bad (laughs).
I try to be good and consistent, but you can never be sure you won't have an off day. Out of three performances of the same play, there's always one where you're really good, one where you're good, and sometimes another where you miss the mark.
What about your relationship with the script and the director?
B. H.: We choose the plays collectively with the director and the actors in our troupe, which is called “Les Illustres Anonymes.” Right now, we're performing “An Inspector Calls,” a three-act play written by English novelist and playwright John Boynton Priestley, in which I play a young English lord.
It's a play that's part detective story, part comedy of manners, and part social satire, with a touch of fantasy.
The text, written in 1945, hasn't aged a bit. It's still surprising. We're also working on a new play scheduled for 2026. As for the relationship with the director, there's a power game, that's for sure, but here too, a good director must know how to gain the trust of his actors in order to lead them in the direction he wants.
Have you had any memorable moments on stage?
B. H. : Several, especially since every moment is unique, which is what makes theater so special. I remember a play we performed in 2018, in which I played the lead role of the last soldier to die just before the armistice of World War I. At the end, several of my friends and family came up to me with tears in their eyes and asked me: why didn't you tell us you were going to die at the end (laughs)! It's this kind of pure emotion that makes all the hard work worthwhile.
I don't expect to perform the play more than five or six times a year, as it's difficult to find venues that accept amateur troupes like ours. I should point out that the proceeds from the show are used to pay the director, finance the sets, and treat ourselves to a pizza party once a year (laughs). For me, the most important thing is, first and foremost, the pleasure of performing. It allows me to escape and connect with others.
Do you see any parallels between your theater work and your professional life?
B. H.: Yes, because one of my roles is to run what we call the Born2Bond Academy, a training program that we offer several times a year to the distributors of our products. In that role, I have to make sure that everyone can hear and understand me.
I use a few tricks I learned in theater to capture the audience's attention, such as emphasizing important words with greater intonation. But above all, at work as in theater, everything depends on the effectiveness of the team, mutual trust, and commitment. If I don't believe in the solution I'm proposing to the client, they will sense it. The same goes for acting: if I don't believe in my role, the audience won't buy it. You need that conviction to get everyone on board.
