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Ashley Coup

Manager, Global Corporate Innovation, Koppers Inc.

Industry/Field

Manufacturing

Bio

Koppers is a Pittsburgh-based wood preservation company specializing in the distillation of coal tar into valuable product streams including creosote, the manufacture and chemical pressure treatment of both railroad ties and utility poles, and the manufacture of chemicals used to treat residential lumber.  They also have several service arms focused on providing inspection, maintenance, and disposal services to their customers.  Their primary customers are railroads, utility companies, and lumber treaters.

As the Manager of Global Corporate Innovation at Koppers, Ashley is the primary contact for startups looking to collaborate with Koppers.  She can facilitate connections across all functional areas of the organization and provide insight on a variety of topics including market overviews, customer discovery, industry trends, business models, manufacturing processes, logistics, current challenges in the industry, and more.

Ashley Coup joined Koppers in May 2017 and is the Manager of Global Corporate Innovation. Ashley’s notable accomplishments since joining Koppers include designing, launching, and managing Koppers global open innovation platform, iShare; leading the design and construction of Koppers innovation center, The ATTIC; conceptualizing and facilitating human-centered design-based ideation sessions, Idea Summits; and leading the start up and operation of Koppers Utility Services, the first project to be managed within the Koppers incubator. Currently, Ashley is focused on expanding Koppers approach to innovation through external relationships including industry collaborations, startup engagements, and sponsored research.

Prior to joining Koppers, Ashley spent six years working in Research & Development for Mylan Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of generic pharmaceutical manufacturer, Viatris, formerly known as Mylan.

Ashley earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Pittsburgh’s Swanson School of Engineering and her master’s degree in business administration from the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. She is also a certified practitioner of Luma’s methods of human-centered design and serves as a Board Member for local non-profit Beverly’s Birthdays.