Mike Kesti

Mike Kesti is the Senior Vice President of 3M’s Corporate Research Laboratory. The Corporate Research Laboratory is responsible for development and deployment of new technology across the global 3M R&D organization. 

Mike grew up in Eden Prairie, MN, attended Carleton College (BA degrees in Chemistry and Economics) and earned a PhD in Chemistry from Stanford University in 1992 (under Professor Bob Waymouth). Mike joined 3Ms Post-it® Note laboratory in 1993 where he developed new adhesives and water-based technologies for Post-it® Note products. He then spent 16 years in 3Ms Commercial Graphics division working on new, wide-format, graphic film products, eventually becoming the division’s Global Technical Director. During this time, the Commercial Graphics division merged with the Building Commercial Solutions Division to become the Commercial Solutions Division. In 2016, he became the Global Technical Director for the Personal Safety (PPE) Division. On March 1st, 2021, he was appointed Senior Vice President of 3Ms Corporate R&D organization.

Mike is currently a member of the Conference Board-Innovation Leadership Council, American Chemical Society (ACS), the Innovation Outreach Program (IOP). As well as Board of Governors for the University of Minnesota-Department of Chemistry and the University of St. Thomas-School of Engineering and is on the Board of Advisors for the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Chemistry. 

Mike has held board positions in the Signage Foundation (SFI) and the Sustainable Green Printing partnership (SGP).