FEATURE
FULFILLING A FAMILY
LEGACY OF SCENT
SCIENCE & INNOVATION
Bedoukian Research’s
Robert Bedoukian, Ph.D.
Robert “Bob” Bedoukian, Ph.D., President of Bedoukian Research and son of
Paul “Doc” Bedoukian, Ph.D., founder of the company and a legend in flavor and
fragrance, wasn’t always planning on following in his father’s footsteps. A long-time
member of the Board of Directors for the Fragrance Creators Association and the
Research Institute for Fragrance Materials (RIFM), Bob eventually made his own
path to the family business and, along the way, has gained more than 40 years of
experience and lessons in leading his company and the industry through many
successes, hurdles, and moments of uncertainty. We spoke with him about his open,
collaborative, and even-keeled approach to leadership, business, advocacy, and
science.
MAKING HIS OWN PATH
“First, I got embarrassed. Then I got
angry. Then I got serious.”
“I have memories of my father bringing
blotters home to smell all the time, but I
didn’t take it all that seriously,” says Bob.
In their home in Hastings-on-Hudson, New
York, Bob recalls that his father, also a
chemist, spent the evenings “pouring over
chemical abstracts, cutting out references
to the flavors and fragrances, and then
compiling them into an annual review
article in the Perfumer & Flavorist (which
started as American Perfumer). He was
extremely proud that he published articles
entitled, ‘Perfumery & Flavoring Materials
from 1945-1994,’ as well as ‘Perfumery
Synthetics and Isolates,’ published in 1951,
which with its second and third editions
were used all over the world by people
getting started in our industry.”
As he got older, Bob spent summers
working at his father’s tiny chemistry lab
at Compagnie Parento, where Paul worked
until he founded Bedoukian Research in
1972. Even though he says he thought it
was all rather boring at the time, Bob still
remembers looking forward to the steak with
an onion ring on top that he would have with
his father on their lunch break.
From a young age, Bob’s passion was in
GET TO
KNOW BOB
––
FAVORITE
SUMMERTIME MEAL:
Cedar plank Scottish salmon on
the barbeque
FAVORITE PLACE
TO ESCAPE TO:
His house on Cape Cod
WHEN HE’S NOT
WORKING, HE ENJOYS:
Spending time with his three
grandsons and exercising
electronics. He would spend hours building
radios with his father, eventually becoming
an amateur, or ham, radio operator. “I
started college at Tufts University in
engineering, fully expecting to choose
electrical engineering for my career,”
he says. But Bob blames FOMO (fear
of missing out) for his ending up in the
chemistry field. “When we were told after
freshman year that if we wanted to choose
chemical engineering we had to decide
‘now,’ I made the jump.” Later, at Purdue
University, while pursuing his Ph.D., Bob
says he had an awakening after performing
poorly on one of his first oral exams. “That
was the best thing that ever happened to
me,” he says. “It changed my attitude
completely. At first, I got embarrassed.
Then I got angry. Then I got serious.”
COLLABORATION TAKES
DISCIPLINE
“I’m the opposite of a zero-sum person.”
As a result of that determination, Bob
graduated with a Ph.D. in Chemistry and
joined the family business. Today, he is at
the helm of the family company, where his
sons, Matt Bedoukian, Ph.D., and David
Bedoukian, also are in leadership roles.
While he admits he may not be the most
talkative in company or industry meetings,
he is always listening and considering if
or how his input may be impactful. “I
like to participate and help when I think
I’m actually adding something to the
conversation or the organization,” he says.
In leadership, his core traits of openness,
collaboration, and logic serve him well.
“For running a company, these attributes
are essential,” he says. “Employees have to
trust you; businesses and other partners have
Issue 2, 2018 | FRAGRANCENOTES.ORG | 7