About Us

Arash Kiani has spent over three decades at the intersection of polymer science and manufacturing innovation. He holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology, where his 1989 dissertation developed finite element methods for analyzing mixing dynamics in polymer processing machinery—work that laid the foundation for his career in compounding technology.

Before founding Alterra Holdings in 2016, Kiani built Compounding Engineering Solutions Inc. over 26 years, establishing deep expertise in twin-screw extrusion, process optimization, and custom formulation development. His academic research on flow analysis, residence time distribution, and morphology measurement in twin-screw extruders has been cited hundreds of times and directly informs Alterra's technical approach.

Under his leadership, Alterra Holdings has become one of North America's fastest-growing specialty compounders—doubling sales annually for five consecutive years. Kiani spearheaded the development of SmartChronos, the company's proprietary Industry 4.0 platform that networks every machine, operator, and quality control checkpoint in real time.

"We are hyper-focused on data—not for the sake of a trend, but to reach our goal to be the best-in-class manufacturer of every product we make."

Kiani continues to bridge the gap between academic polymer science and industrial-scale production, transforming Alterra's 110,000-square-foot Seymour facility into a fully connected smart factory.

Saquib Toor brings over 20 years of investment and corporate advisory experience spanning public and private equity, distressed debt, and investment banking. As Managing Partner of Beaconhouse Capital Management, he led the 2016 acquisitions and strategic combination that created Alterra Holdings.

Prior to founding Beaconhouse, Toor served as an Executive at D.E. Shaw & Co. and Knighthead Capital, where he sourced private and distressed investment opportunities across multiple asset classes and industries including consumer, healthcare services, biotechnology, and food & retail. Earlier, he was a Principal at Centerbridge Partners and JLL Partners, executing private equity transactions and credit investments. He began his career at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette in Los Angeles, working on private placements, high yield offerings, mergers & acquisitions, and restructurings.

Toor holds an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and completed his BS in Economics from Wharton in three years.