10th Annual Global Chlor-Alkali & Vinyls Conference

Joe McCabe President & CEO AutoForecast Solutions LLC (AFS)

As President and CEO of AutoForecast Solutions LLC (AFS), Joe leverages his decades of industry experience and knowledge to provide production forecasting and advisory services to the global automotive community. Joe manages the automotive turnkey operations at AFS including the global light vehicle, powertrain, drivetrain, and alternative propulsion forecast as well as a suite of AFS proprietary opportunity and sales planning software. AFS supports all tiered suppliers, VMs, government agencies, financial institutions, and the academic community with data, planning solutions, and a personalized support to help identify new business opportunities while mitigating risk.

Joe’s three-decade career in automotive forecasting ranges from his tenure at AutoFacts, PwC, AutomotiveCompass, and now as founder of AutoForecast Solutions LLC (AFS).

Joe earned his Bachelors of Chemical Engineering degree at Villanova University and an MBA at Pennsylvania State University.

Stefan Karrenbrock Senior Director Business Development and Sales CA thyssenkrupp nucera AG & Co. KGaA

Stefan completed his degree in Mechanical Engineering at RWTH Aachen and began his career at Uhde in 1995 as a Process Engineer. He progressed through various roles in Process and Sales, including Sales activities in Mexico from 2013 to 2017. After joining thyssenkrupp Uhde Chlorine Engineers in September 2017, Stefan became Head of Sales Chlor-Alkali in October 2020 and, since October 2023, he has managed the Global Sales activities in the Chlor-Alkali sector. Leveraging his extensive background, Stefan drives strategic Business Development and Sales for Chlor-Alkali, focusing on generating regional order intake, maintaining market leadership, and overseeing proposal and contract activities.
Since October 2024 he holds the position of Senior Director Business Development and Sales Chlor-Alkali for thyssenkrupp nucera. He is married and has three children.

Igor van der Hel Vice President Caustic Soda & Derivatives Business Vynova Group

Igor van der Hel leads the Caustic Soda & Derivatives business activities of Vynova, a leading European chlor-alkali and PVC company. Prior to joining Vynova, he held several leadership positions across the chemical and industrial sectors. He started his career in operational and technical roles at various chlor-alkali production sites.

As his career progressed, Igor transitioned into commercial and strategic functions, taking on responsibilities in business development, key account management, and regional market expansion. Later on, Igor advanced into broader business management responsibilities, overseeing product portfolios, supply chain integration, and margin optimization across international markets. In his current role at Vynova, he oversees the full caustic soda and derivatives value chain.

Igor holds a Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Delft University of Technology (the Netherlands).

Damián Gumpel Strategic Advisor & Global Chemical Industry Executive DG Insights LLC

Damian Gumpel is a business executive with over 15 years of experience leading global chemical enterprises. He currently serves as a strategic advisor to companies and C-suite leaders to drive value creation through operational transformation and portfolio optimization.

Throughout his career, Damian has managed $2B to $4B P&Ls across sectors including chlor-alkali, chlorine derivatives, epoxy resins and systems, and titanium dioxide. He has
experience in corporate and business strategy development & execution, organizational restructuring, and commercial turnarounds.

Damian holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Karl-Martin Schellerer Senior Vice President Europe & Asia Chlorovinyls Westlake Germany GmbH & Co. KG

Dr. Karl-Martin Schellerer is the Senior Vice President Europe & Asia Chlorovinyls within Westlake. In this role he serves as Managing Director for Westlake Vinnolit and in various European and Asian entities as Director or Board Member.

From November 2015 to July 2017, Dr. Schellerer held the position of Vice President and General Manager Vinnolit. Dr. Schellerer joined Westlake from Dr. Wieselhuber & Partner Consultants GmbH in Munich where he led the competence center for process and plastics industry. Previously, he served in various commercial and corporate managerial roles for Vinnolit since 1997.

Dr. Schellerer holds a Master of Business Administration from the Universities of Augsburg & Pittsburgh (USA) and a doctorate in chemistry (PhD) from the University of Regensburg. He is also serving in several honorary posts including: Chairman of the ECVM Board,  Chairman of the VinylPlus Board, Member of the PlasticsEurope Steering Board, Member of the VBCI Economic Policy Committee (Bavarian Chemical Industry Association) and Member of vbw District Group Board (Bavarian Industry Association).

Roberto Vagheggi General Manager, Esseco Industrial S.p.A. CEO, Altair Chemical s.r.l.

Born in 1966, Roberto Vagheggi holds a degree in Electronic Engineering from the University of Florence. After gaining both national and international experience with major chemical companies, in 2009 he was entrusted with the task of rescuing Altair Chimica in Saline di Volterra. He was reconfirmed as CEO even after the acquisition by Esseco, becoming the first external manager in the history of the family-owned group. He later acquired and revitalized the Pieve Vergonte site in Piedmont, leading to the creation of what is now Altair Chemical. Since December 2021, he has been General Manager of Esseco Industrial, the industrial holding of Esseco Group, ranked among the top 100 performing companies in Italy.

Didi Bostock Consultant Benchmark Mineral Intelligence

Didi brings a wealth of experience from across all research departments at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, spanning downstream demand through to the midstream and mining sectors. He has advised on consulting projects worth millions of dollars for both government bodies and private companies, delivering expertise across strategic advisory and debt financing.

Esin Çınar Sustainability Director Aygaz

Esin Çınar is the Sustainability Director at Aygaz, where she established the company’s sustainability department from the ground up. She leads the strategic transition from fossil fuels to green energy, focusing on investments and preparing for CBAM requirements. Prior to this, she held a Commercial Operations Director role where she created the logistics brand Sendeo (an Aygaz and Koç Holding Company). Esin holds an EMBA from Koç University and completed executive programs at Stanford, Harvard, and Berkeley.

Ramazan Aslan Founder & CEO Life Climate

Ramazan Aslan is an industrial engineer and the founder and Chief Executive of Life Climate (Life İklim ve Enerji), a leading climate and sustainability consultancy based in Ankara, Türkiye. With over 16 years of experience in voluntary carbon markets and trades, he has advised on emission reduction projects across multiple frameworks, including Gold Standard, VCS, and GCC standards, and has contributed to major capacity-building initiatives such as Worldbank’s PMR Programme for development of MRV and ETS for Türkiye. His expertise spans from supply chain emission management, agricultural decarbonisation with developing Türkiye’s first Soil Carbon Project, and industrial decarbonisation with RED III compliant bio-oil and circulat product certification.