ChemArabia – Saudi Chemical Industry Summit

Jubail, Saudi Arabia
Monday, 20 November 2023

 

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 Monday, 20 November 2023, 8am – 2:00pm KSA

Agenda

8:00 am

Welcome Remarks: Chemical Market Analytics and Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu

Dewey Johnson, SVP, Global Lead, Chemical Market Analytics by OPIS
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8:15 am

Energy markets: Tension between security versus transition

Matthew Thoelke, Executive Director, Olefins, Chemical Market Analytics by OPIS

The turmoil caused by the Russia-Ukraine conflict has forced nations to reassess their energy strategies amid a more polarized geopolitical climate. Countries can no longer assume the energy transition will be facilitated by unfettered movements of raw materials and coordination of climate initiatives. Greater competition for resources and economic growth will prompt some countries to seek energy security at the cost of a long-term transition to low carbon sources. Yet other countries will attempt to accelerate their transition plans as a pathway to energy security. Join us as we discuss how this tension, between energy security and transition will evolve.

9:15 am

Olefins and Polyolefins Outlook: Is the overbuild too big to swallow?

Matthew Thoelke, Executive Director, Olefins, & Kaushik Mitra, Executive Director, Polyolefins, Chemical Market Analytics by OPIS

Significant olefin/polyolefin capacity additions with have led to global oversupply. All regions are expected to see depressed margins for an extended period of time. Will we finally see significant market rationalization in high-cost regions? Can low-cost regions efficiently move their products to higher cost regions or will global shipping constraints negate competitive cost advantages? These issues and more will be discussed

9:45 am

Networking break

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10:15 am

Aromatics: Caught in the middle between refining and chemicals

Duncan Clark, VP, Aromatics, Chemical Market Analytics by OPIS

Competition for aromatics feedstock with the gasoline blending pool was intense during 2022 as reformate, mixed xylenes and toluene blend values surged, leading to negative extraction margins for BTX. At the same time, excess capacity in Asia failed to be placed into the market due to mainland China’s weak economic performance and aromatics margins suffered as a result. Chemical Market Analytics will explore the drivers that influence supply-demand & pricing/margin dynamics in the aromatics’ markets and its prospects in the upcoming horizon

10:45 am

Methanol: Is it the key to the new world?

Mike Nash, VP, Methanol, EMEA, Chemical Market Analytics by OPIS

Methanol demand growth in the last ten years has been largely driven by MTO, with strong fuels growth. But with growth into fuels and MTO declining, future demand will be driven by more traditional chemical derivatives, with methanol into marine fuel a wildcard. The industry is now beginning its decarbonization journey, with some consumers looking to purchase green, not grey methanol. Chemical Market Analytics will look at the likely evolution of the methanol industry over the next few years, and the implications for pricing, supply-demand, and trade, particularly for a Middle Eastern producer.

11:15 am

Impact of Circular Developments

Jonny Goyal, Circular Plastics Sustainability, Chemical Market Analytics by OPIS

Climate change and sustainability concerns have peaked to level wherein the petrochemical industry is increasingly forced to incorporate these into future business strategies. Developing credible strategies is becoming important as a “social license-to-operate” issue for the industry at large. This takes on 3 major aspects which will need to be addressed –

  • Decarbonization of present operations and future assets
  • Recycling and Upcycling to meet circularity goals
  • Waste Collection & Disposal to enable sustainable environmental management

The plastics ecosystem is undergoing unprecedented transformation and catalyzing industry restructuring with new business models emerging. This discussion will explore analysis and insight from various perspectives on the journey & challenges the conventional plastics industry paradigm will face as it transforms into a more sustainable contributor to society.

11:45 am

Closing remarks & Lunch

Chemical Market Analytics and Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu
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12:45 pm

Day Delegate Tour

Chemical Market Analytics and Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu
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2:00 pm

Meet our experts

Chemical Market Analytics

The experts you know, and trust will be available for one-on-one meetings during the event to discuss the important  trends affecting your markets. Book a meeting with the team

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ChemArabia Speakers

Dewey Johnson

Senior Vice President, Global Head of Chemical Market Analytics Chemical Market Analytics by OPIS

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Duncan Clark

Vice President, Global Aromatics & Fibers Team Lead Chemical Market Analytics by OPIS

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Mike Nash

Vice President, Global Syngas Team Lead | Americas Acetyls Lead Chemical Market Analytics by OPIS

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Jonny Goyal

Director, Circular Plastic Sustainability Chemical Market Analytics by OPIS

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Kaushik Mitra

Executive Director, Europe Plastics & Polymers Chemical Market Analytics by OPIS

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Matthew Thoelke

Executive Director, EMEA Ethylene & Propylene Chemical Market Analytics by OPIS

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Dewey Johnson

Dewey Johnson Senior Vice President, Global Head of Chemical Market Analytics Chemical Market Analytics by OPIS

Dewey Johnson is Senior Vice President & Global Lead of Chemical Market Analytics by OPIS, a Dow Jones Company (“Chemical Market Analytics”).

IHS Markit Global LLC (“IHS Markit”) was acquired by S&P Global in February 2022. As part of the merger, IHS Markit Base Chemicals was spun off and separately acquired by Dow Jones and renamed “Chemical Market Analytics” in June 2022.
Dewey is responsible for the global business, including insight and research covering the major chemical value chains including Aromatics and Fibers, Olefins and Derivatives, Inorganics (chlor-alkali, vinyls, and soda ash), Plastics and Polymers, and Syngas Chemicals (methanol, acetyls, and ammonia). Dewey is based in Houston.

Prior to Chemical Market Analytics, Dewey joined IHS Markit (through legacy CMAI) in 2009. His experience in the petrochemical industry covers all aspects of the business- financial, commercial, operations, research, strategy design and business planning, business development, as well as consultancy. Prior to IHS Markit, he was with Eastman Chemical Company, where he spent more than 25 years in strategic and commercial roles with various business groups and corporate functions. Dewey held management positions in commercial development, global sourcing, P&L for key businesses, market development, and market & strategic analysis of chemical markets and businesses. Dewey has led multiple complex engagements in strategy development and execution, global sourcing of Aromatics & olefins derivatives and industrial gases, business simulation & game theory and dynamic modeling, sales/ marketing, and business development. Dewey received BS and MS engineering degrees from Tennessee Technological University and Virginia Polytechnic Institute. He also earned an MBA in General Management. Dewey has been a frequent guest lecturer at MIT Sloan School of Management, UVA Darden School of Management, and SUNY at Albany School of Public Policy.

Duncan Clark

Duncan Clark Vice President, Global Aromatics & Fibers Team Lead Chemical Market Analytics by OPIS

Duncan Clark is the Vice President of the Global Aromatics and Fibers business at Chemical Market Analytics.

Duncan acts as the key resource within Dow Jones for understanding and providing insight into the Aromatics sector of the petrochemical industry, he works closely with the petrochemical, oil, and financial industries.
Duncan joined IHS Markit base chemicals business (now known as Chemical Market Analytics) in 2013, he has spent the last 32 years working in the chemical and petrochemical industries in various Sales, Marketing, and Global Business Management roles.

Before this, Duncan spent ten years working in an ExxonMobil / Shell joint venture company, involved in Fuel and Lubricant additives visiting refineries all over the world. He also spent 12 years working for Air Products in various chemical and industrial gases businesses in the U.K., U.S., and Netherlands. He now provides insights into the global aromatics and derivative markets including paraxylene, purified terephthalic acid, ethylene glycols, polyurethane feedstocks, and the global benzene, toluene, and xylenes markets.

He graduated with a BSc. in Chemical Engineering from University College London. He also has a Master of Business Administration from Manchester Business School.

 

Mike Nash

Mike Nash Vice President, Global Syngas Team Lead | Americas Acetyls Lead Chemical Market Analytics by OPIS

Mr. Mike Nash is the Vice President for Syngas Chemicals (including the methanol and acetyls practices) at Chemical Market Analytics.

He works with a global team of regional consultants and overlays their analyses with a global perspective. His responsibilities include the weekly World Methanol Report and monthly World Methanol Analysis, including the weekly and monthly Global Acetyls Market Reports and the related World Analyses for Methanol, Acetyls, and Formaldehyde.

Before joining the IHS Markit base chemicals business (now known as Chemical Market Analytics) in September 2012, Mr. Nash worked for BP’s petrochemicals division for 19 years preceding a two-year stint in Total’s UK fuels business. He performed various commercial roles within BP, in international business management, marketing, project management, and logistics, based in London, Duesseldorf, and Kuala Lumpur. His last role in the Total UK was the Logistics Director for Specialties.

Mr. Nash holds a Master of Arts in English Language and Literature from Edinburgh University, UK, and a Master of Business Administration from Kingston University, UK.

Jonny Goyal

Jonny Goyal Director, Circular Plastic Sustainability Chemical Market Analytics by OPIS

Mr. Goyal is the Director of the Circular Plastic Service team in Chemical Market Analytics.

He leads the team in technology and infrastructure related to plastics circular economy and sustainability. His work areas include technical assessment focusing on plastic circularity, bio-fuels, clean tech, and sustainability.

Mr. Goyal brings over 18 years of experience in chemical process engineering, research and analysis, EPC process industry, process design, and project management. He provides customized strategic analysis and techno-commercial assessments for clients in the areas of new and emerging technologies for the chemical process industry. He served as project lead for the technical evaluation of various technologies and published reports on post-consumer plastic recycling (pyrolysis), advances in plastic chemical recycling (gasification), large-scale plastic pyrolysis, syngas fermentation, cellulosic ethanol, biomass pretreatment, coal gasification, and syngas to ethanol. He also led process comparison and cost tracker for Biodiesel, ethanol, and isoprene for the industry clients.

Mr. Goyal initially joined IHS Markit Process Economics Program (formerly SRI Consulting) in 2014 and later move to lead the Technology team in Circular Plastic Services within Chemical Market Analytics in June-2021. Previously he was with LanzaTech driving commercialization efforts of syngas fermentation technology and business development. He has also worked with Air Liquide Global E&C in Germany and India where he led India’s first high ash coal to DRI project using Lurgi gasification. He also has good ethanol industry plant design and operation experience where he facilitated a few distilleries related to molasses and grains as feedstocks.

Mr. Goyal holds a Certificate of Business Excellence from the University of California, Berkeley. He earned his degree in Bachelor of Technology in Chemical Engineering from India. He is a lifetime member of the Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers (IIChE), Kolkata, India.

Kaushik Mitra

Kaushik Mitra Executive Director, Europe Plastics & Polymers Chemical Market Analytics by OPIS

Kaushik Mitra is the Executive Director of polyolefin, for Europe Middle East, and Africa at Chemical Market Analytics.

Mr. Mitra steers the Polyolefin Insight and Research practice for Chemical Market Analytics under Chemical Market Analytics and played a pivotal role in conceptualizing, developing, and executing the Chemical Market Analytics sustainability study. He has gained diverse career experience working at top global companies and leading business management, market development, market intelligence, and strategy. His interests are in pricing, strategy, and intelligence. He joined Chemical Market Analytics in 2016 with more than 22 years of experience in the petrochemicals business. Previously, with petrochemical giant SABIC, Mr. Mitra led the global strategy team for the polymers business, shaping long-term ambitions in terms of growth, business improvement, innovation, and pricing. He was instrumental in developing a framework for strategy execution, as well as deploying performance metrics. Mr. Mitra holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering and a marketing MBA.

 

Matthew Thoelke

Matthew Thoelke Executive Director, EMEA Ethylene & Propylene Chemical Market Analytics by OPIS

Matthew Thoelke is the Executive Director for Olefins and Derivatives in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa at Chemical Market Analytics.

During his time with Chemical Market Analytics (formerly part of IHS Markit base chemicals business), and CMAI, Martin took a variety of roles across a broad range of product areas. With over 20 years of experience, Matthew acts as the key resource within the business for understanding and insight into the olefins sector of the petrochemical industry, for these key regions, he works closely with the petrochemical, oil and financial industries, bringing support and guidance throughout the petrochemical chain. Current specific responsibilities include the European/Middle East Report Olefins and primary input and support for the World Ethylene and Propylene Analyses.

Previously within CMAI, Mr. Thoelke has worked in both olefins and aromatics consulting in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa with key responsibilities in olefins, but also in aromatics markets. His previous role had a primary focus on butadiene and elastomers, in which subjects he remains a globally recognized industry speaker and expert. His responsibilities included input to the Global Outlook – Feedstocks, Elastomers Report, European Market Report Aromatics, Aromatics Market Report, and taking the lead role in analyzing olefin and derivative markets in support of the long-term planning outlooks in the World Analysis.

Educated at Cambridge University Mr. Thoelke received a BA and MA in Material Sciences before completing a Diploma in Manufacturing Engineering (ACDMM).

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