Speakers | PEPP 2024

Matthew Thoelke Vice President, EMEA Olefins Chemical Market Analytics by OPIS

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

Matthew Thoelke is the vice president of the olefins and derivatives team in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa at Chemical Market Analytics. During his time with the company, he has taken a wide variety of roles across a broad range of product areas. With over 25 years of experience, Matthew is a key resource within the business for understanding and insight into the olefins sector of the petrochemical industry.

Within the EMEA region, he works closely with the petrochemical, oil and financial industries, bringing support and guidance throughout the petrochemical chain. His current area of focus includes oversight of the ‘Europe and the Middle East Olefins Report’ and primary input and insight for the ‘World Ethylene and Propylene Analyses.’

His prior experience includes coverage of butadiene and elastomers, for which he remains a globally recognized industry speaker and expert. Whilst in this role, Mathew was responsible for the ‘Global Outlook — Feedstocks, Elastomers Report’ and the ‘World Butadiene Analysis’ and took the lead role in analyzing olefin and derivative markets in support of the long-term planning outlooks in the World Analysis.

Mr. Thoelke has both a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in Materials Science from Cambridge University, as well as a Diploma in Manufacturing Engineering (ACDMM).

Eugene Rudolf Manager Business Development Veolia Netherlands

Eugene Randolf has 20 years of experience in the waste management and recycling business. He is currently the Manager of Business Development for Veolia.  Before joining Veolia in 2017, he worked for Verpact (formerly Kunststof Hergebruik)  part of the Van Scherpenzeel Group and was involved in building and management of the EPR system for plastics in the Netherlands.

In 2017, Van Scherpenzeel Group was acquired by Veolia and where Eugene has been involved in all plastics recycling from a mechanical and chemical perspective.

Pavon Sarode Business Development Manager Lummus

Pavan Sarode is a seasoned Business Development Manager at Lummus Novolen Technology, Germany, bringing over 15 years of extensive experience in the petrochemical industry. His expertise spans across technology licensing, project development and polymer manufacturing. At Lummus, Pavan has successfully licensed and promoted Polyolefin technology globally, showcasing his expertise in strategic planning, finding strategic and reliable solutions for customers taking customer centric approach.

Previously, Pavan worked at ExxonMobil, driving operations improvements and new product development. He also served as Sales Manager for South Asia at W.R. Grace Chemical Company, managing key accounts and developing new business segments.

Pavan professional journey began at Reliance Industries Ltd., India where he made significant contributions to process optimization, cost reduction. He holds a degree in Chemical Engineering.

Pavan’s global perspective and dedication to innovation, positions him as a leading figure in the petrochemical industry.

Dorothée Arns Director General European Association of Chemical Distributors (Fecc)

Dorothee Arns is a seasoned public affairs and business executive with a proven track record in leading profit and nonprofit organisations successfully.

Since June 2019 she is the Director General of the Brussels-based European Association of Chemical Distributors (Fecc), which represents more than 1,600 members across Europe and from all parts of the chemical value chain, including producers, logistics´ and service companies.

Prior to this, from 2013 to 2019, she served as Executive Director of Petrochemicals Europe at Cefic, where she was also an active member of Cefic´s leadership team.

On the business side, she can look back on a long career in the chemical industry at BASF Ludwigshafen, where she served in various senior business management roles in marketing, sales, eBusiness and controlling in the company´s (petro-)chemical business.

Of German nationality, Dorothee studied in Germany, Ireland and Spain and acquired 2 Master degrees: an MBA with focus on international management and one Master degree in Applied Languages & Linguistics.

Mino Angelilli Commercial Director, Circular Plastics Chemical Market Analytics by OPIS

Oskar Karlsson Chief Procurement Officer and VP Sustainability Trioworld

Oskar Karlsson is the Chief Procurement Officer and VP Sustainability at Trioworld. With more than 15 years of experience from various raw material markets, such as pulp & paper, aluminum and polyethylene, Oskar brings value for the organization in the transformation to become sustainable.

In his current position, he is responsible for the group’s sourcing activities and sustainability journey as well as the product-line Personal Protective Equipment. Oskar is driven by customer’s current and future needs, his ambition is to contribute to Trioworld’s vision to constantly strive to be the first choice in sustainable polyethylene film solutions.

He has a M.Sc degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University Chalmers in Gothenburg and a MBA from Stockholm School of Economics.

Mark Vester CEO GreenDot (DerGrünePunkt)

Mark Vester has more than 33 years of experience in the petrochemical industry, working for DSM and SABIC. He has held different managerial and leadership positions in research, manufacturing, licensing and business. After leading the polyethylene business in Europe, he has initiated and build SABIC’s global circular economy business around its pioneering TRUCIRCLE program. He also has been a chairman of PCEP. In 2022 Mark joined GreenDot and leading GreenDot’s business in Germany.

Carlos Monreal Chairman Chemical Recycling Europe (CRE)

Carlos Monreal is an engineer by training and has been a serial entrepreneur for more than 35 years, focusing on developing disruptive technologies and innovative solutions in the sustainability sector for the last 20 years. He has founded a wide range of companies within five different verticals including precision agriculture, GIS and EPC of renewable energy.

He is the Founder and Chairman of Plastic Energy, one of the world’s leading chemical recycling companies, with industrial plants in operation for over 10 cumulative years… Carlos is a board member at Green Dot Global, a company focused on recycling and sustainability of packaging. He is also the founder and CEO of Greenland Capital, a company which aims to identify and develop new technologies that provide sustainable and economical solutions to the growing challenges of waste and water management, alternative energy management and CO2 sequestration.

Guido Aufdemkamp Executive Director Flexible Packaging Europe

Guido Aufdemkamp is Executive Director of Flexible Packaging Europe (FPE), the industry association representing the interests of more than 80 small, medium-sized companies, and multinational manufacturers with more than 350 sites in Europe. Almost half of the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) in Europe, excluding beverages, are packed with flexible packaging made of different materials, mainly plastics, aluminium, and paper. Examples include all kind of packaged foods such as pet food, personal, household care products, medical and pharma which all rely on flexible packaging. Guido Aufdemkamp is an economist by education and has been working for German and European flexible packaging and aluminium associations since 2003. His main expertise is market analysis, sustainability and recycling, communications, advocacy, but also food contact legislation.

Elisa Conte Marketing and Business Development Manager, Recycling and Polymer Modification Segment Nouryon

Elisa Conte holds the position of Marketing and Business Development Manager for the Recycling and Polymer Modification segment at Nouryon, in the Polymer Specialties business. She has a PhD in Chemical Engineering by the Technical University of Denmark, and hold several roles in R&D, marketing, and sales at AkzoNobel and now Nouryon. In her current role, she focuses on empowering the recycling industry with the development of additive solutions to improve the final quality of recycled plastic and eventually increase the recycled content in high quality products, paving the road for the circular economy of plastics.

Dr. Andreas Göldel Commercial Technology Director Grupa Azoty Polyolefins S.A.

Andreas has a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Bayreuth (Germany). He has more than 20 years of experience in industry, working at global polyolefin producers in positions ranging from R&D, product and application development, technical service, as well as asset management, marketing and business management in Europe and Asia. Since January 2021 Andreas has been Commercial Technology Director at Grupa Azoty Polyolefins.

Krisztina Szukup Product and Asset Portfolio Manager MOL Group

Krisztina graduated as polymer engineer and she joined MOL GROUP in 2007 within a GROWWW program for freshly graduated juniors. She has more than 12 years’ experience in the petrochemicals business especially in polymer production and polymer processing in engineer and leader positions. Besides the petrochemical business, Krisztina spent 4 years in the automotive industry at TIER 1 supplier and OEM in different quality management related positions. In February 2023 she joined the Circular Chemicals team within MOL to build up the recycling and compounding related product portfolio and assets. I’m glad to be part of the team creating the circularity of the polyolefins within MOL GROUP.

Fabio Peyer Head of Sustainability Mondi Flexible Packaging

Fabio’s career in packaging started in 2008 with Alcan Packaging and subsequently Amcor. Over the years, Fabio held sustainability roles with increasing responsibility and scope, and played a key role in embedding packaging sustainability and design for recycling in Amcor’s growth strategy. Today, he is the Head of Sustainability at Mondi Flexible Packaging, based in Vienna Austria. In this role, Fabio oversees the product sustainability and circularity strategy for Mondi Flexible Packaging business, which houses Mondi’s plastic and paper converting business. Fabio holds a Master degree in Environmental Sciences from the Swiss Federal School of Technology.

Sven Saura Vice President of Solid Waste and Recycling Veolia

Sven Saura is Vice-President of Solid Waste and Recycling Solutions with the role to support Veolia’s world wide operations in developing their business and improving operational efficiency.

Sven has 30 years of experience in waste management across collection, sorting and treatment activities.

Sven joined Veolia in 1993 as a development engineer for multi component waste treatment plants combining material recovery, biological treatment and waste to energy technologies. In 1997 he joined the operations of one of those plants in France as Material Recovery Chief of Operations.

In 1999,  Sven was head of engineering at the regional Direction in Toulouse, France, and then transitioned into the roles of chief of services and director of recycling.

In 2012, he joined the headquarters in Paris in charge of R&D and knowledge management for the waste activities. From 2015 to 2020, Sven was Director of Industrial Services and then Deputy Director of Waste Management with the technical and performance department of Veolia.

Sven is a graduate of École Centrale Paris.

Albrecht Dix R&D Project Platform Manager and Business Developer Norner AS

Albrecht Dix is a R&D Project Platform Manager and Business Developer at Norner AS. He holds a PhD in Polymer Chemistry from the University of Halle, Germany and has over 15 years of experience in various segments and functions of the polyolefin plastic industry, from R&D, application development to product sales. Through his work Albrecht has developed a good understanding of the value chains of the polyolefin plastic industry, from catalyst development to market introduction for applications such as packaging, automotive and infrastructure. He is enthusiastic about supporting clients to accelerate innovation to commercialization and is eager to share and exchange insights with both existing and new clients and partners at the ACI Future of Polyolefins conference.

Company – Norner AS

Norner is a leading industrial polymer Research & Development centre for the polymer and plastics industry with over 40 years of experience. Norner currently has 94 employees from 16 nationalities and is in an exciting development.

Our business vision is to become the market leader in industrial R&D services within the development of innovative and sustainable polymer solutions in close cooperation with leading industry. Norner operates advanced laboratories, polymerisation units and processing pilot centre relevant for industrial scale operations. We want to create value for our customers, owner, and the society through innovation supporting UN’s sustainability goals.

We moved into a new technology centre in Porsgrunn 2022, where we also invest in new facilities, for the benefit of our customers and projects.

Norner covers the whole polymer value chain from catalyst and process development for polymerisation, polymer modification, polymer additivation, industrial applications of polymer to innovative solutions for plastics in a circular economy. We provide R&D and technical services to various industry segments where innovative solutions of plastics and composites are requested.

Our efforts are based on expertise, knowledge and a continuous search for new opportunities together with our values; PASSION – CONFIDENCE – IMPACT – IMAGINE

Timo Vehrs Head of Circular Economy Business Development Team OMV AG

Timo Vehrs is heading the Circular Economy Business Development Team in OMV AG with the aim to accelerate OMV’s transition into a leading sustainable fuels, chemicals and materials company.

Timo joined OMV in 2017 heading the Downstream Corporate Strategy Team and has ever since been closely involved in strategic growth projects as well as business development initiatives. Prior to OMV, Timo held different leadership roles in the oil and gas industry.

Timo has a university degree in business administration from Nordakademie in Germany and more than 20 years of experience in oil, gas, energy and chemicals across the value chain. Timo has recently embarked on the exciting journey to establish a sizeable and commercially attractive business model in the circularity space for OMV’s Chemicals & Materials division with a special focus on chemical recycling.

Tony Nawar Vice President Sustainability, Innovation & Strategy Berry Global, Inc.

Tony Nawar’s current responsibilities span sustainability, innovation (R&D) and recycling at Berry BPI’s flexible packaging division in Europe and the UK. Priory to Berry, Tony spent part of his career in technical textiles and specialty chemicals in a variety of business management roles in Europe and the United States. He holds an MBA from Vlerick in Belgium and a Master of Science in Engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Michael Lacey Product Manager, Sustainable Products Tricon Energy

Mike Lacey was born and raised in Houston, Texas.

He received his B.S. degree in Chemistry from Texas A&M University and a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he met his wife and fellow chemist.

Following graduate school, Mike joined ExxonMobil where he worked for 20 years in a variety of technical and commercial roles living in the U.S., Brazil, and Singapore.

In January 2022, he joined Tricon Energy in Houston to launch its new Sustainable Products business line as Product Manager. Away from work, Mike enjoys spending time with his wife and 4 kids.

Brian Kimberley Vice President, Marketing, and Licensing & Services W.R. Grace & Co.

Brian is Vice President,  Marketing and Licensing & Services, within the Specialty Catalysts business unit of W. R. Grace & Co. In this role he is responsible for the UNIPOL® PP licensing and services business.  Prior to this role Brian served as Commercial Director for Specialty Catalysts and was responsible for the catalyst business across Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Brian has more than 25 years’ experience within the petrochemical industry working for BP then INEOS prior to joining Grace in 2015.  Brian has broad experience across a variety of leadership roles in R&D, catalyst manufacturing, technology licensing, global sales, technical service, business development and management.

Brian graduated with a B.Sc. in Chemistry from the University of Warwick and holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Imperial College, London.  After working in several European locations Brian recently moved and is now based in Grace’s headquarters in Maryland, USA. He has filled more than 50 patents and has published over 15 scientific articles.

Fabrizio Galiè Associate Director, Polypropylene EMEA Chemical Market Analytics by OPIS

Fabrizio Galiè is the Associate Director for the Polypropylene business for Europe, the Middle East, and African regions at Chemical Market Analytics.

Fabrizio joined Chemical Market Analytics in 2021. Fabrizio has 20 years of experience providing market insights to clients in the petrochemical and plastics sectors.

Within the EMEA regions, he works with key industry contacts in the polyolefins business and across the supply chain. His current focus includes primary inputs to key reports such as ‘Global Plastics and Polymers’ and ‘European Plastics and Polymers’, among others, and his contribution to the World Polypropylene analysis.

Since 2005, Fabrizio covered various roles in the polymer business, delivering analytics and consulting services, including price and market outlooks, competitive assessment and investment evaluations, market segmentation, trade analysis, scenario planning, and others. He has been a frequent and popular speaker at conferences and seminars on olefins and polyolefins in Europe, Africa, North America, Asia, and the Middle East. He contributed several articles, interviews and editorials to international magazines sectorial and economic journals.

Mr. Galiè has a Master’s in Economics and Business Administration from Bologna University, Italy.

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

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

Kaushik Mitra is the Executive Director of Polyolefin for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He steers the Polyolefin Insight and Research practice for Chemical Market Analytics by OPIS, A Dow Jones Company. Kaushik is a key resource within the business for understanding and insight into the olefins sector of the petrochemical industry. He was pivotal in conceptualizing, developing and executing the Chemical Market Analytics’ Circular Plastics studies.

Within the EMEA region, Kaushik works closely with the value chain comprising Polymer producers, Brand owners, Converters, Distributors, & Resellers, providing support and guidance throughout the Polyolefins value chain. Kaushik’s current area of focus includes the European Plastics & Polymers Report, providing critical IP for EMEA and input and insight for the World Polyethylene Analyses.

Kaushik gained diverse career experience working at top Global companies, steering business management, market development, market intelligence and strategy functions in leadership roles. His interests are in pricing, strategy and market intelligence. He joined Chemical Market Analytics in 2016 with over 26 years of experience in petrochemicals. Previously, at petrochemicals giant SABIC, Kaushik led the global business strategy team for the polymers business, shaping long-term ambitions for growth, business improvement, innovation, and pricing. Kaushik was instrumental in designing and executing growth and differentiation strategies and played a key role in M&A and benchmarking.

Kaushik holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the Indian Institute of Engineering Science & Technology and an MBA in marketing from the Indian Institute of Management.

Nick Vafiadis Vice President, Global Plastics & Polymers Team Lead Chemical Market Analytics by OPIS

Nick Vafiadis is the Vice President of the Plastics & Polymers business at Chemical Market Analytics.

Nick Vafiadis has 34 years of experience, including critical roles in sales, sales management, product management, and business line management in the plastics, surfactants, and consulting industries.

He is a veteran of the chemical and plastics industries and manages Chemical Market Analytics’ global plastics practice. Nick’s daily responsibilities include analysing, consulting, and reporting on the global polyolefins market, as well as managing global operations for the production and development of various plastics reports. Concurrently, he contributes to single-client projects and studies related to the polyolefins industry. In his earlier assignments, he was responsible for consulting on the Chlor-alkali and vinyl product chain. He has contributed to the Monomers Market Report, the Chlor-Alkali Market Report, and the Global Plastics & Polymers Market Report.

He has been with Chemical Market Analytics and its predecessor companies since 2002. Before 2002, he spent 12 years with Vista Chemical Company, where he held assignments in marketing, product management, and sales management in the vinyl and surfactant businesses. Mr. Vafiadis holds a Management BBA from The University of Texas at Austin, United States.

Martin Wiesweg VP, Polymers team in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa Chemical Market Analytics by OPIS

Martin Wiesweg is the Vice President of the polymers team in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa at Chemical Market Analytics

Martin’s primary responsibilities focus on polystyrene, expandable polystyrene (EPS) and PET resin. With over 30 years of experience, Martin is a key resource within the business for understanding and insights into the polymer sector of the petrochemical industry.

He works closely with the European plastics industry in the EMEA region, from producers to converters and brand owners, bringing insights and guidance throughout the polymer chains. His current area of focus includes oversight of the ‘European Plastics and Polymers Report, contributing to various reports, e.g., Global Plastics and Polymers Report, Global PET Stream Report and European Aromatics Monomer Report, as well as primary input and insight for the World Polystyrene, EPS and PET resin analyses. He is also an expert on plastics sustainability and recycling, supporting Chemical Market Analytics’s circular plastics service and the Global Recycled Plastics Report. Before Chemical Market Analytics, Martin spent over 20 years in the petrochemical industry. Within Huels AG, BP Chemical and Ineos Nova, he has held many responsibilities in technical and commercial departments, including technical service, marketing, sales, and as head of commercial management for speciality polymers.

Mr. Wiesweg holds a Master’s degree in Physics from the University of Paderborn, Germany.

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 Clark is the vice president of Global Aromatics and Derivatives, based in Chemical Market Analytics’ London office. Duncan joined the company in 2013 as the EMEA Aromatics Director, taking over leadership of the global Aromatics team in 2017. Duncan has 40 years of experience in the global petrochemical and chemical industries across various Sales, Marketing, Corporate Business Development, Business Management, and Consultancy roles.

Duncan maintains a view of global developments across all major aromatics markets and works closely with petrochemical producers, consumers, and financial institutions worldwide, providing insight and forward-looking perspectives. He has specific expertise in the polyester feedstock markets. He is a regular speaker at Chemical Market Analytics’ regional conferences. He leads a global team of Aromatics consultants and analysts. He is responsible for the commercial strategy and client support for a broad portfolio of Aromatics services focused on individual aromatics value chains. He also regularly serves on the project team for Chemical Market Analytics’ single-client studies.

Before this, Duncan spent ten years working in an ExxonMobil / Shell joint venture company involved in fuel and lubricant additives and visited refineries worldwide. He also spent 12 years working for Air Products in various chemical and industrial gas businesses in the UK, the U.S., and the 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.

Mr. Clark has a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from University College London and a Master of Business Administration from Manchester Business School.