Al Sadoun: GCC petchem growth has topped the global average

The Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA) has announced the line-up of confirmed speakers for the 12th Annual GPCA Forum, to be held later this year in Dubai, UAE.

The event, being held under the theme ‘The chemical industry in transformation: A new journey begins’, will take place from November 27 to 29, at the Madinat Jumeirah.

In line with this year’s theme, the 2017 edition of the annual forum is centred on the opportunities afforded by organisational transformation and aims to facilitate the exchange of ideas on topics that have great implications for the industry – and are influencing the corporate agenda, said a statement.

With the industry undergoing significant changes, in the wake of geopolitical shifts and an evolving technological landscape, there has never been a more important time to address the issues of transformation and disruption, it said.

The forum, the flagship event in the global industry’s calendar, will bring together renowned thought leaders and experts from the industry to share insights on driving strategic partnerships, diversification, investments and capitalising on a new era of changes in the global competiveness landscape, it added.

Yousef Al Benyan, vice chairman and CEO, Sabic and chairman, GPCA, will open the forum, while Hariolf Kottmann, CEO, Clariant, and president, International Council of Chemical Association (ICCA) and the European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic), will deliver the keynote address.

Confirmed speakers include the likes of Neil A Chapman, president, ExxonMobil Chemical Company; Bob Patel, CEO, LyondellBasell; Ziad S Al Labban, CEO, Sadara Chemical Company; and Patrick Thomas, CEO, Covestro.

Dr Abdulwahab Al Sadoun, secretary general, GPCA, said: “Despite continued market volatility and increased competition abroad, petrochemical growth in the GCC region topped the global average growth.”

“The industry grew at 3.7 per cent in 2016 reaching 150 million tonnes of capacity, outpacing the global average of 2.2 per cent. As ‘transformational’ new, highly complex projects come on stream in 2017-2018, growth is set to continue, shifting the focus from commodity chemicals to higher value specialty products,” he said.

With this in mind, 2017 marks another promising year for the Annual GPCA Forum, as an array of opportunities come to the fore.

Dr Al Sadoun said: “The forum has emerged as an essential knowledge-sharing and networking platform for regional and global stakeholders, where delegates can gather insights from the CEOs of the world’s leading chemicals firms.”

“As a mainstay on the downstream sector’s yearly calendar, the forum is set to be the most impactful edition yet and is a must-attend event for key players from the industry,” he added.