The Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association's, GPCA, 12th annual forum the flagship event in the global industry’s calendar will bring together thought leaders and experts from the industry to share insights on driving strategic partnerships, diversifying investments, and capitalising on a new era of change in the global competitiveness landscape.
The event, being held under the theme ‘The Chemical Industry in Transformation: A New Journey Begins,’ will take place from 27th to 29th November at 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. It aims to encourage the exchange of ideas on topics that have great implications for the industry and are influencing the corporate agenda.
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.
Yousef Al Benyan, Vice Chairman and CEO of SABIC and Chairman of GPCA, will open the forum, while Hariolf Kottmann, CEO of Clariant and President of the International Council of Chemical Association and the European Chemical Industry Council, will deliver the keynote address.
Speakers include Neil A Chapman, President of ExxonMobil Chemical Company, Bob Patel, CEO of Lyondell Basell, Ziad S Al Labban, CEO of Sadara Chemical Company, and Patrick Thomas, CEO of Covestro.
Dr. Abdulwahab Al Sadoun, Secretary-General of GPCA, noted, "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 percent in 2016, reaching 150 million tonnes of capacity, outpacing the global average of 2.2 percent. 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 added.
With this in mind, 2017 marks another promising year for the annual GPCA forum, as an array of opportunities come to the fore.
"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 for key players from the industry," Dr. Al Sadoun added.
Besides the main conference programme, seminars held over the course of the three-day forum will provide key insights and enable industry players to initiate transformational change within their organisations.

Source: Wam