Welcome and Introductory Remarks
Chet Thompson, AFPM President and CEO

2024 Petrochemical Heritage Award Presentation

The Petrochemical Heritage Award recognizes those whose contributions to public understanding are noteworthy, who have displayed significant entrepreneurship in the petrochemical profession or industry, and who have been active in philanthropic and/or communal affairs. This year’s honoree is Karen McKee, President of ExxonMobil Product Solutions Company.

Morning Keynote: China and the USA: How the 21th Century Unfolds
Admiral James Stavridis, Former NATO Commander
Admiral Stavridis, an expert on China who spent over half his career in the Pacific Fleet, takes the audience through the history and culture of China and describes how the US and China have emerged as the two crucial superpowers of the 21st century. He describes the ongoing conflict between the nations in trade, tariffs, intellectual property, global influence and the “hotspot” of the South China Sea. The Admiral then lays out a prescription for avoiding a conflict with China in the decades ahead, with predictions of the evolution of the global landscape as it will be influenced by the US-China relationship.

Cybersecurity expert Chris Krebs dives deep into the many risks of AI, including bias, job displacement, security threats, privacy loss, autonomous weapons, and ethical concerns. He underscores the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration among industry, government, researchers, and academia in addressing these challenges. By sharing practical solutions and proactive measures, he advocates for a responsible approach to AI development, ensuring its potential is harnessed while mitigating adverse impacts on society.

Invitation Only

This is a formal meeting of the AFPM petrochemical committee open to invited guests. Luncheon attendees are provided updates on current items of interest and briefings from preeminent executives on the latest topics impacting the petrochemical industry.

In the next year, over 190 national delegations will continue to deliberate as they pursue an ambitious global agreement to address plastic pollution. Dubbed by some the “Paris Accords for Plastics”, this agreement has the potential to address plastic pollution while enabling a circular economy for plastics. This agreement could have wide-ranging impacts on the petrochemical and plastics value chain. This session will include industry experts who have been on the ground at the negotiations. They will share their thoughts on the progress to date and a preview of what we can expect moving forward.

The petrochemicals industry has a long history of being on the forefront of developing and leveraging technology for improved operations, safety and optimization. Recently, we have seen how the Petrochemical Industry has embraced technology that can spur a step change in operational, financial, and safety performance. This panel will include experts discussing how they are utilizing artificial intelligence and machine learning in their operations, what they have defined as the value proposition, and lessons learned from implementation.

As our industry is evolving so is our workforce. With a changing workforce the industry faces both challenges and opportunities. This session will explore changing dynamics in the petrochemical industry and how companies are attracting and retaining top talent.

8:00 - 8:45 am: S&P Global Commodity Insights: Chemical Industry Challenges and Opportunities in the Climate Change Era
Mark Eramo, Senior Vice President, Global Lead of Fuels, Chemicals & Resource Solutions, S&P Global Commodity Insights

Tony Potter, Chemicals, Derivatives, Plastics & Materials Lead, S&P Global Commodity Insights

Kurt Barrow, Head of Oil Markets, Midstream, and Downstream
Research, S&P Global Commodity Insights

8:45 - 9:30 am: Chemical Market Analytics (CMA): Chemical Downcycle Results & the Energy Transition Tsunami - Industry Implications

Dewey Johnson, Senior Vice President & Global Lead, Chemical Market Analytics

Carlo Barrasa, Vice President, Global Energy & Feedstock Markets, Chemical Market Analytics

Steve Lewandowski, Vice President, Global Olefins and Derivatives, Chemical Market Analytics

9:30 - 10:15 am: Deloitte: Petrochemicals - The world needs you to THRIVE!

David Yankovitz, Deloitte, Principal, US Chemicals Industry Leader, Deloitte

Robert J. Kumpf, PhD, Managing Director, Deloitte

Kelly M. Irvin, Client Relationship Executive, Deloitte

A strong leader is defined by their unwavering moral ethical values, resilience in the face of adversity, and the ability  to act with integrity, honesty and loyalty despite pressures to deviate or to be more like the other leaders around them. Character-based leadership is an approach that centers on the ethical dimensions of leadership. Leaders who adhere to this philosophy recognize that their decisions and actions have lasting impacts on individuals, organizations, and society. One's character is created, whereas leadership is learned. Come ready to learn the benefits of leading with character.
This Women in Industry session is brought to you by the Women in Industry Committee.

Join Ian Bremmer, Geopolitical Expert, Head of Eurasia Group, for our keynote luncheon.

Managing Risk in an Unstable World
To navigate globalization, every business decision-maker weighs economic variables when considering overseas investments or market exposure. But to spot crucial opportunities and manage risk, they must also understand the political factors and trends changing our world in real-time. Whether it's increasingly contentious relations between China and the US, the war in Ukraine, a more complex regulatory environment in Europe, a newly global focus from India, surges of populism in Latin America, heightened competition in Africa, or dozens of other politically driven trends, political analyst and entrepreneur Ian Bremmer will detail how political risk is creating new sets of business winners and losers.