(MENAFNEditorial) The 7th Annual GPCA Forum, presented by The Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA) will take place at the Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, from 27-29 November 2012.
The theme of the 7th Annual GPCA Forum is "Sustaining competitiveness in a rapidly changing world".
The GPCA is delighted to announce that the keynote speaker at the Annual Forum this year will be Professor Choon Fong Shih, President of the King Abdullah University of Science &Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia.
Professor Choon's address will be: 'Growing Innovation and Building Capacity for Global Competitiveness – a KAUST Perspective'
Professor Shih is ideally placed to discuss the role of universities and academic research in furthering technical innovation and building capability in the region to maintain a competitive global position.
Under Professor Shih's leadership, KAUST has become established as a leading institution serving to advance science and technology in the Kingdom, and in so doing has attracted the highest quality faculty and students to the university.
He has worked effectively with the academic leadership of the university to ensure that the institution's research efforts are well focused on meeting the strategic needs of the region in the areas of food, water, energy and the environment.
He has also worked with the University's Economic Development leadership team to enable KAUST to become a catalyst for transforming Saudi Arabia to a knowledge-based economy as a result of its innovations in these and other areas.
In addition, the University has commissioned nine world-class Research Centers and seven Core Laboratories which will enable its researchers and students to carry out leading edge research in areas of interest to Saudi Arabia and the GCC region.
The University has also embarked on an ambitious collaboration program with industry, and twenty six industry leaders have joined the KAUST Industrial Collaboration Program.
Three of these industry leaders, Saudi Aramco, SABIC and the Dow Chemical Company, have become anchor tenants in the University's Research Park.
These close links between KAUST and the petrochemical industry, and the investment in the technological future of the Kingdom represented by their close collaboration, mean that Professor's Shih's keynote address will be eagerly anticipated by the audience at this year's Annual GPCA Forum.
Over 2 days, chemical industry leaders will discuss different aspects of the Annual Forum theme and share their experiences of maintaining competitiveness in today's challenging environment.
In addition to Professor Choon Fong Shih, other Forum speakers are:
H.E. Mohamed Bin Dhaen Al Hamli, UAE Minister for Energy
Mohammed Al Mady, Chairman, GPCA and Vice Chairman and CEO, SABIC
Dr. Moayyed Al Qurtas, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive, Tasnee Petrochemicals
Peter Huntsman, President & CEO, Huntsman Corporation
Dr. Klaus Engel, Chairman of the Executive Board, Evonik Industries AG
Bernadette Spinoy, Senior Vice President, Total Refining and Petrochemical Orient
Chad Holliday, Chairman, Bank of America
Wayne T. Smith, Member of the Board of Executive Directors, BASF SE
Anon Sirisaengtaksin, CEO, PTT Global Chemical PLC
Carlos Fadigas, CEO, Braskem S/A
Randy Woelfel, Chief Executive Officer, Nova Chemicals,
Ashok Aram, CEO MENA region, Deutsche Bank AG
David Seaton, CEO, Fluor Corporation
Alongside the speaker program, conference sessions also include 2 optional seminars run by leading consulting companies, Nexant and AT Kearney. These will give more practical information and examples of how companies can remain competitive today.
In addition, the networking opportunities for the 1,700 expected attendees include an extensive exhibition, refreshment breaks, gala dinners and lunches, sponsored by major international and GCC companies.
The Annual GPCA Forum has been growing year on year since its inception in 2006 and has become the flagship event in the Middle East, a region of critical importance in the global chemical industry.
In 2011, more than 1,600 executives from around the world met in Dubai at the Sixth Annual Forum, and this year's event is expected to maintain the upward momentum.
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