2024 Speakers

Bartosz made his doctoral studies at the Abo Akademi in Finland and his postdoctoral work at EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) in Switzerland, where he worked on catalytic biomass conversion processes for the production of renewable fuels. At WinGD Bartosz is responsible for the development of fuel and lubricant specifications, and management of fuel and lubricant related projects for traditional and alternative fuels.

Since 2018 Bartosz has been a member of CIMAC (International Council on Combustion Engines) WG 7 Fuels, and since 2022, he has been the group's chairman. He is also a member of the marine fuel standardization committees which develops the standards ISO 8217 (marine fuels from petroleum and renewable sources), ISO 6583 (methanol as marine fuel) and ISO 23306 (LNG as marine fuel).

Dr. Carsten Giebeler serves as the joint Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Spectrolytic. In addition to the CEO role, Carsten works extensively in business development activities.

Previously Carsten spun out Pyreos Ltd from Siemens AG in Germany, where he was working as a venture Manager for the Siemens Technology Accelerator.

Carsten served from 2009 to 2015 as the Chief Technology Officer of Pyreos, which grew to 40 people, and he had sole responsibility for all technology developments, IP, and technology partnerships. In addition, he was leading the sales activities in Germany and Korea.

Prior to that, Carsten held several R&D positions at the Hewlett Packard research laboratory in Palo Alto, USA, and the Philips Research Laboratory (NatLabs) in Eindhoven, Netherlands. Carsten holds a PhD in physics from the University of Sheffield and an MBA from the University of Edinburgh.

Miltos Bantis holds the position of General Manager of LPC S.A a fully vertical supplier and trader of Lubricants, Greases and Other Petroleum products located in Greece, member of Motor Oil Hellas Group of Companies.

Miltos is a Chemical Engineer and started his journey in LPC in 2005, undertaking continuous roles of increasing responsibility across the Supply Chain, becoming Plant Manager in 2014 and General Manager in 2020. During his career, he has set up production plants, led numerous refinery production Improvement projects, optimized organizational process flows, and engineered the opening of new markets that have led LPC to become a company serving more than 55 countries worldwide.

Moreover, he is leading the LPC ecosystem towards sustainable development where LPC’s re-refinery plays a key role in supporting Greece reaching its country WLO collection targets.

Currently Miltos serves as:

• Vice president of GEIR - the European Re-refining Industry section of UEIL
• Board Member of SEEPE - the Association of Petroleum Commercial companies in Greece

Alan is a Marketing Manager at Afton Chemical based just outside London in Bracknell, UK. He joined Afton in 2013 and is currently responsible for managing the Heavy Duty Engine Oils (HDEO) business in the EMEAI region. Prior to this, he held roles in Product Management and Customer Technical Service (CTS).

As part of his current role, he brings regional insight and the voice of the customer to support the development of the global HDEO strategy and is responsible for the implementation of the strategy within EMEAI. He is passionate about working with customers to understand their challenges and developing solutions to help them win in the market.

Alan gained his undergraduate degree in Chemistry from the University of St Andrews and a PhD in Organozirconium Chemistry from the University of Southampton.

Ali Ebrahimpour is the Managing Director of Enviroflex GmbH in Austria and Enviroflex Altöltechnik GmbH in Germany. With over 35 years of experience, he is a recognized expert in used lube oil re-refining processes and environmental and separation technologies. Ali holds a BS in Electrical Engineering, a PhD in Industrial Engineering, and a Master's degree in Chemical Engineering, specializing in Separation Technology. His extensive career spans roles as a director, engineer, system designer, and manufacturer, with a focus on innovative projects such as transformer oil purification, sludge dewatering, odor treatment systems, and municipal solid waste digestion plants. Ali's expertise drives cutting-edge advancements in sustainable industrial practices, making him a leading figure in his field.

After he received his Dr. rer. nat. degree in 1999, Andreas started as a postdoctoral researcher at Fraunhofer IWM. In 2007, he became Group Leader and in 2009, Vice Head of the Business Unit Tribology at Fraunhofer IWM. Since 2017, he has been a member of the Scientific advisory board of the Gesellschaft für Tribologie GfT.

Henri Avila is Vice-President Technical at Cube Green Energy since 2023. He is responsible for all technical matters of the company’s fleet and its development projects.
With a background in aviation and aerospace graduated at the TU Berlin he started his carrier in the wind industry as loads engineer at GE Wind in 2005. Gained deep knowledge on project development and operation in various rolls. He moved 2009 abroad to join Vestas worked in product services team. In 2011 he become a senior expert wind power at OMV and was dealing with all technical matters on the companies wind farms. Moving back to Germany in end of 2014 he joined TÜV SÜD in the roll of a senior project manager for technical due diligence. In charge for many technical topics, he worked esp. with operational data analysis, inspected turbines and analyzed technical problems in wind farms for his clients.

Leyla Alieva is the CEO and co-founder of NEOL Copper Technologies, a UK-based company focused on developing and manufacturing innovative technical lubricants.
With a degree in financial management and a CFA designation earned in 2007, Leyla has a strong professional investment background. Building upon over 12 years of experience in private equity and alternative fund management, Leyla has held top roles in business development and executive management, notably serving as CEO of CUPPER GROUP, a manufacturer of innovative lubricants and greases.
At NEOL, Leyla's leadership has been crucial in driving the company's innovative strategies within the lubricant industry. Her commitment to preserving natural and human resources, combined with her visionary approach, is transforming NEOL into one of the most forward-thinking companies in the sector.

Mattia Adani is the President of UEIL - the European Union of the Lubricants Industry, the body representing at the European level the interests of the European lubricants industry.
He began his professional career at McKinsey & Co., a global management consulting firm.
Subsequently, he was a member of the Council of Experts and then a Director at the Italian Ministry
of Economy, where he worked on the regulation and privatization of SOEs in the energy and
infrastructure sectors. He was then Executive Director and Member of the Board at the InterAmerican Development Bank in Washington, DC.
Mattia holds several positions within Italian Industry Association Confindustria. From 2016 to 2018
he was Senior Advisor in the cabinet of the Italian Ministry of Industry, advising on industrial policy
and foreign investments attraction.
Mattia holds a degree in Industrial Engineering from Politecnico di Milano, Italy, a degree in
Production Engineering from the Ecole Centrale Paris, France, and a Master of Public Administration
from Harvard University, United States. He is a member of Italy’s Order of Merit.

Rob has worked in the additives business for more than 35 years, first with Shell and then with Infineum since its start-up 25 years ago. During this time, he has had extensive experience in both fuel and lubricating oil additives. Rob has had roles in a wide range of functions including R&D, Technical Support, New Business Development, Marketing & Sales.

Rob joined Infineum’s sustainability team in 2023 and is supporting Infineum’s ambition to reach Net Zero by 2050. Rob is currently based in the UK but has also worked in the US and has extensive experience across many global markets.

Senior manager with more than 25 years of experience managing sales, marketing, operations and personnel for established and well-established companies in the chemical distribution and manufacturing industry.

I held several positions, from operation manager to R&D and scale-up manager for the technical side, instead for the commercial side from Sales Technical Manager to International Product Manager to Marketing & Sales Director at a leading oleochemical company. All these positions had a horizontal focus on the entire industrial chemical sector.

I have devoted much of my working life to the study of esters, focusing as my main outlet on mechanical lubrication, as I firmly believe that this type of product, due to its nature and innumerable versatility, can definitely lead this industry toward greater sustainability.

Bishwajeet is a Graduate Chemical Engineer from IIT Roorkee, India, with an MBA from FELU, Ljubljana, Slovenia. Around 43 years of B2C, and B2B marketing experience in India in various domains, the majority in Oil & Gas. He has worked in reputed organizations with a long career in Indian Oil Corporation. Currently, he is with Witmans Industries Pvt. Ltd. as Vice President – Business Development.

He started with Technical Services of Lubes and Fuels for almost 21 years and moved to other functions like Business Process Re-engineering, Loyalty Programs, Channel Management, etc. at a leadership level.

Distinction in solving customer complaints of a technical nature for lubricating oils and greases at Auto OEMs, Cement, Chemical Plants, Power Houses, Sugar and Textile Mills to name a few, resulting in the customers successfully reducing downtime and optimizing performance, life, and cost.

He also handled Techno-Commercial marketing of other bulk refinery products viz. CBFS, Heavy Fuels, Naphtha, Pet coke, and Waxes on a national basis.

A Guest Faculty at reputed Indian educational institutes viz. RGIPT and IITR.

After a master’s degree and a PhD Thesis with Rhodia (now Solvay) in Process and Product Engineering (France), I joined TotalEnergies (Belgium) in 2008 as Technical Service & Development Engineer for Polymers. In 2014 I decided to discover the world of Lubricants as Product Manager for Metalworking. As Metalworking is a fascinating industry, I chose to continue as Senior Product Manager and now as Product Specialist.

Dr. Boris Zhmud holds a PhD in Surface Chemistry and is Associate Professor in Physical Chemistry at Lund University. Boris has over 25 years of experience in the field of engine tribology, lubricants and lubrication engineering documented by over 80 publications and several patents. Boris worked at the executive level with AB Nynas Petroleum, E-ION s.a., BIZOL and Tribonex, and is also a member of the professional institutions: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE). At KATA, he focuses on the development of high-quality sustainable lubricants and fuels from waste plastic and biomass.

Rafe Britton is a Lubrication Engineer with 14 years of oil industry experience, split evenly between drilling operations and maintenance and downstream lubricants engineering.  

During his 12 years at ExxonMobil, he worked across some of the largest, most complex capex projects in the ExxonMobil portfolio.  

He then transitioned into the finished lubricants business, helping industrial customers across the APAC region improve machine reliability. 

In 2020 Rafe started the Lubrication Explained YouTube channel, seeking to help provide freely available, high-quality information about lubricants technology, create a community of learning for the lubricants industry, and connect a wide array of experts with each other. 

The channel has since expanded into a podcast, an online training business and led to multiple speaking engagements at industry events.  

Rafe now works as an independent consultant across all parts of the lubricants value chain, including working with base oil and additive suppliers, lubricants blenders, marketers & distributors, as well as end-users. 

Salvatore is a Materials Chemist, holding a degree from the University of Bologna.

With a decade of experience at Versalis (Eni Group), he specialises in Advanced Materials technical management within the automotive & thermoplastic elastomers.

In this role, he ensures technical assistance to clients and identifies opportunities for developing new applications for the company's elastomers, meeting industry new requirements, and enhancing performance and durability, particularly in the field of lubricant modification.

Sandro Berchiolli graduated from the University of Pisa in electrical engineering and co-founded ISE in 1997, he is also Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the WIVA Network, three companies dedicated to the development of machinery, products and technical services.

The companies of the network, ISE, CRC and ORADOC deliver a wide and long-standing technical knowledge in different industrial fields with engineering studies, manufacturing ability, fully customized products and highly performing services.

ISE provides Reliability & Maintenance Consulting, PdM & Condition Monitoring services as well as advanced hardware and software solutions for Predictive Maintenance and equipment testing in all industrial sectors.

With three decades of experience in chemical engineering and a specialized focus on tribology, Stefan has cultivated extensive expertise in PFPE lubricants. Stefan served as a Senior Technical Sales Representative for EMEA at DuPont/Chemours for eight years, and since June 2020, has been the Business Development Manager at Setral. Stefan brings special knowledge in the automotive and electronics sectors.

Christelle Chretien works at Syenqo in Bristol, PA – USA as a Global Lubricant Technical Manager in the Novecare GBU.

Christelle holds 2 Master’s Degrees: 1 in Chemistry from CPE Lyon and 1 in Petroleum Products and Engines from IFP School.

She has 19 years of experience in the industry including 15 in lubricants and fuels, working for 6 years developing packages for drivelines, hydraulic pumps and industrial engines at Chevron Oronite, as well as an adjunct teacher at IFP School.

In 2013, she joined Solvay, now Syensqo, and since 2017 is responsible for the technical development of additives for lubricants.

Sabrina Craciun joined Kline in 2019 and is based in London as Senior Business Development Manager. Prior to joining Kline, Sabrina handled international transportation services, coordinating air, road and sea freight, and passenger transportation across 28 countries. The experience has been invaluable for her in her current role at Kline, where she oversees company business development initiatives for the Energy practice and manages accounts in the Americas and UK. Sabrina holds a Bachelor of Economics Degree from Bucharest University and an MBA (Master’s in Business Administration) from Anglia Ruskin University. Currently, she is Vice Chair of the Emerging Director’s Special Interest Group at London’s Institute of Directors.

Andreas Dodos received a Masters degree in Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technology from the University of Manchester, UK. He has spent the last 18 years at Eldon's SA, with duties mainly focused on industrial and marine lubricants development. Since 2007 he has been actively involved in product stewardship with focus on global regulatory developments. He is a member in a number of professional bodies such as the ELGI, the Hellenic Maintenance Society and National Tribology Centre. Since 2010 he has been the Chairman of the European REACH Grease Thickener Consortium and he is currently serving on the ELGI Board of Directors. Andreas has extensive experience in formulation and application of lubricating grease and since 2018 he is CLGS certified by the NLGI – Certified Lubricating Grease Specialist. 

Dr Dixit Parmar is Sustainability Manager at Lubrizol within the Corporate Sustainability Group reporting directly to the Chief Sustainability Officer. He holds a Masters and PhD in Organic Chemistry from the University of Manchester. Dixit is the key point of contact for all stakeholders to help implement their sustainability strategies. His role involves guiding strategic and practical sustainability efforts to enhance value across various business divisions. He is responsible for leading the journey on Sustainable Solutions and is also in charge with ensuring that Lubrizol’s capabilities around Life Cycle Assessments continues to evolve to meet the needs of the present and future. He has accumulated over 9 years experience working in the speciality chemical industry and prior to Lubrizol, he spent 2 years as a researcher at the RWTH Aachen in Germany. 

Dr. Linsler is a group leader at Fraunhofer IWM, focusing on friction, wear and running-in effects of mechanical engineering applications in the ultra-low wear regime. The group's research topics also include fretting, microtribology, tribology in UHV and under-defined atmospheres. Also, testing in an ammonia atmosphere is possible.

Dr. Linsler did his PhD on the influence of subsurface microstructure on the running-in of Aluminium-Silicon alloys and has been working for 14 years in the field of tribology.

After graduating I worked in the offshore oil industry for 5 years before returning for a PhD investigating environmentally acceptable lubricants for hydropower applications.
I joined Volvo CE in 2008, initially working with transmission and axle development for heavy construction equipment as well as the specification and verification of associated lubricants.
In 2017 I assumed a specialist role with global responsibility for all lubricants used in VCE’s machines. My area of responsibility was expanded at the beginning of 2022 to cover driveline and hydraulic lubricants for the whole Volvo Group (including Volvo CE, Volvo Trucks and Volvo Penta). This involves close collaboration with lubricant and additive suppliers as well as colleagues in the technology, purchasing and aftermarket organisations.
My work encompasses product development, enabling function and durability with a strong focus on efficiency and reduced emissions, product maintenance support, condition monitoring services and ensuring suitable products are available for the global aftermarket.

Marco was appointed as President of ATIEL the Technical Association of the European Lubricants Industry in 2018. A Brussels-based transport industry expert, Marco has 20 years’ experience of positioning and lobbying in Brussels on behalf of transport organizations.  

Prior to his appointment, Digioia was director for Government Affairs at Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) Europe and member of the European Sustainable Shipping Forum. 

Prior to that, he worked for several road hauliers associations at the national and European level and was also transport expert representing businesses at the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN). 

He holds a Master’s Degree in Law with a Specialization in European Affairs, International Relations and Diplomacy. 

I’m a chemical engineer and I have a PhD in tribology and materials science. My career started as a researcher at SKF and then I moved to TotalEnergies as an R&D project leader on heavy-duty and Marine engine lubricants – Expertise in engine oil formulation and adequation with engine requirements. I also have several years of experience in low-carbon energy for mobility applications, emissions and formulation in internal combustion engines.

Terry Dicken is a Chartered chemist and holds a BSc (Hons) degree in applied chemistry and an MSc in Instrumental chemical analysis. He has worked in the lubricants industry for almost 50 years in research and development, technical services & marketing and technology transfer.

Currently, he is Managing Director of Global Lubricants Ltd, a speciality lubricants company he founded in the UK in 1997, but also works as an independent consultant for several companies on REACH compliance, product development and plant construction.

He has published many papers on lubrication and is a regular speaker at international conferences.
Terry has been Chairman of ELGI (European Lubricating Grease Institute) since 1998 and is also Chairman of the Institute of Energy’s cutting fluids test methods panel, STC5, a role he has fulfilled since the early 80s, and he established and was first Chairman of ASTM – M committee for aviation greases.'

Thierry Delvigne is C.E.O. of DSi (www.deltabeam.net), a Belgian engineering company founded in 2000, which has specialized in the development of special tools for the development of engines and lubricants.

Thierry obtained an engineering degree in nuclear physics in 1983.  He worked 8 years as a Research Fellow at the Military School Brussels, then 5 years at IBA (Ion Beam Applications in Belgium) before launching DSi, which offers innovative services and testing tools based on the use of radiotracers. 

Thierry and his R&D team obtained an SAE Award in 2005 for research on automotive lubricants using radiotracers to label oil additives.

Today, his company DSi is mainly involved in the development of powertrains, lubricants and connected probes to measure the quality of lubricants in real-time.

Charlotte is a Marketing Specialist at Afton Chemical, which she’s been with since 2014. Most of this time has been spent in their Customer Technical Services (CTS) team however she is currently responsible for product management of their Industrial lubricant and Greases business within the EMEAI region.

She is enthusiastic about working with the global Industrial team in the implementation of new product technologies, developing unique and tailored solutions for customers. A chemist by training, Charlotte gained her degree in Chemistry from the University of York where she completed an Industrial Placement year with Afton Chemical.

Dr. H. Ernest Henderson received a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Windsor in 1977, subsequently spending 20 years with Imperial Oil and Exxon in Research, Marketing, Logistics and Technical Services domestically and internationally.

In 1997, Dr. Henderson joined Petro-Canada as Manager for their Group III research and technical developments, and later Research Director at Syntroleum Corporation for their Fischer-Tropsch GTL upgrading programs. During his 47-year career, Dr. Henderson has served as Technical Manager for YUBASE Group III base stocks, Fluid Technology Manager for CITGO and Technology Director for Lubrication Technologies.

In 2011, Dr. Henderson re-launched K&E Petroleum Consulting, LLC. His company operates globally, specializing in base stock management, strategic planning, new product development, Supply Chain management, formulation cost control, patent litigation and training.

Dr. Henderson is presently working with several re-refining companies, including LWART Soluçóes Ambientais S.A. in Brazil, Pentas Flora in Malaysia and Metalub in Costa Rica.

Graduated as State certified Chemical Engineer with focus on process technology I have been working in the lubricants and specialties business for 18 years. I have worked for international companies like Mercedes Benz, Total Oil, Houghton Chemicals and Klüber Lubrication in Türkiye and Germany in global sales and technical functions. I have tremendous experience with specialty lubricants, bearing and metal working applications, metal working fluids and oils, industrial lubricants, processes and machines, OEM management, channel partner development, international sales, recommendations for machines with value, value selling, technical service and measurement, distributor management, customer centricity, international Leadership, new business and strategy development and value for money.

Frank currently holds the position of “Global Technology Manager” at Evonik´s Business Line Oil Additives. He has responsibility for the product and project portfolio of the Industrial lubricant segment with a focus on e.g. Hydraulic Fluids, Industrial Gear Oils and Compressor Oils. He joined Evonik in the year 2009 as “Global Product Manager Fuels”, dealing with fuel additives, especially cold flow improvement of biodiesel, triglycerides and crude oils.

Frank´s professional career started in 1995 at BASF AG. As a “Technology Manager” he made significant contributions to the design of LyondellBasell´s Low Density Polyethylene plants. After some years as “Manufacturing Plant Manager” for the production of synthetic waxes and cold flow improvers, he was a “Marketing Manager” for refinery chemicals at BASF´s business unit performance chemicals.

Frank has studied Chemistry and finished his PhD thesis at Georg-August-University Göttingen (Germany) on the topic of polymer reaction kinetics.

He is chairman of the Industrial Working group at ATC, the Technical Committee of Petroleum Additive Manufacturers in Europe, and author of several papers and patent families in the fields of industrial lubricants, polymer synthesis and their application.

My expertise lies in lubricant applications for emerging offshore renewable energy systems in Sweden. I provide expertise in lubrication and material science to partners at Ocean Tribology. In addition, I conduct research activities within the Machine Design department at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology. 

My work focuses on the tribochemistry of lubricated machine components in offshore environments. This includes studying friction and wear on mating surfaces, failure analysis, and design of machine components. I hold a TRIBOS Joint European Master's degree in Tribology of Surfaces and Interfaces and a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Materials Science from the University of Antioquia. I have eight years of experience in studying wear degradation and developing material solutions for tribological applications.

Martin Greaves is CTO of VBASE Oil Company with more than 30 years of experience in R&D leadership roles  in developing synthetic lubricant base oils and formulations for the lubricant industry. He has held positions in the U.K., The Netherlands, United States and more recently in Switzerland. Martin has published more than 80 technical articles and international conference presentations and is an inventor on over 40 patent applications. He is a British citizen and holds a Ph.D degree in Chemistry from the University of Aston, U.K.

As the ESG Leader at Afton Chemical, Benn Heatley is passionate about sustainability and actively driving developments within the chemical industry. With 17 years of experience spanning safety, environmental stewardship, and Responsible Care, Benn now heads up the ESG team at Afton Chemical and NewMarket corporation. He has spearheaded efforts in corporate and product carbon footprinting, providing responsible chemistry, and stakeholder engagement. He is a passionate advocate for industry collaboration and knowledge-sharing; developing and sharing transparent, accurate data that empowers our stakeholders. His leadership extends beyond Afton, as he now chairs the lubricant industry group, ATC Sustainability Sub Committee, forging collaborative solutions with industry players across Europe and beyond.

Benn is a firm believer in the opportunities a responsible future can bring to our industry. He is excited to share his insights and spark dialogue with fellow industry leaders at the conference, working together to chart the future pathways for our industry.

I’m Henrik Strand and I’m passionate about bearings and yellow machines. I’ve been working at Volvo CE since 1998 when I started as a research engineer on grease lubricated plain bearings. I got my PhD in Machine Design in 2005 on the topic “Design, Testing and Analysis of journal bearings for Construction Equipment”. Since 2007 I’ve held various Expert and Specialist positions regarding bearings supporting the Volvo Group with technical bearing competence. Currently I mostly work with bearings in transmissions and axles supporting Volvo’s ambition toward Science Based Target fulfillment.

Holger has over a decade of experience as a board member and a demonstrated history of SME management, working in consulting, technical sales, and international business development.

Since 2009, his focus has been on Renewable Energies. Holger discusses best practices and cross-industry synergies at international conferences and other industry events. He contributes regularly to the Pellet Mill Magazine.

Holger holds a diploma in Business Economics (Diplomkaufmann) from Europa-Universität Viadrina, Frankfurt/O., and a PhD in Law from Freie Universität, Berlin.

Dr. Lukas Virnich is a mechanical engineer with a specialisation in combustion engines. He earned his degree in Mechanical Engineering from RWTH Aachen University, focusing on combustion engines, and completed his doctorate on "Modelling of Knocking Combustion for Gaseous Fuels" at the same institution. Dr. Virnich began his professional career at FEV, where he served as a Technical Specialist for Commercial Gas Engines from 2016 to 2019. He then progressed to Product Manager for Medium and Heavy-Duty Engines. In 2020, he took on the role of Technical Coordinator and Chairperson for the EU-funded Horizon2020 project LONGRUN, driving innovations in sustainable transportation. Since December 2020, he has been the Product Manager for Commercial Hydrogen Engines at FEV, contributing to the advancement of hydrogen-based propulsion technologies.

As an Advance Development Engineer at Schaeffler, Manuel Zuercher is part of the sustainability team and is responsible for lubricants. He deals intensively with the associated regulations and methodology but is also responsible for the introduction of new sustainable products and product developments.

Mr. Zürcher started work in tribology and lubrication with his Bachelor thesis “Carbon dioxide as Viscosity index improver in ionic liquids”. From this point on, he remained loyal to the field and worked on the topic of white etching cracks in his master's and doctoral thesis.

After his time at the University of Erlangen, Nuremberg, he worked as a lubricating grease developer at a lubricant company for several years and then moved into sales for a short time as international sales manager. During that time, he dealt with the topic of sustainability which led to his current position at Schaeffler.

John Baeyens earned a degree in business communication before embarking on his career as an international merchant sailor, which he held for two years. In 1982, John began working at the terminal, starting as an operator and foreman. Over the years, he steadily advanced through the ranks, being promoted to Operational Supervisor, then Head of Operations, and eventually Operations Manager.
Eight years ago, when the terminal was acquired by the Verbeke family, they thought it would be "fun" to promote John to Sales Director, a position he accepted with some hesitation but has since found to be highly enjoyable. For the past two years, John has been working for the terminal as an independent consultant, a role he also finds very fulfilling.

As department manager Andreas Kuesters coordinates all activities in mechanical development of e-powertrain, transmission and drive-line components within the FEV Europe GmbH. Therefore, he is responsible for e-powertrain, transmission and drive-line components assembly and all executions of function and durability testing at test benches and in vehicles. As Global Chief Engineer Andreas Kuesters supports all the validation test related activities in the FEV Group worldwide. Andreas Kuesters was Design Leader for several clean sheet engine design projects.

As Department Manager in mechanical engine development, he took the responsibility for validation projects of several car and truck manufacturers with focus on European market. In the position of Senior Program Manager, he managed development programs for commercial and off-road applications with focus at Chinese market. Within the current positions, he takes responsibility for mechanical development and validation of all kinds of transmission and drive-line components inclusive EDUs and Hybrid variants at FEV headquarter in AC und supports these activities worldwide.

Malte Kießling is a software and hardware developer who has now been with flucon for 3 years. Previously, he worked various student jobs at the Technical University Braunschweig and at the PTB with a focus on precision measurements and system analysis software. Since starting at flucon, he has been part of the E-Lub Tester Dielectric Tribometer development team. He is also an IHK-certified event technician and spends his free time supporting a local rocketry club, helping with their IT and software and hardware development.

In his current role as EVP Sustainable Transportation, Chris is accountable for commercial activities linked to Infineum’s lubricants businesses associated with the internal combustion engine, notably passenger car, heavy duty diesel, marine, small and large engine. This includes accountability for the Customer Centricity agenda, the customer interface and business outcomes together, and market and business segment strategies, ultimately delivering against both short and longer term profitability growth targets for Sustainable Transportation.

Chris has 30 years of experience in the lubricant additives industry and has been a member of the Infineum executive committee since 2014. Prior to his current appointment as EVP Commercial, Chris has held several leadership positions, such as Chief Strategy Officer, EVP Supply, EVP Marketing and Technology, Business Manager for Lubricants and Fuels Additives segments, and led the China Venture as Infineum embarked on a major investment programme in the country.

In the earlier stages of his professional career, Chris worked as Lubricants Technology Manager for the European and Asia Pacific regions, and held various scientific and technical service roles.

Chris holds a BSc and DPhil in Chemistry from the University of York in the UK.

Mark Lord, the founder and CEO of Aztec Oils, has been instrumental in transforming the company into a leading distributor of lubricating oils in the UK. Since establishing Aztec Oils in 1995, his expertise and leadership have driven the company’s growth from a small operation to a major player in the industrial sector. Mark's strategic vision includes industry change, exemplified by his recent efforts with the Trade Remedies Authority to combat unfair lubricant dumping practices. His commitment to fair trade and industry standards positions him as a pivotal figure driving ethical and sustainable growth within the sector.

Siegfried Lucazeau has a chemical engineering background and has been working for the lubricant industry for over 15 years.

He started his career in the lubricant industry with a technical sales position for a distributor of components for lubrication. He then joined a speciality additive manufacturer, before he became Product Manager for NYCO, speciality ester manufacturer.

He is now Marketing and Project Manager for the Industry & Automotive business unit at NYCO. In his current position, he closely monitors the major trends of our industry and promotes NYCO’s offer of synthetic esters for performance lubrication. He also coordinates development projects with key accounts.

A graduate of Leeds University (UK), Simon is a mechanical engineer with many years of experience in mechanisms and tribology, mostly relating to spacecraft.

Working first as a researcher on fluid sealing in Cranfield, Simon then joined the National Centre of Tribology (NCT) as a consultant/research engineer, subsequently opting to join the European Space Tribology Laboratory (ESTL), the European Space Agency’s (ESA’s) external laboratory.

As manager of ESTL since 2013, Simon is responsible for providing expert consultancy support to industry as well as defining and leading execution of a portfolio of tribological R&D activities on behalf of ESA, a role he combines these days with the position as Technical Director of both the space and non-space tribological teams within ESR Technology.

Having responsibility for both space and industrial business areas within ESR Technology, Simon has participated in several technology transfer activities involving space tribology expertise applied to terrestrial applications.

Maite is Head of Sustainability & Innovation Lab at Q8, responsible for leading the development of sustainability strategies, co-creating new business models, and fostering a culture of innovation within the organization. In parallel, she is  Professor in Sustainable Business and Chair of Examination Board at United Institute Amsterdam (UI-UIBS), Visiting Professor Sustainability at International University MONACO and a contributing author to the Harvard Journals.
Maite's experience spans the private, public, and non-profit sectors. With a credible history of enahancing return on Ideas and Human Capital through orchestration, she has held positions as COO at EIT Climate-KIC, Head Global Operations & Innovation at C&A, COO at IWA, Head of Economic Section at Embassy of Peru and Group Innovation Manager at Abengoa-Schneider Electric. 
She holds a PhD in Business Law (University DEUSTO/ HEIDELBERG); MBI Master Business Innovation (Deusto/Cambridge JUDGE). Certified by INSEAD and HARVARD INSEAD in Value Innovation and Creating Shared Value

Mathieu joined bp in January 2018. Currently, he's a Member of the Supervisory Board at Castrol France SAS and the Managing Director of Castrol Germany GmbH. He also serves as VP for Industrial Lubricants Europe & Global Accounts. Prior roles include Global Technology Manager and Industrial Global Product Development Manager. Preceding bp, he spent 14 years at TotalEnergies in various leadership roles within technology, strategy and sales. 

Matt Kriech is the President of Biosynthetic Technologies. Dr. Kriech also supports Heritage Research Group and The Heritage Group in the evaluation of potential new projects and investments.

Prior to his current role, he led the transition team for The Heritage Group and worked for Asphalt Materials Inc. in developing predictive economic models. He has also served as General Manager of PIZO and Supply Chain Manager, Tolling Manager, and Business Excellence leader for Monument Chemical. Matt received his B.A. from Wabash College in 2000 and his Ph.D. from the University of Utah in 2005, where he studied protein-lipid interactions using non-linear optical spectroscopy. Prior to returning to Indiana, he worked for ATK as a “Rocket Scientist” in Utah, helping to test and develop state-of-the-art rocket propellants.

Etienne is Product Manager for Passenger Car and Small Engine additive products, within Infineum Sustainable Transportation Marketing department. Based in Cologne, Germany, he is involved in strategic and operational aspects of the portfolio at a global level.

Etienne started working for Infineum in 2017 in the UK, as a Project Engineer in charge of a wide variety of R&D activities, most notably leading the development of lubricant performance tests. He then managed relationships with OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers as an Industry Liaison Advisor. Prior to his tenure at Infineum, he was a Sales & Application Engineer working for MAHLE in Stuttgart, Germany.

As a French citizen with a Mechanical Engineering background and a focus on Powertrain development, Etienne is passionate about combining technical skills and business acumen in a fast-paced international environment. He is 34 years old, married with two daughters, and a keen long-distance runner.

Joachim Merziger joined AFYREN in 2019 as Chief Commercial Officer and is a member of AFYREN’s Comex. He oversees sales, marketing, business intelligence, and regulatory affairs. Before joining AFYREN, Joachim spent 25 years in the chemical industry. At Arkema, he occupied several management positions with international exposure in Oilfield Production Chemicals, Coating Resins, and High-performance Polyamides. Prior to that, he occupied global roles in refrigerants product management and high-performance polyamides marketing at Atofina. Joachim started his career in research and innovation at Elf Atochem and Alphacan. He holds an engineering degree from RWTH Aachen University in Germany.

Konstantin Melnichuk joined Kline in 2016, In his role as Director within the Energy Practice he focuses his analytical expertise on the finished lubricants value chain across international markets. Prior to joining Kline, Konstantin was a Senior Strategic Finance Analyst and independent consultant. Now, with more than eight years experience at Kline, Konstantin’s insights are invaluable as the energy sector continues to undergo fundamental transition. He is based in London and holds an MBA from Manchester Business School and BSs Physics from the Moscow State University. 

Chemical Engineer holds a PhD in Materials Science and a Master in Corrosion and Protection of Materials from the University of Manchester UK. Industry expert with almost 20 years of international experience in business leadership, failure analysis and mechanisms and Research & Technology. For almost 10 years He has covered various academic roles at the University of Naples (IT) and as Invited Scientist at the University of Milan (IT) and University of Manchester, Corrosion Center (UK). After four years working as Global R&D and Testing leader for GE Oil & Gas, He moved to the lubricants industry spending four years as Technical & Operation Manager for the EMEA Region in Petronas Lubricants International. Since 2020 started his career at Valvoline Global Operations as Director R&D EMEA working closely to the main additive companies to fulfill the most selective OEMs requirements. Recently promoted to the role of Global R&D Director, Driveline System Fluids.

Mike has over 30 years of experience in the lubricants industry, with a career spanning lubricant development, product line management, business management, and marketing. 

After graduating with a degree in Physics from Reading University, he began his career at Castrol. In 1997, he joined Lubrizol, where he led the European passenger car engine oil additive business through the development and launch of the first low SAPS lubricants.

In 2010, Mike relocated to China to lead Lubrizol's Asia marketing group and in 2016 he became the Senior Director of Global Marketing. In 2021, he moved to Valvoline as the EMEA Marketing Director where he gained in-depth knowledge of the automotive aftermarket.

Since April 2024, Mike has been working as a consultant, advising clients globally on a range of marketing, brand, and product line projects. He holds an MBA from Nottingham University and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.

Petra Matzat has been Managing Director Lubricants of Shell Deutschland GmbH since November 1, 2023, and is accountable for the direct business of Shell Lubricants Solution in Germany.

Petra Matzat, born in 1982, married and mother of two, studied international business at the ESB Reutlingen and the Universidad Pontificia Comillas in Madrid. She began her Shell career in Hamburg in 2006 and has since held various national and international managing positions. Among other roles, she was Business Manager Bitumen for Switzerland, Austria and Italy as well as Sales Manager Commercial Road Transport for euroShell Deutschland. Lastly, she was Senior Strategy Advisor for Lubricants and Mobility, being responsible, amongst other projects, for the development of Shell’s global E-Mobility strategy. She now returned from maternity leave and is looking forward to working with her team to further drive and accelerate Shell's transformation in Lubricants business and in Germany as a partner for decarbonization and pacesetter of the energy transition.

Raoul Meys strives to reduce the climate impacts of the chemical value chain while maintaining its competitiveness and value creation. His strong understanding of life cycle assessment, greenhouse gas emissions, and sustainability sees him trusted by multi-million-dollar organizations to help reduce their climate impacts. Raoul provides a unique combination of entrepreneurship, management, and science. His scientific background at the RWTH Aachen University, including publications in Science, PNAS, and Nature, led him to co-found Carbon Minds, a company that provides supplier-specific insights into greenhouse gas emissions of the chemical value chain. As Managing Director, Raoul spearheads business and product development, delivers strategic leadership across the organization, and oversees 10+ scientists, developers, managers, and communicators to drive evidence-based decisions.

Stuart educates and influences on the importance of Sustainability, both inside and outside of the company. Developing strategies that help meet society’s demand for sustainable products and solutions, with a focus on advancing Life Cycle Assessments in the energy transition. His role covers Crude, LNG products in the upstream to Chemicals, Fuels & Lubricants in the downstream.

Stuart is currently based in Texas and has lived and worked in Asia, Europe, US and the Middle East over his 38 year career. He joined Mobil UK in 1991, as experienced hire from BP (previously an LNG Liquefaction Engineer/Marine Engineer). He has held 18 roles in 33 years with ExxonMobil, ranging across Global Sales & Marketing Management, Sustainable Mobility, to the Chairman of Comma Oil. 

Stuart is British, born in Scotland. He graduated as a UK Naval Officer and received a Bachelor of Science in Engineering. He is currently a member of the inaugural Clemson University Presidents Advisory Board.

Sven Meinhardt is the Global Technology Advisor for ExxonMobil Chemical’s Synthetics business. As a PhD Chemist, he has worked within the chemical and lubricants industry in different areas for more than 24 years.

A native of Essen, Germany, he studied Chemistry at the University of Dortmund with a focus on Organic Chemistry before joining Mobil Schmierstoff GmbH in Hamburg as Sales Representative for industrial lubricants in 1998.

Following the Exxon-Mobil merger he was hired by ExxonMobil Chemical in 2003 and worked in various commercial functions before joining the Synthetics Business Unit as Business Development Manager in 2010. Since 2016 Sven has been working in the Performance Liquids Technology department.

In his current assignment, he builds on his extensive technical knowledge in lubricant applications and advises customers on the use of synthetic base stocks for the development of next-generation lubricants that can meet the continuously increasing performance requirements.

Sydney Moore began her professional career in September of 2015 as a part-time editing and technical writing intern at the University of Idaho’s Idaho Falls Center. Upon earning a Bachelor’s degree in English from Idaho State University in May of 2018, her internship with UI turned into a full-time technical writing and editing position. After a total of four years with UI, she accepted a position with Lubes’n’Greases as assistant editor. She was then promoted to managing editor in March of 2021 and remains in that role today.

Starting in CIBA-GEIGY (Ciba Specialty Chemicals, nowadays BASF) he built-up knowledge in additives technology over 21 years and strongly supported the establishment of the European Ecolabel as well as the set-up of the LuSC-List and several other activities right from the beginning. As senior key account manager for Cognis’ Compounded Lubes and components he complemented his know-how for another 2 years. Then he headed CLARIANT’s Lubricants business segment for the EMEA region for 11 years. Since 2023 Eric is responsible as “Head of strategic procurement” for the MOTOREX-group headquartered in Langenthal/Switzerland.

Lloyd Nelson is a Principal Scientist at Kraton Pine Chemicals, specializing in lubricants, fuels, and engine oils with over 30 years of experience. He holds more than ten U.S. patents in metalworking and lubricant technologies. Lloyd began his career at Mobil Oil, focusing on engine oil research and development. He earned his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Edmonton, specializing in Natural Product Synthesis.

Throughout his career, Lloyd has excelled in formulating components for fuels and automotive lubricants, demonstrating expertise and leadership in the industry. His ongoing work drives innovation in performance chemicals, advancing product development and technological solutions.

Mark Needham is an experienced engineer, has worked in a variety of industrial sectors at both technician and supervisory levels having specialized in lubrication, condition monitoring and reliability engineering for more than 24 years. Before joining AVT Reliability®, Mark spent 13 years in the Royal Air Force as a propulsion engineer of which part of his role within the RAF was running the EFDC (early failure detection centre) looking at wear debris analysis for gas turbines, gearboxes, auxiliary power units etc.

Mark is an ICML ISO 18436-4 MLAIII level lubricant analyst with experience to provide training and support to all customers for lubricants and implement Lubrication & Condition Monitoring Programs. Mark is also a member of the Mobius FLA Technical Committee.

Robert is a Chemical graduate by background and spent 5 years in the laboratory making pharmaceuticals and specialty chemical before changing tack and entering the consulting arena. Robert has over 20 years consulting experience in the chemicals sector across a broad portfolio of products, working with all the leading petrochemical and specialty companies in the sector.

Robert started his consulting career at Frost & Sullivan where he pioneered the first major market report on the biofuels and biomaterials market. He worked his way up from a junior analyst, writing multiple reports on fuels, fuel additives, lubricants and plastics before heading up the research and consulting team. His activities in the renewable fuels and petrochemicals space led to multiple engagements with oil companies, investment banks and also Governments and Commission s and even lead to multiple key note speaking opportunities with notable people such as Al Gore.

Robert then moved to Business Research Group, heading up the IAL Polyurethane and IRL Paints & Coatings brands. During this time he helped the company move from paper publishing to a database led approach and develop the companies consulting business. Again he worked with all the leading PU and Coatings companies in an advisory capacity.

Robert returned to Frost & Sullivan to take a more senior role as Vice President of Consulting Europe for Chemicals & materials. During this time he was engaged with Shell on multiple projects in the Fuels & Lubricants space. Topics covered include:

▪ Biofuels market outlook and strategy
▪ Biolubricants and biofluids voice of customer analysis
▪ GTL competitor sustainability communication benchmarking ▪Re-refined Base Oil (RRBO) strategic opportunity analysis

▪Robert has helped multiple big name chemical companies with TAM expansions and new market entry opportunities including go to market strategy. He has also led tech scouting projects (including decarbonisation tech strategy) and M&A scouting and due diligence.

Dr. Pushkar Deshpande is an experienced tribologist and lubrication researcher. Currently, he is working as a Lubrication Researcher for hot and cold rolling of stainless steel at Aperam. His research interests include tribochemistry, tribology of coatings, analytical characterization, and lubricant formulation for metalworking, electric vehicles, mechanical watches, and oil & gas industries. He held various research positions in the field of tribology and lubrication at Texas A&M University, Empa, Imperial College, and TotalEnergies, developing a deep understanding of the tribology and lubrication concepts. He holds a Doctorate in Material Science with a focus on tribology from Ecole Centrale de Lyon, a Master’s from IIT Madras, and a Bachelor’s from VNIT Nagpur. He has published numerous articles and presented at various international tribology and lubrication conferences. He is a former STLE member and a recipient of the prestigious Marie Curie fellowship and the DAAD scholarship.

Tim’s working career started with Shell UK Oil at the Stanlow Oil Refinery in Shell’s logistic department.  He then transferred to Shell Lubricants in Cheadle Hulme before switching to Shell Chemicals in London. From there, Tim transferred to Shell Chemicals Europe and was responsible for sales of PET and PVC in the UK.

Tim then moved to The Netherlands where he was responsible for a Butadiene Rubber plant in Berre. He then moved to Germany where he joined Dow Chemicals, before joining a Dutch-based trading house that specialized in the trading of synthetic rubber.

Tim joined Goodpack more than eight years ago and is responsible for the lease of Goodpack containers at key strategic accounts both on a European and global basis. He has a chemical degree and a masters in business management. 

Tom Rogers, President and CEO of Vibrac LLC, has over 22 years of experience in the bearing industry and is known for his innovative approach to precision torque test systems. After studying mechanical engineering and economics at the University of Maine, Tom established the US operations for CC Jensen of Denmark, focusing on the impact of fine filtration on lubrication oil in bearing performance. After a 3-year tenure with KAMAN Corp., Tom found his next venture:  leading and innovating rolling element-bearing science with Vibrac LLC.  Under his leadership, the company has seen substantial growth, continuously introducing new and unique solutions that have made Vibrac a trusted name in low-speed high-resolution bearing performance testing for the space, aerospace, defense and automotive industries.  Tom also holds leadership positions as the Vice-Chair of the ASTM International Rolling Element Bearing Committee and is an Advisory Board Member for The Bearing Show.

Ulf Rieper is a Product Application Specialist for Wind and Industrial Products for Europe based in Hamburg, Germany. After studying mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Hamburg, he started in 1995 at Shell Lubricants in various functions, like technical service roles for the chemical and automotive sector, and sales roles as European and Global Account Manager for chemical and the auto component industry. For 10 years he worked with Industrial OEMs as an OEM Manager, focusing especially on gearbox and wind applications. Since 2020 Ulf has been in product and development, coordinating the technical relations with OEMs in the wind sector and gearbox OEMs.

The main tasks are to transfer requirements from the customers to product development, give technical support to OEMs, customers and sales, and make sure the right product approvals are gained.

Wilhelm Rehbein is a graduate chemical engineer with more than 35 years of experience in the formulation and maintenance of metalworking fluids, rust preventives and industrial lubricants. He joined LANXESS Deutschland GmbH in 2011 as a senior manager of application technology where he is in charge of the development of guideline formulations and additive packages for metalworking applications, temporary corrosion protection and other research projects.

Danny is Subject Matter Expert - Lubrication Management - for John Crane Business Solutions. His focus is on optimizing lubrication-related activities across all critical industrial infrastructure. 

He is a time served Mech. Eng. specialising early on in the physical testing of lubricants, then moving on and serving as a lubrication engineer to UK industry.

Later with Lloyd’s Register of Shipping he was involved in oil and grease condition monitoring, maintenance strategy optimization, training, and ship classification rules support worldwide. He remains active within national and international accreditation bodies developing training standards for Lubricant Analysis and General Condition Monitoring certification, for which he was awarded the BINDT COMADIT Prize for his contribution to society via Condition Monitoring in the marine sector.

He is currently chairman of the BINDT UK General Condition Monitoring working group which has developed a new ISO18436-10 standard for the training and certification requirements for a General CM specialist, as a result he was recently invited to lead the ISO standards working group committee for General Condition Monitoring training and certification, ISO 18436-10 and is co-chair of the IMarEST Special Interest Group on Reliability and Maintenance, otherwise known as RAMSIG.

Dr. Sarma Volety has a PhD in Tribology of unlubricated and marginally lubricated Bearing materials, from Jost Institute of Tribotechnology, UK, as well as an MSc in Mechanical Engineering from Karlstad University, Sweden.

He is currently Senior Tribologist at Tata Steel UK and looks after all matters relating to Lubrication products and services for the company.

Over the past 15 years, Simone Ligi has been at the forefront of innovation in materials science, with a particular focus on the development and industrial application of advanced nanomaterials. His efforts have been instrumental in discovering practical uses for graphene, significantly enhancing the performance and sustainability of various products.

More recently, his work has expanded into the lubricant sector, where he has introduced cutting-edge products for both industrial and transportation applications. Through ongoing research and collaboration with global industry leaders, Ligi has established himself as a key figure in advancing nanotechnology and its real-world applications.

Simone has received his PhD in 2000 in Industrial Chemistry at University of Bologna, and in 2013 patented the graphene production technology.

He has 17 patents and has published several papers in peer-reviewed journals on catalysis and graphene applications.

Dr. Mozzon is a distinguished Engineer with extensive experience in both academia and industry. He specialized in developing AI-based solutions for condition monitoring and predictive maintenance of industrial machinery. Dr. Mozzon has consulted across diverse sectors, including pharmaceutical and oil, where he conducted comprehensive evaluations of industrial monitoring system data. Dr. Mozzon is the author of over 50 articles in the field of sensing, condition monitoring, AI and astrophysics, published in both research journals and conference proceedings.

Experienced Managing Director with a demonstrated history in the lubricants industry. Skilled in Health, Safety, and Environmental (HSE) management, technical sustainability, and regulatory affairs. Proven track record in leading technical groups and facilitating communication between industry stakeholders and policymakers.

Dr. Steven Tang is from Colonial Chemical Inc. based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA.

Dr. Tang received his BSc. and M.S. in polymer chemistry from Sichuan University in China and a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Arizona.

Dr. Tang started his career at Adesis as a research scientist in 2002 for small molecule development for the early-stage drug discovery.

In 2008, Dr. Tang joined DSM as a senior research scientist for the pharmaceutical development, preservation, and manufacturing process improvement of polyunsaturated fatty acid-based nutritional oils.

 In 2013, Dr. Tang joined the Lubrizol corporation in technology and then later as a strategic technology manager to manage multiple categories of engine oil additives and support the API engine oil upgrades.

In 2019, Dr. Tang joined Colonial Chemical serving as business manager and senior global business development manager for Industrial lubricants, oilfield chemicals, CASE and emulsion polymerization.  He has been holding holistic responsibilities in Colonial’s industrial product portfolios including business and product management, new product development, and global business development.

Elisa Swanson-Parbäck is responsible for Perstorp’ s business development in sustainable Engineered Fluids and Synthetic Lubricants. Since joining the company in 2018, Mrs. Swanson-Parbäck has been active in various market segments also leading digital transformation initiatives cross the company. Her current focus is on Perstorp’ s sustainability agenda and the transformative journey the lubricants industry is on to reach net zero.

Prior to Perstorp, Mrs. Swanson-Parbäck has over 12 years’ experience from senior marketing roles at Axis Communications, a market leader in network video solutions. Ms. Swanson-Parbäck holds both a master's degree in economics and business administration and a master's degree in work- and organizational psychology from Lund University, Sweden.

About Perstorp: As one of the world’s leading specialty chemicals innovators, we know little things make a powerful difference. Using nature’s tiniest building blocks, we can help advance everyday life – making it safer, more convenient and more environmentally sound for billions of people all over the world.

Pooja holds an MBA in Oil & Gas Management with over 13 years of experience
in Lubricants & Specialties. She is a Project Manager within Kline & Company’s Energy & Specialties Practice, focusing on lubricant specialty products, greases, and immersion cooling fluids.

Pooja is a frequent speaker at conferences and webinars and has presented
papers on lubricants and greases at global conferences including for NLGI and
the AMEA Base Oil, Lubricant and Wax Conference.

Her expertise and specialties’ insights are regularly published across leading
lubricant industry journals and publications where she is a valued contributor and
author.

Master’s degree in Organic Chemistry, India
Head of Product Development and Technical Support
Vink Chemicals GmbH & Co.KG

With over two decades of experience in the biocide industry, I have been actively involved in innovation and practical applications of biocide. During my career I have developed expertise in formulation, process optimization, and new synthetic routes for a diverse range of products, including 1,2-benzothiazol-3(2H)-one.

I have successfully led projects across China, Mexico, India, and the USA. This global exposure has not only enriched my technical acumen but also fostered a deep understanding of cross-cultural dynamics.

Beyond the lab, I immerse in life’s diverse flavors. From experimenting with growing my own vegetables to exotic recipes in the kitchen and embarking on hikes. Yoga and meditation ground me, while volunteering allows me to give back to the community.

Thijs joined Petro-Canada Lubricants 8 years ago in the role of Senior Technical Advisor in Europe. In this role he also acts as liaison to original equipment manufacturers. As Petro-Canada’s global subject matter expert for gas engines, he works closely with Marketing and R&D in Canada on the development and qualification of new gas engine oils.

Prior Thijs worked 13 years in Shell Lubricants, in both technical and business leadership roles. Before that, he worked 9 years with Wärtsilä, doing the thermodynamic tuning of large diesel and gas engines for Marine and PowerGen and executing plant acceptance tests for power plants around the world.  

Angela Tortora got her master degree in Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Turin in 2015. Her journey into the realm of tribology began during her master's research tenure at Ducom Instruments in the Netherlands. Over the years, Angela has made significant contributions to the field, with a particular focus on lubricants and biomaterials, reflected in her authorship of over five publications in high impact factor journals. She has worked in Ducom Instruments for almost 10 years now, starting as an application engineer in the laboratory, and becoming a product specialist in 2020. In her 10 years of working experience she has contributed to research, product development, applications & testing, marketing and sales.

Dr. Vladimir Totolin is currently working as a R&D Project Manager at Freudenberg Group (Weinheim, Germany). He leads highly interdisciplinary projects addressing a wide range of issues regarding surface/interface mechanisms of specialty lubricants with various materials and coatings relevant for industrial applications. He received his Ph.D. in Materials Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (United States) in 2010. His research focuses on advanced lubrication for energy efficiency, coatings, surface & interface phenomena relevant for tribology. He has published 2 books and over 20 peer-reviewed journal papers, and several conference proceedings. He is also serving as an Independent Expert for the European Commission, assisting in research and innovation assignments including evaluation of proposals falling within the Horizon 2020 & Horizon Europe Programs. He has held multiple R&D positions in the United States, Austria, Spain, Slovenia, and Germany.

1991 Diploma in biology (major in micro- and molecular biology) and doctorate in microbiology at the HHU Düsseldorf. Postdoc at the lab of immunology and thereafter head of Molecular Vascular Biology at the Institute of Hemostasis and Transfusion Medicine at the University Hospital Düsseldorf - main research on environmental toxicology and thrombotic disorders, respectively. Since 2016: head of Clinical Applied Microbiology at the Clinic for General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery at the University Hospital Düsseldorf, working on: 1.) cross-resistance between biocides and antibiotics; 2.) microbial-driven tumorigenesis. 2012: founding “Dr. Stoldt BiSafe” with a focus on industrial and applied microbiology. Main customers come from the lubricant industry. The primary topics include research and development, as well as lectures on microbial degradation, destruction, and control, particularly in regard to global warming. As well as issues of biostability and biological sustainability.

Since 2006, Jiří has been working as a Technical Manager for LUBRICANT s.r.o., based in Stary Plzenec, Czech Republic. As a chemist, he provides technical support for the lubricant sales network in Central Europe. He also organizes conferences and courses on behalf of the Czech Mechanical Engineering Society.

From 1993 to 2006, he worked in the sales of lubricants and special products for BP, Mobil, ESSO, BP GSP, and H&R ESP.

From 1976 to 1992, he worked as an analytical chemist at the Research Institute of Fuels and Lubricants in Prague.

From 1971 to 1976, he completed his studies at the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague.

Paul Vincent, Ph.D., has spent the last 14 years working at Lubrizol supporting Engine Lubricants.  In his current role as a Strategic Technology Manager, Paul is responsible for developing and ensuring the necessary fundamental knowledge and technology pipelines are in place to meet the future needs of the industry. Prior to joining Lubrizol in 2010, he spent 6 years as a technology director in the speciality chemistry industry.  Paul has a Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry and a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry from the University of Southampton.

David Wright is Director General of the United Kingdom Lubricants Association, the representative trade body for the industry in the United Kingdom. The UK Lubricants Association actively represents member company’s interests both at home and overseas and is active on matters impacting the industry, through participation and consultation, representation, and lobbying to UK and European Government and industry authorities.

An established and experienced senior leader with extensive experience within a variety of associations, membership and public sector, not-for-profit charitable organisations operating in challenging, fast-moving politically sensitive and regulated environments at board level including leading organisations in senior roles involving defining and setting industry standards, working in partnership with government on programmes of change, and partnering with key industry stakeholders on lobbying and influencing the policy agenda of the day.

Xavier is the CEO of the first Open Innovation Test Bed (OITB) dedicated to tribology: “i-TRIBOMAT: The European Tribology Centre”. Xavier's job is to provide the industry with the tools to minimize their novel materials and components’ time-to-market.

Xavier obtained his MSc in Industrial Engineering at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia in 2012. Xavier carried out his MSc Thesis at the Luleå University of Technology for Vattenfall Hydropower. Xavier worked for a Stirling engines manufacturer in Gothenburg until 2016 when he moved to the Netherlands to undergo a PhD on seals with Environmentally Acceptable Lubricants (University of Twente). Afterwards, he joined AC2T Research in Austria managing various tribology-related projects for the industry.

He is one of the founders of TriboNet, the world’s largest blog on tribology. Among his passions, there is a special place for testing skin tribology on the climbing wall.

Philippe Yannic is a Commercial Vice President for EMEAI at Afton Chemical, where he is responsible for Sales, Marketing, Technical Customer Services and OEMs Relationship teams. He has over 20 years’ experience in business development roles in the lubricant industry. Philippe joined Afton in 2006 where he held a number of roles within Sales and Marketing, developing insights and product line strategies to generate profitable growth for Afton and Afton’s Customers. Using his expertise in automotive and additives technology, Philippe has successfully brought to market a number of solutions addressing the needs of Oil Companies and channel users across mature and emerging regions. Philippe holds a Chemical engineering degree from Toulouse University in France and, as part of his PhD, he worked for Institut Français du Pétrole on catalytic hydrocracking.

Julia Sack has a technical background and a university degree in process techniques and quality management.​

Professional experiences are related to quality and quality management in GMP areas and manufacturing.​

Several years ago she started to support organisations with expertise and practical experiences in related areas.​

Currently, she works at Ctq GmbH Consulting Testing Qualität, Düsseldorf, Germany, as Senior Managing Consultant.​

Sander joined Lubrizol as Vice President of Europe in January 2024, based in the UK. 

He is an industry veteran with 20-plus years of international experience in transformational business leadership, growth strategies, B2B sales and research & technology. Sander most recently served as Senior Vice President leading the largest Global Business Unit in Sulzer, a Swiss technology company. Prior to this, Sander held multiple leadership positions with the Finnish refining and renewables company Neste, with the global technology leader Honeywell UOP, and several technology management roles for French energy and oil company Total Energies across Europe. 

Sander received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Chemistry, as well as his PhD in Industrial Catalysis, from Utrecht University in the Netherlands. He also holds an Executive MBA from HEC Lausanne in Switzerland.