Dr. Abdulwahab Al-SadounSecretary General, Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA)

Dr. Abdulwahab Al-Sadoun has been Secretary General of the Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA) since 2009, following a career of more than three decades in the GCC region’s petrochemical and energy sectors. His career began in 1990, as a Senior Researcher at SABIC (R&D) Center in Saudi Arabia. He has since taken senior executive positions at several prominent regional agencies, including the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) and the Gulf Organization for Industrial Consulting (GOIC). 

In 2020, he served as the B20 Sherpa, Saudi Arabia responsible for operational management of the B20 Secretariat. Dr. Al-Sadoun had been a member of the Steering Committee of the International Council of Chemical Associations since 2012 and also served as ex-member the Board of Trustees of the Riyadh Economic Forum and the Arabian Society for Human Resources Management. Dr. Al-Sadoun is the author of two books narrating the evolutionary journey of the chemical industry in the Arabian Gulf region – ‘Molecules, Mind and Matter: How the Arabian Gulf Became a Global Petrochemical Hub’ (2015); and ‘A Voyage to Leadership: How the Arabian Gulf Became a Global Petrochemical Hub’ (published in Arabic, 2019).

Dr. Raja M. AlmarzoqiChief Negotiator, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)

The GCC Chief Negotiator, the Chief Economic Advisor at the Ministry of Economy and Planning, a faculty member in the Economic Division at Prince Saud Alfaisal Institute for Diplomatic Studies, and an Expert at the International Monetary Fund (IMF). He plays a pivotal role in advancing economic security as a cornerstone of national security strategy.

Previously, he served as the President of the Gulf Monetary Council (GMCO) and as an Economic Advisor at the IMF in Washington, D.C., where he was responsible for private sector policies across the Middle East and Central Asia, leading IMF missions to Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan. He also held the position of Minister Plenipotentiary and Head of the Monetary Union Unit at the General Secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

Dr. Almarzoqi boasts extensive consulting experience with major international organizations, government agencies, and private sector entities, including the World Bank, ARAMCO, the General Investment Authority (SAGIA), the Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones (MODON), Alkhabeer Capital, Euro Praxis in Spain, among others. He has also served as an independent director on the boards of several investment funds licensed by the Capital Market Authority.

In the academic realm, Dr. Almarzoqi has taught and lectured at premier institutions such as the MIT Sloan School of Management in the USA, Thunderbird School of Global Management, and King Saud University in both undergraduate and graduate programs. He has also conducted training sessions for parliamentarians and Shura Council members across the Middle East and Central Asia.

Dr. Almarzoqi is a prolific author with a rich portfolio of specialized economic studies, research papers, and books on economic integration, monetary union, economic modeling, macroeconomic analysis, monetary and fiscal policies, and international finance. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics (with a supporting specialization in Finance) from Oklahoma State University, an M.A. in Applied Mathematical Economics from the University of Michigan, and a B.A. in Economics from King Saud University.

Samantha GrossDirector Energy Security & Climate Initiative, Brookings Institute

Samantha Gross is the director of the Energy Security and Climate Initiative at the Brookings Institution. Her work is focused on the intersection of energy, environment and policy.

Prior to Brookings, Gross was the director of the Office of International Climate and Clean Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy and director of integrated research at IHS CERA. She has been a Brookings Robert Bosch Foundation Transatlantic fellow in Berlin and a visiting fellow at the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center in Riyadh.

Chris JahnPresident & Chief Executive Officer, American Chemistry Council

As President and CEO of the American Chemistry Council (ACC), Chris is responsible for advancing ACC’s mission to advocate for the people, policy, and products of chemistry that make the United States the global leader in innovation and manufacturing. Chris has been named by The Hill as one of Washington, DC’s “Top Lobbyists” and by the Washingtonian as one of DC’s “Most Influential People” for representing the U.S. business of chemistry and its customers within the halls of Congress.

In 2021, Chris partnered with Harris County officials in Houston to expand an extensive state-of-the-art air monitoring system to continuously track and evaluate air quality. The partnership included a $1 million donation from ACC’s foundation for mobile and stationary monitors. In 2020, Chris spearheaded ACC’s role as a founding partner of the Future of STEM Scholars Initiative (FOSSI), which provides scholarships for students pursuing STEM degrees at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Chris received the AIChE “Doing a World of Good Medal” and the CME STEM Leadership Award™ for his commitment to supporting a skilled, diverse workforce. Also in 2020, Chris oversaw a strategic review of Responsible Care®, the chemical industry’s environmental, health, safety and security (EHS&S) performance initiative, resulting in enhancements to the Responsible Care Process Safety Code and Responsible Care Security Code.

Prior to joining ACC in 2019, Chris served as President and CEO of The Fertilizer Institute, president of the National Association of Chemical Distributors, and president of the Contract Services Association. He began his career on Capitol Hill, including time as chief of staff to U.S. Senator Craig Thomas (R-WY).

Chris earned an MBA from the University of Maryland and holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Columbia University in New York.

Roger KearnsPresident and CEO, NOVA Chemicals

Roger Kearns joined NOVA Chemicals as President and CEO in June 2023. Kearns leads the company’s ambition to reshape plastics to be our customers’ first and best choice. He is a senior executive with extensive international and industry leadership experience in the commodity and specialty chemicals spaces.

Prior to joining NOVA Chemicals, Kearns was Chief Operating Officer at Westlake Corporation, the global diversified manufacturer of essential products (NYSE: WLK). He joined Westlake as Executive Vice President of Vinyl Chemicals in 2018 after previously serving for 32 years at Solvay, a global leader in materials, solutions, and chemicals. A member of Solvay’s Executive Committee for 10 years, Kearns held progressively senior roles on both the operational and investment sides of the business across a number of international markets, including the United States, Europe, and Asia.

Kearns holds a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from Georgia Tech and a MBA from Stanford. He currently serves on the Advisory Board for Georgia Institute of Technology’s School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering and is a former member of the Georgia Tech President’s Advisory Board.

Kearns also is a board member of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW) where he formerly served as Chair of the Audit Committee. In addition, he serves as a board member of the American Chemistry Council (ACC), sits on its Board Global Strategy, and serves as chair of the Board Plastics Committee.

He is chair of the Society of Chemical Industry (SCI) America. He has been listed as “one to watch” in the 2024 Top 40 Power Players by ICIS, a global ranking of the leading CEOs and senior executives making the greatest positive impact on their companies and the chemicals industry.

Udo LangeCEO, Stolt Neilsen

Dr Udo Lange joined Stolt-Nielsen Limited as Chief Executive Officer in September 2023.

With more than 25 years of experience in the international trade industry, including expertise in global freight forwarding, road freight, express and parcel, shipping, customs brokerage, contract logistics and airline catering, he has held senior positions with Lufthansa, Deutsche Post DHL, Exel and DB Schenker.

During his time at Fedex, Dr Lange held several leadership roles, including president of Healthcare, Logistics and Americas International at FedEx Express, where he led a team of more than 50,000 in over 80 countries. During Covid-19 he was appointed to the White House task force on supply chain disruption.

In August 2025, Dr Lange was elected non-executive Chairman of Freightos (CRGO), the leading digital platform in the cargo space, connecting customers, forwarders and carriers to simplify trade.

Dr Lange holds a PhD in economic science from the University of Duisburg, Germany and an MBA from the University of Kaiserslautern, Germany. He is also an alumnus of the Harvard Business School and a member of the WSJ CEO Council and the Arts Club of London.

In 2020 he was named one of the ‘Top 10 Logistics Leaders’ globally by Supply Chain Digital, the industry’s leading magazine.