December 9, 2025

* JOIN US FOR THE PRE-EVENT HAPPY HOUR ON DECEMBER 8, 2025 FROM 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM

7:00 am – 8:00 am CST

DELEGATE REGISTRATION AND NETWORKING BREAKFAST

8:00 am – 8:10 am CST

Chair's Welcome and Opening Remarks

Manufacturing & Operations

Dan Key

SVP and Chief Operations Officer
Solenis

Quality & HSE

Lyndee Brassieur

VP, Environment, Health and Safety
PPG

8:10 am – 8:15 am CST

Mayor's Welcome Address

John Whitmire

Mayor
City of Houston

8:15 am – 8:45 am CST

Keynote

Rebecca Teeters, Ph.D.

SVP, Fluoromaterial Stewardship and President Chemical Operations LLC
3M

Driving Operational Excellence and Sustainability through Leadership and Innovation

  • Cultivating a culture of accountability and shared success in global chemical operations
  • Leveraging advanced manufacturing technologies for quality, delivery, and cost efficiency Enhancing environmental stewardship through sustainable operational practices
  • Building empowered teams with a focus on continuous improvement and profitability
  • Applying servant leadership and coaching to foster growth and innovation in operations
8:45 am – 9:15 am CST

Plenary

Björn Jackisch, Ph.D.

SVP, Operations and Supply Chain Americas
Henkel

Leveraging Data and AI to Drive Digital Transformation in Manufacturing

  • Exploring how data analytics and AI are shaping Industry 4.0 in Henkel’s smart factories
  • The importance of digitalizing existing production sites to optimize processes and improve decision-making
  • Overcoming challenges of varied machine types and manufacturing processes in global operations
  • Integrating customer feedback into production processes through digital platforms for continuous improvement
  • The role of people in successful digital transformation: building skilled teams and fostering collaboration
  • Achieving prescriptive operations through data transparency, AI tools, and sustainable process design
9:15 am – 9:45 am CST

Fireside Chat

  • Mark Holden

    Global Head, Manufacturing Technology Center
    Indorama Ventures

  • Sundeep Ravande

    Founder and CEO
    Innovapptive

From Digital Projects to EBITDA Gains: Unlocking Margin Improvement in Chemical Manufacturing

  • How connected worker platforms unlock hidden value across complex manufacturing operations and supply chains
  •  Leveraging AI-driven insights to reduce downtime, improve efficiency, and strengthen workforce productivity
  • Real-world case studies showing hard-dollar results and EBITDA gains from digital adoption initiatives
  • Overcoming cultural and operational barriers to scaling digital tools across global chemical plants
  • Linking digital transformation efforts directly to profitability, resilience, and long-term market competitiveness
9:50 am – 11:30 am CST

Refreshments, Networking, and Pre-Arranged 1-2-1 Meetings

11:35 am – 12:05 pm CST

sessions

Manufacturing & Operations

Samuel J. Ponzo

VP and General Manager
Qnity

Unlocking Growth Through Lean Thinking, Operational Excellence, and AI-Driven Manufacturing Transformation

  • Evolving from Six Sigma to value-focused operational excellence across global business transformation programs
  • Reinvigorating mature lean systems with data analytics, AI tools, and advanced problem-solving methods
  • Applying lean and Six Sigma to supply chain, technology, and commercial operations for competitive advantage
  • Case studies on implementing excellence initiatives across multiple business functions and regions
  • Aligning leadership, culture, and talent with continuous improvement in a sustainability-driven global market
  • Addressing the “what’s next?” in lean after 10–15 years of process maturity

Quality & HSE

Lyndee Brassieur

VP, Environment, Health and Safety
PPG

Advancing EHS Excellence - Driving Safety, Stewardship, and Capability Across Global Operations

  • Embedding EHS into every layer of a global organization through strong management systems
  • Aligning safety culture with business performance and operational excellence
  • Leveraging data to improve EHS outcomes and reduce incident rates
  • Building frontline capability and connection through a culture of connection and partnership
  • Driving continuous improvement through leadership development and strategic thinking
  • Creating scalable, resilient systems for global EHS management
12:10 pm – 12:40 pm CST

Workshops

Room 1

Dave Landreth

Head, Customer Strategy
Augmentir

AI Agents and GenAI Assistants: Transforming Frontline Manufacturing Through Intelligent Automation and Real-Time Insight

  • How Agentic AI is redefining frontline manufacturing performance and operational agility
  • Empowering teams with Industrial GenAI Assistants that enhance decision-making and productivity in real time
  • Enabling operators to perform complex tasks confidently using AI-driven guidance on the factory floor
  • Streamlining workflows and improve quality by integrating intelligent automation into core manufacturing systems
  • Accelerating workforce skill development through data-driven insights and continuous performance optimization
  • Demonstrating how leading manufacturers achieve measurable results through practical, AI-enabled transformation initiatives

Room 2

Jeff Irvine

VP, Sustainability, Energy and Climate Change
WSP Global

Climate Policy as a Catalyst for Operational Priorities: Turning Compliance into Competitive Advantage

  • How industry leaders are leveraging climate transition plans to drive operational improvements
  • Regulatory requirements and their implications for manufacturing operations (e.g. California SB 261)
  • Bridging regulatory compliance with voluntary ESG initiatives
  • Using compliance to strengthen the business case for energy efficiency and electrification
  • Designing resilient operations to adapt to evolving climate regulations and market expectations
12:45 pm – 1:45 pm CST

Lunch & Learn Roundtable Discussions and Open Seating Lunch

Benefit from additional learning by joining a moderated roundtable discussion on pressing issues in the industry. Registration is required, and attendance for moderated roundtables on Day 1 is limited to attendees and speakers. Choose from:

Carol Roos

Chief Communications and Sustainability Officer
Arcwood Environmental

PFAS Pulse Check: What’s Now, What’s Next

Will Simmons

Senior Director, Delivery
Argano

Leveraging AI to Solve Supply Chain Disruption

Inhoon Choi, VP

Global Relationship Manager
Genpact

James Avellone

Director, Supply Chain Management
Genpact

Strengthening Supply Chain Resilience Through Data Analytics and the Power of Hyperscalers and Digital Twins

1:50 pm – 2:20 pm CST

Sessions

Manufacturing & Operations

Nicole Lewis

VP, Operations, Americas
Orion S.A.

Driving Excellence in Manufacturing with Strategies for Plant Optimization and Navigating Emerging Demands

  • What does driving efficiency, productivity, and reliability look like in our manufacturing sites across the Americas?
  • Implementing 4DX methodology to ensure focused execution and accountability within teams
  • Prioritizing strategic maintenance investments to enhance plant reliability and secure long-term success
  • Adapting to emerging industry demands to stay ahead of market shifts and capitalize on opportunities
  • Aligning manufacturing processes with evolving customer and market expectations for sustained growth
  • Fostering a culture of continuous improvement to enhance efficiency and meet sustainability objectives

Quality & HSE

Loan Ngô

VP, Quality, Americas
Henkel

Leveraging Total Quality Management (TQM), Data Analytics, and Culture to Drive Continuous Improvement 

  • Understanding the principles of TQM and how they drive both operational excellence and business results
  • Leadership strategies to create a TQM-driven culture that fosters high-performance teams
  • Case study: Leveraging data and Statistical Quality Control (SQC) to help detect abnormalities and enable better decision-making
  • Discussing quality improvements and their direct impact on cost, customer satisfaction, and business performance
  • Demonstrating the importance people, process, and technology in achieving systemic quality and future readiness
2:25 pm – 2:55 pm CST

WORKSHOP

Manufacturing & Operations

Lucia Alarcón

Manager, Hybrid Transportation and 3PL
BASF

Yaniv Butel

Chief Revenue Officer
Fixefy

Inside BASF’s Data Reckoning: Building the Foundation for Autonomous Audit and Control

  • What BASF uncovered when it looked beneath “accurate” freight data and why visibility wasn’t enough
  • The real cost of fragmented systems and why margin leakage hides in plain sight
  • Inside the BASF-Fixefy project and how data verification reshaped financial confidence and audit speed
  • Why explainable automation, not black-box AI, is the key to sustainable cost control
  • The roadmap to 2026 for turning verified data into a continuous, autonomous cost-recovery engine
  • Taking the next leap in supply chain efficiency through auditable autonomy

Quality & HSE

Andrew Douglass

Director, QualityOne Strategy
Veeva Systems

The 3 Key Ingredients for Harnessing Generative AI in Chemical Manufacturing

  • Exploring how generative AI will reshape efficiency across chemical manufacturing operations
  • Understanding why 95% of GenAI projects fail and identifying strategies for success
  • Connecting people, processes, and data to enable enterprise-scale AI adoption
  • Applying best practices for scaling GenAI responsibly across quality systems
  • Showcasing the power of AI agents in QMS and DMS applications
3:00 pm – 4:20 pm CST

Happy Hour, Networking and Pre-Arranged 1-2-1 Meetings

4:25 pm – 4:55 pm CST

Plenary

  • Peter Shearstone

    VP, Global Quality and Regulatory Affairs
    Thermo Fisher Scientific

Championing Quality: A Personal Approach to Driving Cultural Change Worldwide

  • Integrating quality culture throughout a company with strategies for consistency and excellence
  • Establishing practices that are replicable across different businesses, countries and cultures
  • Implementing strategies that drive behaviour change toward quality at the individual level
  • Best practices to drive and sustain cultural change in large, complex and global companies
5:00 pm – 5:30 pm CST

Plenary

  • Will Simmons

    Senior Director, Delivery
    Argano

  • Alex Pierroutsakos

    Industry Executive Advisor, Chemicals and Process Manufacturing
    SAP

Driving Digital Transformation and Operational Excellence with AI and Smart Manufacturing Solutions

  • Connecting shop-floor and top-floor systems to improve overall equipment effectiveness (OEE)
  • Exploring real-world examples of Argano and SAP partnership success in process manufacturing
  • Leveraging AI to automate processes, enhance plant maintenance, and optimize user experiences
  •  Using AI-driven insights to improve exception management and manufacturing decision-making
  • Supporting sustainability goals with SAP tools for energy, waste, and resource optimization
  • Enabling continuous performance improvement through integrated digital and data-driven solutions
5:30 pm – 6:15 pm CST

Panel Discussion

  • Lauri Boulger

    VP, Supply Chain, Energy and Sustainability
    Solstice Advanced Materials

  • Mary Ann Hayes

    VP, Manufacturing Center of Excellence
    The Chemours Company

  • Dan Key

    SVP and Chief Operations Officer
    Solenis

  • Bruce Sullivan

    VP and Head, Supply Chain and Logistics
    North America Covestro

  • Samuel J. Ponzo

    VP and General Manager
    Qnity

  • Francisco Iranzo

    VP, Operations and Technology, Chemical Intermediates NA
    BASF

Leveraging Operational Excellence and Continuous Improvement to Drive Next-Level Performance

  •  Utilizing process redesign tools to achieve breakthrough improvements in production flow and supply chain
  • Reducing process variation and driving towards near-zero defect levels in high-volume operations
  • Demonstrating ROI from operational excellence programs that improve scalability, margins, and overall competitiveness
  • Overcoming cultural and organizational challenges when aligning Lean and Six Sigma initiatives with leadership
  • Quantifying continuous improvement outcomes for sustainability, profitability, and long-term market resilience
  •  Building engagement and leadership commitment to sustain continuous improvement initiatives at enterprise scale
6:15 pm – 6:25 pm CST

Chair's closing remarks

Manufacturing & Operations

Dan Key

SVP and Chief Operations Officer
Solenis

Quality & HSE

Lyndee Brassieur

VP, Environment, Health and Safety
PPG

6:30 pm – 7:30 pm CST

Networking drinks reception