Argus Global Base Oils Conference

Chris joined Esso Petroleum Company UK in September 2000 as an engineer at the Fawley Refinery near Southampton, UK. He progressed through a number of technical, economic and operations supervisory positions over the next 10 years. In 2010, Chris moved to Fairfax, Virginia where he worked on M&A portfolio projects for ExxonMobil downstream. In 2011, Chris transferred to ExxonMobil Chemicals in Houston where he was Feedstock and Optimization Manager for the North America Aromatics business and in 2013 he became the Business Team Leader for North America Olefins. In 2015 Chris relocated to the Netherlands and was named Technical Manager for the Rotterdam Refinery. In 2016 he was appointed Operations Manager for the refinery. Following the successful start-up of the Rotterdam Gp-II Advanced Hydrocracker project, Chris became the Product Manager for Basestocks and Waxes EAME based in Brussels. In August 2022, Chris became the Basestocks Sales Manager for EAME, where he leads the regional sales team and has cross functional responsibility for the regional Basestocks and Waxes organization. Read less

Mario is responsible for the development of the corporate communication programme including all marketing activities, e.g. successful rebranding of the companies brands and introducing a new brand to the market. Mario is also responsible for maintenance and development of all corporate governance issues including risk and compliance management, being in charge of all strategic and commercial projects that encompass M&A activities, JV possibilities, sustainability management, and more. Read less

Denis has been involved in niche product trading, including base oils, since 2009, focusing on supplies from the former Soviet Union and Europe. Before joining DYM, he was a Business Development Manager and Trader with Germany’s MOGoil, Switzerland’s Integral Petroleum and UAE-based Gulf Petrochem. Prior to trading, Denis worked as an Analyst and Business Development Manager with Argus Media in the firm’s Moscow and Singapore offices. Denis has a master’s in international journalism from Moscow State University and a degree in finance management from Moscow’s Finance Academy. Read less

Marika has more than 20 years of experience in specialty oil products and their applications. With an MSc in Chemical Engineering from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Marika joined Nynas in 1999. She has over the years held various positions within R&D, product and development, technical marketing, advisory and management. Most recently Marika has in her role as Manager Sustainable Development been working with projects and other initiatives in the area of sustainability, including the development of Nynas’ sustainability ambition and strategy. She is based at the Nynas headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden. Read less

Charlotte is heading the team responsible for sourcing, procuring, researching, and innovating lubrication solutions for the Maersk fleet. A key focus for her is to support the decarbonization of the Maersk fleet by collaborating closely with lubricant industry players and, not least, by looking differently at lubrication. After a few years in the retail industry, Charlotte joined Maersk in 2007 where she has held various roles within lubricant procurement. She holds an MSc in business administration from CBS. Read less

Kjeld Aabo holds a degree in mechanical engineering and a special diploma in marketing. He joined MAN Diesel in the Stationary Installation Department in 1983. In 1992, he was appointed section manager in the Marine Installation Department and in 1994 he was appointed manager of the Marine Installation Department. In 2002, Kjeld Aabo took over the Engineering Services Department and was appointed Senior Manager. In 2005, he took over the Research Centre Department. From November 2006, Kjeld Aabo was director of the department for Promotion & Customer Support and from March 2009 head of the Two-stroke Promotion department at the head office for two-stroke engines in Copenhagen, Denmark. From 2011 to 2014, Kjeld Aabo took over a position in Brazil as head of MAN Marine and Offshore division. After returning to Denmark in 2014 Kjeld Aabo is Director of new technologies in the Promotion and Sales department for two-stroke engines and GenSet engines. Kjeld Aabo has been Chairman of the CIMAC Heavy Fuel Working Group (WG) 30rd years and stopped in 2022, and still member also of the ISO 8217 Heavy Fuel Oil Working Group. Read less

John is Head of the AWS Supply Chain, Transportation and Logistics. He is passionate about helping clients through digital transformations in order that they realize tangible business outcomes. Following an 18-Year career in the Royal Air Force, John joined Amazon.com and was charged with scaling a low cost fulfilment solution across EMEA. He later moved to AWS and established a practice with the aim of helping clients benefit from an ‘Amazon’ style supply chain and innovation culture. His core expertise is digital transformation, fulfilment, and operational excellence. Read less

Joanne Jones has more than 15 years’ experience in the lubricant additive industry. After graduating from Loughborough University with a BSc in Chemistry, Joanne joined Lubrizol as a Research Chemist developing new components for engine lubricants. Joanne then transitioned to a formulator role developing Passenger Car engine additive products, a role she held for more than 10 years. Most recently, Joanne leads the global Consumer Engine Oils development team. She provides global technical leadership and strategy for Lubrizol’s passenger car and small engine product developments. Read less

Jayanta is an accomplished leader with close to 3 decades of leadership experience in Supply Chain across multiple functions – Planning, Procurement, Manufacturing, Customer Fulfilment and Business Process Implementation – in Asia Pacific, India, ME, KSA and now currently in Global businesses. Jayanta has progressed through roles of increasing responsibility in Supply Chain and is currently based out of the HQ of Castrol business in the UK as the Global Base Oil Procurement Director. Prior to moving to the UK, he was in the Board of Castrol India Limited as an Executive Director (Supply Chain). Jayanta has a diverse international experience in leading teams and operations across geographies and brings in end-to-end supply chain leadership and insight - from strategy development till implementation - across the value chain – from procurement to manufacturing and customer service - through building of strong processes, teams, and systems. Read less

Currently, Christian is advising the Turkish re-refining company TAYRAS and acts as Chief Sustainability Officer. TAYRAS is the newest waste oil refinery in Europe and region, producing 45.000t base oils group II+. He has more than 30 years of experience as MD in the field of re-refining of used lubricants and an extensive global network. As CEO of PURALUBE he has driven the growth of the company to a European leading re-refiner. Christian has been President of GEIR and VP of UEIL. He also has been part of diverse expert councils on national and European level for economic and environmental topics regarding waste oil and sustainability. Today, he is shepherd of the raw material carbon footprint group within UEIL´s Sustainability Commitee. Christian is CEO & Owner of his independent consulting company IBC and studied economy at Ludwigs Maximilian University in Munich. Currently he is based in Istanbul/Turkiye. Read less

Chris started in the lubrication industry in 1990 with the Lubrizol Corporation. He built his real-world lubrication knowledge managing field tests for Lubrizol and its customers and managing customer programs in Lubrizol’s engine oil group. He has been responsible for managing businesses and technical projects in all the major lubricant end uses and in numerous regions around the world. By virtue of his work with dealerships, fleet maintenance managers, OEM representatives and lubricant marketers, Chris has unique insights into the knowledge and skills required of lubricant consumers and sales forces. He has developed and taught courses on basic and advanced lubrication, equipment design and operation, lubricant blending, and trouble-shooting techniques. Chris has a mechanical engineering degree from Carnegie-Mellon University and Master of Business Administration from John Carroll University. Chris is also an STLE Certified Lubrication Specialist. Read less

Natalia Stawniak is CEO and co-founder of Nuspec Oil a company developing innovative base oils and lubricants from thermostable rapeseed oil. Natalia holds Ph.D. from the University of Reading in the field of agriculture, which led her to work with pharmaceutical and industrial crops. She published in peer-review journals and worked with blue-chip companies on addressing net-zero goals through waste valorisation. At Nuspec Oil, she focuses on unlocking vegetable oil properties in lubricant formulations and oleochemical applications. Read less

Andrey Savin is a base oil specialist with vast experience in global lubricants and base oils sales and distribution. Andrey has bachelor and master’s degree in chemical engineering and has deep knowledge in crude refining and chemical processes. Since graduation, Andrey has worked a major lubricants companies such as Lukoil and Shell, and from 2017 has been focused on base oils and specialty markets. At Penthol, Andrey is responsible for products sourcing, new markets and products development, looking for the best value solutions for customers and refineries. Read less

Since 2014 David has managed the UKLA’s operations in Europe providing effective management, leadership and development of UKLA’s Secretariat team; he is constantly developing and maximising membership of the UKLA; delivering quality focused membership services and ensuring efficient, effective management and administration of the organisation. David is also currently the Company Secretary for the Verification of Lubricant Specifications (VLS, a subsidiary of the UKLA). David is an established and experienced senior leader with extensive experience within a variety of association, membership and public sector, not for profit charitable organisations (ExxonMobil and Chartered Institute of Educational Assessors), 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. Read less

William R. Downey Jr. is the Senior Vice President, Business Development for Novvi LLC. In this role, he is responsible for the market and business development activities at Novvi, reaching across OEMs, major oil companies and key independents, as well as distributors. He has used Novvi's technology platform, in combination with his deep lubricants industry expertise, global contacts, and strategic insights to target, process, and close customers, together with the CEO and the rest of the Business Development team. Prior to joining Novvi, Bill was a Partner at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants LLC, based in its New York and Boston offices, a member of both its Global Oil & Chemicals Competency Center, and its North American Management Team. Prior to joining Roland Berger, Bill Downey was Senior Vice President and Head of the Global Energy Practice at Kline & Company, a leading downstream petroleum and lubricants consultancy. He started his career in the lubricants business in an eight- year tenure with the Royal Dutch Shell/ Group of Companies, in technology, lubricants, base oils and additives. Across these endeavors, he has 40 years of experience in the petroleum and chemical industry and is recognized as an expert in the lubricants, wax, and petroleum specialties value chains. Read less

Valentina is Vice President Engineered Fluids at Perstorp, a leading specialty chemicals innovator. Valentina has over twenty years’ experience in the oil and lubricant industry, boasting several senior technical and commercial roles at Nynas, Calumet, and Koras. She is passionate about building bridges between the technical and the commercial sides of businesses, and creating solution-based business approaches. Valentina holds a MS degree in Chemical Engineering, a PhD degree in Chemical Plants from the Polytechnic University of Turin (Italy) and a second PhD degree in Chemical Reaction Engineering from Åbo Akademi University (Finland). She is the author of numerous scientific and technical publications, patents, and international presentations in the field of specialty oils and lubricants. Since 2014 Valentina is a member of the UEIL (the Union of the European Lubricant Industry) board, where she served as President between 2016 and 2022 and where she is currently Honorary President. Read less

David has more than 30 years’ experience of working in energy markets. Prior to joining Argus, David was most recently chief economist at commodity trading company Gunvor. Before this, he managed the oil industry and markets division of the International Energy Agency and edited its influential monthly Oil Market Report. David has a master’s degree in energy policy and economics from Imperial College London. Read less

Gabriella is the associate editor of Argus' Base Oils publication. She previously worked as a reporter in IHS Markit’s Maritime & Trade department covering all areas of shipping. And prior to that worked for several years at a ship management company in the Safety Security and Environment department. Read less

Kauanna is a base oils and asphalt reporter at Argus Media. Kauanna started at Argus in August 2019, initially as a fertilizer specialist but since February 2022, she has been a specialist in base oils and asphalt for the Latin American markets. Kauanna holds a bachelors degree in Journalism and specialised in business economics. Read less

John Dietrich is the base oil reporter for the Americas at Argus. He has covered the base oil market for the past two years and has covered commodity markets for 12 years. John is a product of the University of Missouri’s journalism school and is based in Houston, Texas. Read less

Guo Harn graduated from the National University of Singapore with First Class Honours in Economics. He was on the university’s Dean List in 2014/2015 and 2016/2017. Guo Harn also holds a diploma with highest distinction in Business Information Technology from Temasek Polytechnic. He was on the institute’s Director’s Honour’s List in 2009 and 2010. Read less

Irina is a Senior Manager Consulting in the London office of Argus. She is responsible for the bespoke consulting work in the crude and refined products segment, including specialty products, with a focus on Europe and Africa. Irina has over 9 years’ experience in the oil and gas industry. Prior to Argus, Irina was heading the European gas events portfolio of Fleming Group. Irina has an MSc in Energy, Trade & Finance from Cass Business School and wrote her master’s thesis together with Gazprom Marketing & Trading on small-scale LNG. Read less

Catherine is responsible for coordinating Argus’ business development strategy for base oils, marine fuels and bitumen. For base oils, her role involves engaging with market participants to explain the benefits of using Argus base oil spot prices to facilitate risk management. From London, she works closely with the global editorial team to develop awareness and understanding of Argus Base Oils in global markets. Prior to her current role, Catherine was responsible for European base oils market coverage at Argus: contributing spot prices, market commentary and analysis to Argus’ weekly global base oils report. Catherine holds an MSc in Petroleum Geoscience from the University of Aberdeen and a BA in Natural Sciences from Trinity College Dublin. Read less