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2025 Agenda
29 September 2025
Pre-conference welcoming drinks reception
- 17:00 - 19:00
Welcome to the Argus Bitumen & Roads Asia Conference networking reception
Location: Shangri-La Dubai
30 September 2025
Conference day one
- 08:30 - 09:30
Morning networking and breakfast
- 09:30 - 09:45
Chairperson's opening remarks
Speaker:

Jonathan Weston
Europe & Asia Bitumen LeadArgus
Market outlook
- 09:45 - 10:15
Argus spotlight session: An overview of pricing trends and fundamentals across Asia-Pacific
- A view of how evolving trade flows have impacted price movements across the Asia-Pacific bitumen market, and who some of the new players are
- Demand fundamentals across southeast Asia over the past year and what could be to come
- A closer look at China’s bitumen market as suppliers there look to expand their reach to the international market through exportsSpeaker:

Leanne Tan
EditorArgus
Claire Ng
ReporterArgus- 10:15 - 10:45
Refineries spotlight
Speakers:

Gede Wahyudi Mahendra Putra
Senior Account Manager BitumenPT Pertamina
Sathya Narayanan
Associate ReporterArgus
Coffee break
- 10:45 - 11:30
Morning networking and refreshments break
Argus annual market coverage
- 11:30 - 12:00
Argus spotlight session: Paving the way between Middle East and Asia – an overview on Middle East trade flows, price trends, and arbitrage
- An overview of Middle East trade flows and India fundamentals
- How reliant are India and Southeast Asia on Middle East-origin bitumen?
- Key factors impacting and driving arbitrage opportunities between the Middle East and AsiaSpeakers Include:

Sathya Narayanan
Associate ReporterArgus
Green roads and construction markets
- 12:00 - 12:30
Construction and sustainability outlook
- How can New Zealand foster competition and innovation in a market dominated by a few players?
- How NZ utilises the bitumen that it imports?
- How are sustainability goals such as carbon reduction and circular construction adding complexity to already strained supply chains?
- Looming challenges foreseen in the bitumen market and success stories in the GCCSpeaker:

Doug Carrasco
General Manager Road Science & Asphalt ProductionDowner Group
Leanne Tan
EditorArgus
Leticia Parra Rodriguez
General ManagerSustainable Road Solutions - Total Energies
Mark Ford
General Manager - BitumenFulton Hogan New Zealand
Networking lunch
- 12:30 - 14:00
Networking lunch
Central Asian and Middle East
- 14:00 - 14:45
What’s happening in Iraq, Iran and India?
- Is Iraq becoming a dominant player in the regional bitumen market, and how is its growing export capacity reshaping trade flows in the Middle East and Asia?
- How are Iraq’s refinery upgrades and increased crude distillation capacity impacting bitumen availability and pricing?
- What procurement and logistics challenges do buyers face when sourcing from Iraq?
- How is India balancing its reliance on imports, currently covering nearly 50% of demand, with rising investments in domestic production and bio-bitumen integration?Speaker:

Dhruv Nanda
Trading ManagerSapco Global
Sathya Narayanan
Associate ReporterArgus
Bhavin Shah
Managing DirectorAGEE EXIM DMCC- 14:40 - 15:00
Introduction to Argus and our global bitumen coverage (Contd.)
- Global bitumen pricing and fuel oil – a volatile relationship
- How do Mediterranean bitumen trade flows differ from those in the Middle East Gulf, Southeast Asia, and the Americas and what does this mean for global supply chains?
- Which African regions are poised to drive future bitumen demand, and what infrastructure projects are shaping this growth?
- With South Africa relying entirely on imports, what are the viable supply routes and trading partners for meeting its growing bitumen needs?Speakers Include:

Jonathan Weston
Europe & Asia Bitumen LeadArgus
Coffee break
- 15:00 - 16:00
Evening networking and coffee break
Regional coverage on Africa
- 16:00 - 16:40
Demand and business in Africa: Coverage of growing imports
- How have global economic and other trends, including US tariffs, affected economic growth in sub-Saharan and north African markets, with potential impacts on infrastructure investment.
- A focus on infrastructure funding and bitumen demand and supply developments in key markets like Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya;
- Evolving pricing and trade flow for bitumen shipments into African markets and factors influencing those trends.Moderator:

Jonathan Weston
Europe & Asia Bitumen LeadArgus
Rory Botha
Managing DirectorBitumen Supplies & Services- 16:40 - 16:45
Chairperson's closing remarks
- 16:45
Conference concludes and drinks reception
1 October 2025
Conference day two
- 09:30 - 10:30
Morning registration and networking breakfast
- 10:30 - 10:45
Chairperson's opening remarks
Speaker:

Sathya Narayanan
Associate ReporterArgus
Deep dive into trading dynamics and sustainability
- 10:45 - 11:30
What are some of the challenges that traders have faced and how have you repositioned your business to adapt to these changes?
- How has the industry landscape evolved over the past three-to-five years? What are some of the challenges that traders have faced and how have you repositioned your business to adapt to these changes?
- What are some of the upcoming capacities in the Middle East and how do you foresee these supplies impacting the Asia-Pacific market?
- Competition in Asia-Pacific has grown more intense over the past years – are we at a saturation point, or is there more room to expand?
G.K. Goyal
CEOBright Fortune Singapore
Leanne Tan
EditorArgus
Vivek Dwivedi
Managing DirectorGayatram Pte Ltd
Coffee break
- 11:30 - 12:30
Morning networking and refreshments break
Logistics and shipping in the bitumen value chain
- 12:30 - 13:00
Shipping and freight trends: Industry and Argus
Poll for rating trends to gather real-time insights from attendees on how freight rates are impacting their operations, and to use this data to guide discussion during the session:
- What are the top 3 cost drivers in bitumen freight across Asia-Pacific?
- What is the upcoming season’s scenario for shipping reliability and pricing?
- What role can blockchain or digital freight platforms play in reducing fraud or delays?
- How are companies measuring and reducing Scope 3 emissions in bitumen logistics?
- What are the trade-offs between bulk shipping vs. containerized bitumen transport?Speakers Include:

Τheocharis Terzis
DirectorQueensway Navigation Co. Ltd.
Rethina Kumar
Managing DirectorLilly Maritime Pvt. Ltd.
Sathya Narayanan
Associate ReporterArgus
Day two concludes
- 13:00 - 13:15
Chairperson's closing remarks and day two concludes
Lunch break
- 13:15 - 14:30
Networking lunch