2019 ADI forum

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James Steffes, EVP of Corporate Affairs at Direct Energy, delivered the keynote at the 2019 ADI Forum, which hosted 7 panels and over 20 speakers from Shell, Equinor, Saudi Aramco Ventures, and LyondellBasell. The event connected upstream, midstream, downstream, LNG, and new energy, highlighting North America’s growing role in global energy exports.

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Speakers

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James Steffes Executive VP, Corporate Affairs, Direct Energy
James Steffes Executive VP, Corporate Affairs, Direct Energy James Steffes is the EVP of Corporate Affairs for Direct Energy. Prior roles include CEO of Circular Energy, and NRG Energy as head of Green Mountain Energy. He serves as an Executive Board Member on the Advanced Energy Economy. He brings more than 20 years of experience in the competitive energy industry with an MS in public policy from Harvard Kennedy School and a BS in foreign service from Georgetown University
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Natalya Brooks Senior Strategy Advisor, Equinor
Natalya Brooks Senior Strategy Advisor, Equinor Natalya Brooks is a Sr. Strategy Advisor in Equinor’s Corporate Strategy and Innovation team. She has been with Equinor for 11 years, most recently as the head of the US Strategy organization and the BD Manager for the Gulf of Mexico. Prior to Equinor, she worked for J. S. Herold in the strategy consulting team. Natalya has an MBA from Monterey Institute of International Studies in California and a BA in foreign languages.
Jim Sledzik Energy Ventures Managing Director, Saudi Aramco
Jim Sledzik Energy Ventures Managing Director, Saudi Aramco Jim Sledzik, Managing Director for North America at Saudi Aramco Energy Ventures (SAEV) has more than 30 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. Prior roles include MD at Hall Labs, Senior Partner & President for Energy Ventures, Global Marketing Director and VP of Multi Client Services for WesternGeco and Global Account Director for Schlumberger. Sledzik has an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh and a BS in geosciences from Pennsylvania State University.
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Brad Wright MD, M&A & Strategy, Plains All American
Brad Wright MD, M&A & Strategy, Plains All American Brad Wright is Managing Director, M&A and Strategic Planning at Plains All American Pipeline, L.P. Prior roles include an Associate at Barclays Capital, advising upstream and midstream clients on M&A and capital markets, and an analyst at Merrill Lynch (Petrie Parkman & Co). Wright holds a BBA and an MBA/JD from the University of Texas at Austin.
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Roger George SVP, Global Engineering and Product Lines, Exterran
Roger George SVP, Global Engineering and Product Lines, Exterran Roger George is Sr. Vice President, Global Engineering and Product Lines at Exterran. Prior roles include Product Line Leader of GE’s Gas Turbine, GM and an executive with GE’s Distributed Power running Global Sales and Commercial Operations. Earlier he worked for Optimal CAE, Inc. and Ford Motor. George holds an MBA from University of Chicago, and MS, PhD in mechanical engineering from University of Missouri.
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Austin Knight Chief Operating Officer, Large Industries, Air Liquide USA
Austin Knight Chief Operating Officer, Large Industries, Air Liquide USA Austin Knight, COO, Large Industries at Air Liquide USA is responsible for leading the strategy, financial performance, operations, commercial, energy management, and engineering activities for supply of industrial gases to chemical producers, refineries, and steel manufacturers in the US. Prior to Air Liquide, he was a lead electrical engineer at Fluor. Austin holds a BS in electrical engineering from Texas A&M University and an MBA from UT at Austin.
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Chris Knirk Procurement Head, C&T, Shell
Chris Knirk Procurement Head, C&T, Shell Chris Knirk brings 25 years of experience in supply chain management, engineering, strategic sourcing, and M&A. Knirk joined Royal Dutch Shell in 2008. He leads a global team of 30 procurement professionals that take advantage of Shell Oil’s scale to do deals for Catalysts, Chemicals, and Metals. Knirk has done this with companies like PepsiCo, Cadbury, and Shell Downstream. Chris holds a BS in mechanical engineering from LSU and an MBA from Our Lady of the Lake University.
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Linda Berndt Vice President, Eagle LNG Partners
Linda Berndt Vice President, Eagle LNG Partners Linda Berndt brings 15 years of experience in developing LNG markets. She serves as VP of Eagle LNG Partners and is responsible for government relations, public affairs and commercial development of smallscale LNG fueling solutions. Linda is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Executive Development Program and holds a BS in Marketing and Business Management from Oklahoma City University.
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James Reddinger CEO, Stabilis Energy
James Reddinger CEO, Stabilis Energy James Reddinger is CEO, Stabilis Energy, a leading small-scale LNG production and distribution company in North America. Stabilis operates under the brand names Stabilis Energy (LNG production) and Prometheus Energy (LNG distribution). Prior roles include CFO of Tiger Rentals, MD at UBS Investment Bank, and a VP at Credit Suisse. He holds a BA from Harvard University and an MBA from Northwestern University
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Eberhard Lucke VP, Process Eng. & Tech., NiQuan Energy
Eberhard Lucke VP, Process Eng. & Tech., NiQuan Energy Eberhard Lucke, VP of Process Engineering and Technology at NiQuan Energy Group brings over 25 years of experience as a consultant, engineer and manager. Prior experiences include Process Engineering Manager at CB&I Lummus, consultant for KBC Advanced Technologies, and several executive positions in the EPC industry. Eberhard holds a M.Sc. degree in chemical engineering from the University of Essen in Germany.
Fabio Ribeiro Director, CISTAR
Fabio Ribeiro Director, CISTAR Fabio Ribeiro is the Director of the National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center on the Innovative and Strategic Transformation of Alkane Resources (CISTAR) at Purdue University. His research interests are centered on the kinetics of heterogeneous catalytic reactions and catalyst characterization under reaction conditions. He has a PhD from Stanford University
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Dave Marchese CEO, Caliche Development Partners
Dave Marchese CEO, Caliche Development Partners Dave Marchese, CEO, Caliche Development Partners, has 20 years of operational and financial experience in the energy assets. He held several management roles at Haddington, Bobcat Gas Storage, Norton Energy Storage, Fairway Development, Apex Compressed Air Energy Storage, Endicott Biofuels, Eschelon Energy Partners, Reliant Energy, and Jacobs. He holds a BE and an MBA from Vanderbilt University.
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Angela John Director, Structured Products, BP
Angela John Director, Structured Products, BP Angela John is the Director of Structured Products within BP’s global energy marketing and trading organization. Prior to this, John served as SVP of BP’s NA physical NGL business. Through her 27-year career with BP, John has gained extensive experience and a deep understanding of chemicals, refining, oil, natural gas and NGLs markets. John holds an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management and BS in chemical engineering from the University of Houston.
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Jennifer Jewson Director, NA Feedstocks, LyondellBasell
Jennifer Jewson Director, NA Feedstocks, LyondellBasell Jennifer Jewson joined Lyondellbasell (ARCO Chemical) as an R&D Chemist in 1996 and held various positions as a Business Analyst, Commercial Manager within the Olefins and Chemicals Divisions, and Sales Director for NA Chemicals, Director of Global Business Process Team in Europe, and currently as Business Director of North American Feedstocks. She holds BS in Chemistry, a PhD in Inorganic Chemistry and an MBA.
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Cory Steffek Managing Director, Ara Partners
Cory Steffek Managing Director, Ara Partners Cory Steffek is Managing Director at Ara Partners. Prior experiences include Managing Director of North America at Saudi Aramco Energy Ventures, Corporate Development and Strategy at First Solar and several management roles at Altira Group and PPG industries. Steffek holds a PhD in materials chemistry from the University of Michigan and an MBA from The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Alyssa Karotkin Manager, Commercial Negotiations, Equinor
Alyssa Karotkin Manager, Commercial Negotiations, Equinor Alyssa Karotkin joined Equinor (Statoil) in 2008 doing business development. She manages team of international negotiators in Houston. Prior to Equinor, she was a briefing attorney for a U.S. Magistrate and a U.S. Senior District Judge. Karotkin holds a BA in public policy and psychology from Duke University and a J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law.

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What people are saying

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The forum offered a full value chain perspective and meaningful connections across sectors.

Natalya Brooks Senior Strategy Advisor
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Valuable insights shared by both industry leaders and ADI.

Meredith Winczewski Sr. Strategic Marketing Manager
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The event offered strong presentation content and meaningful networking, all within a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere.

Reinaldo Bermudez Executive Director, Sales & Business Development
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The ADI Forum featured high-quality speakers and presentations, a well-structured agenda covering the full O&G value chain, and valuable networking.

Vincent Follaca Sr. Business Development Manager

ADI Forum archives

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The 2018 ADI Forum opened with a keynote by Thomas McAndrew, President & CEO of Enchanted Rock, and featured 8 panels with 20 speakers from companies like ConocoPhillips, Halliburton, Williams, Siemens, and Cheniere. Sessions explored upstream and midstream gas, LNG, NGLs, gas conversion, industrial equipment, and innovation across the energy value chain. Gallery ADI Forum […]

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2017 ADI Forum

The inaugural ADI Forum featured 8 panels in a single-day event, bringing together leaders from GE, IHI E&C, GTC Technology, and FlexGen. Discussions spanned the full natural gas value chain, including gas monetization, LNG and pipeline exports, industrial gas use, NGLs, and emerging technologies—setting the tone for a strategic, cross-sector dialogue. Gallery ADI Forum archives

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