2022 ADI Forum

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Forum location and speakers

Speakers

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Christopher Smith SVP Policy, Govt & Public Affairs, Cheniere Energy
Christopher Smith SVP Policy, Govt & Public Affairs, Cheniere Energy Christopher Smith joined Cheniere as Senior Vice President for Policy, Government and Public Affairs. Prior to joining Cheniere, Smith was the Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy, where he led the department’s policy, international engagement, and R&D programs for fossil energy. During that time, he also served as the designated federal official for the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling. Prior to his roles in federal government, Smith served in managerial and analytical positions at Chevron and Texaco, focused primarily on upstream business development and LNG trading. Smith began his career as an officer in the U.S. Army and served tours in Korea and Hawaii. He subsequently worked for Citibank and JPMorgan in New York City and London. Smith holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering management from the United States Military Academy at West Point and an MBA from Cambridge University.
Linhua Guan CEO, Surge Energy
Linhua Guan CEO, Surge Energy Linhua Guan is the CEO of Surge Energy, the largest private E&P company in Houston Texas according to Houston Chronicle. He previously worked for CNPC, Chevron, Statoil and Star Energy International Corp. As a registered petroleum engineer in Texas, Linhua has served on various technical and management committees and published more than 30 technical papers & research reports in the past 20+ years. He received a BE degree in Petrophysics and an MS degree in Geology from China Petroleum University. He also received a MS degree in Petroleum Engineering from Texas A&M University and an MBA from Rice University.
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Aaron Ketter VP Mid-Cont. & S. TX Bus. Unit, Devon Energy
Aaron Ketter VP Mid-Cont. & S. TX Bus. Unit, Devon Energy Aaron Ketter is the Vice President of the Mid-Continent and South Texas Business Unit for Devon Energy. His teams are responsible for creating and executing the corporate strategy encompassing financial performance, capital program, and business development opportunities. Prior to this position, Ketter held various roles at Devon including VP Rockies Business Unit, VP Strategic Planning, Manager midstream and marketing, acquisition and divestitures, deep-water exploration, and multiple onshore engineering assignments. Ketter earned an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a B.S. degree in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Oklahoma.
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Paul Bieniawski CEO, Enstor Gas
Paul Bieniawski CEO, Enstor Gas Paul W. Bieniawski is CEO of Enstor Gas LLC. Prior to that, he was CEO of Zechstein Midstream BV, a European focused independent midstream services provider. Previously, Bieniawski founded and led Katy Energy Partners, an international energy infrastructure consultancy firm. He has also held leadership roles at Bobcat Gas Storage after having worked for Reliant Energy Power Generation, Enron North America, Sofregaz U.S., NorAm Hub Services, Tenneco Gas, Amoco Production Company, and Pennzoil Producing Company. He is past Chair of the Gulf Coast Section of the Society of Petroleum Engineers.
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John Staebel Director, NA Feedstocks, LyondellBasell
John Staebel Director, NA Feedstocks, LyondellBasell John Staebel is currently Director of North America Feedstocks O&P at LyondellBasell Industries and is responsible for sourcing and delivery of all feedstocks and natural gas. He has more than 27 years of experience in the chemical industry. His various roles span across engineering, manufacturing, corporate development and commercial. Staebel has spent the last 10 years at LYB in commercial roles along with time executing global M&A transactions. Prior to working at LyondellBasell, Staebel worked with Chevron Phillips Chemical and Chevron Chemical in engineering, commercial and corporate planning roles. Staebel has a BA degree in Economics and a BS degree in chemical engineering from Rice University, and an MBA from Texas A&M University.
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David Paradis CEO, Trillium Flow Technologies
David Paradis CEO, Trillium Flow Technologies David Paradis is CEO of Trillium Flow Technologies. A highly successful global business leader in the industrial equipment market. Former President of Weir Flow Control and Group Executive Member of Weir Group PLC. Also, former President of Weir’s group of pressurepumping businesses. Earlier in his career, Paradis held various senior leadership roles in Tyco Flow Control, now part of Emerson. Paradis has extensive experience in operational turnarounds, mergers and acquisitions, and strategy development. Paradis holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA from Texas A&M University.
Joseph Gentry VP, Licensing, GTC Vorro
Joseph Gentry VP, Licensing, GTC Vorro Joseph Gentry is currently Vice President of the Technology Division of GTC Vorro Technology LLC. Gentry was one of the original founders of GTC Technology, which was the first global process licensing firm to be established in many years. He has 40 years of experience in the industry as a specialist in aromatics processing, advanced distillation, clean fuels, and sulfur removal from natural gas streams. He is a registered professional engineer in the state of Texas, USA. Gentry earned a BS Chemical Engineering from Auburn University and MBA from University of Houston.
Carol Conomos Dir, Customer Excel. (Moderator), INNIO
Carol Conomos Dir, Customer Excel. (Moderator), INNIO Carol Conomos brings industry experience gained in midstream operating companies including Energy Transfer/Sunoco Logistics and CMS Field Services, as well as heavy industrial OEM equipment manufacturing, technology, packaging, rental fleet and service companies including Dresser-Rand, Siemens, SEC Energy and Miratech. She currently serves as Director, Customer Excellence at INNIO’s Waukesha division. Conomos diverse global experience includes P&L accountability, commercial leadership, strategic planning, engineering, and operational roles. She holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, and Master’s in Engineering and Technology Management. Conomos serves on the board of the Gas Machinery Research Council and has been a member of the Mechanical Engineering Industrial Advisory Board at the University of Tulsa and sits on the education committee of the Gas Compressor Association.
Kirsty McCormack VP, Special Projects, BP
Kirsty McCormack VP, Special Projects, BP Kirsty McCormack is part of the Strategy and Sustainability leadership team who coordinate the formulation of BP’s business and sustainability strategies, and she has accountability for developing in-depth understanding of critical markets in which BP chooses to participate. She joined BP in 1997 after obtaining a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Glasgow, UK, and has spent her whole career with BP. McCormack has held variety of leadership roles in finance in the Upstream business, including most recently VP Planning and Commercial for BP. Previously she has held regional Commercial Manager roles in Egypt, Angola and the Gulf of Mexico. Outside of Upstream finance, McCormack has also held roles in Group Treasury and in the Project Management Office for the major organizational change program “Reinvent bp”.
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Heath DePriest VP Emerging Energy, Phillips 66
Heath DePriest VP Emerging Energy, Phillips 66 Heath DePriest is the VP, Emerging Energy for Phillips 66. He has nearly 30 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. Previously, DePriest was GM, Corporate Strategy. Past roles include serving as MD, Terminals Business Development. He has also served as manager of the Midstream Growth Program for Phillips 66, DePriest started his career with Koch Industries at the Pine Bend Refinery in Minnesota before joining Conoco in 1997 as a refinery engineer at the Lake Charles Refinery. He served in various roles in Refining. He worked on the strategic integration team during the formation of ConocoPhillips in 2002 and then later in 2012 was on the corporate strategy team responsible for leading the spin-off of Phillips 66 from ConocoPhillips. DePriest holds a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from Oklahoma State University.
Brandon Schwertner Priority Power Management, CEO
Brandon Schwertner Priority Power Management, CEO Brandon Schwertner is the CEO of Priority Power Management. Schwertner was the past co-founder of MP2 Energy, an industry-leading electricity and services platform company, sold to Shell Energy North America in 2017, and former Founder and Managing Partner for Teleios Commodities. He is a serial entrepreneur in the energy industry and has been responsible for the creation of two energy services businesses and two commodity trading hedge funds. Schwertner began his career as the former head of electricity trading at Credit Suisse and Sumitomo.
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Michael Mott SVP Strategy, NextDecade
Michael Mott SVP Strategy, NextDecade Michael R. Mott is SVP, Corporate Strategy of NextDecade. Mott has significant strategy, finance, operations, and risk management experience spanning the entire energy industry value chain. Most recently, Mott worked as CFO of LNG Limited. Prior to this position, he held various senior roles leading business execution in BG Group’s Global LNG business, and as SVP – (HSSE) with responsibility for global workforce. Previously, Mott held progressively senior risk management and accounting roles for Dynegy Inc., becoming SVP – Chief Accounting Officer and Controller. He spent thirteen years with Price Waterhouse LLP before joining Dynegy
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Matt Jackson VP Bus. Dev. Shipping & New Energy, Crowley
Matt Jackson VP Bus. Dev. Shipping & New Energy, Crowley Matt Jackson is the Vice President of Business Development for Crowley Shipping and New Energies. He joined Crowley Maritime in 2002 and has worked in several areas of the company including liner shipping, logistics, and petroleum transportation. Prior to Crowley, Jackson worked with a major consulting firm as a supply chain and information technology consultant and was a U.S. Air Force captain serving as an acquisitions officer where he was responsible for project management, procurement, contract negotiations, and supplier management. He has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Alabama and a master’s in industrial engineering from the University of Arkansas.
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Dena Wiggins CEO, Natural Gas Supply Association
Dena Wiggins CEO, Natural Gas Supply Association Dena E. Wiggins is President and CEO of the Natural Gas Supply Association (NGSA), representing major integrated and independent natural gas producers in the U.S. Wiggins also a member of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s Energy and Environmental Markets Advisory Committee, Board of NAM’s Council of Manufacturing Associations, Board of the British-American Business Association, Advisory Council of New Mexico State University’s Center for Public Utilities, and Council Group of the American Bar Association’s Infrastructure and Regulated Industries Section. Prior to NGSA, she was a partner at the firm of Ballard Spahr and served as General Counsel to the Process Gas Consumers Group. She holds a B.A. degree from the University of Richmond and a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center.
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David Hatrick VP Innovation, Huntsman
David Hatrick VP Innovation, Huntsman David Hatrick is Vice President Innovation at Huntsman Advanced Materials. Hatrick leads global R&D for the division with R&D teams located in the US, Switzerland, and China. He is accountable for the development and commercialization of new materials and process technologies across multiple markets, from aerospace through to electrical power and clean energy. In parallel, Hatrick is leading the creation of a new business exploiting a novel methane pyrolysis technology, creating both hydrogen and a unique, solid form of high value carbon known as Miralon®. Hatrick has a PhD in Applied Physics from the University of Strathclyde in Scotland.
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Trevor Best CEO, Syzygy Plasmonics
Trevor Best CEO, Syzygy Plasmonics Trevor Best is the founding CEO of Syzygy Plasmonics. Before starting Syzygy, he worked for Baker Hughes. There he steadily progressed into management, where he gained expertise in quality assurance (Six Sigma Black Belt), regulatory compliance, technology development management, project and personnel management, supply chain management, internal/external communications, and business process architecture. With Syzygy he has successfully raised three funding rounds and is currently focusing on bringing Syzygy’s revolutionary photochemical technology to market.
Muhammad N. Islam, Photo
Muhammad Islam SVP, Bus.Dev.& Technology, IHI E&C
Muhammad Islam SVP, Bus.Dev.& Technology, IHI E&C Muhammad N. Islam, Senior Vice President of Business Development & Technology with IHI E&C, has over 42 years of technology and business development experience. His current duties include management of the business development group and further development of company’s technology portfolio. Islam’s technical background includes know-how in renewables, bio-fuels, carbon capture, and synthesis gas & derivatives. Islam holds B.S. degree in chemical engineering from University of Teesside.
Ari greenberg
Ari Greenberg Head of Sales, Energy & Industrials, AlphaSense
Ari Greenberg Head of Sales, Energy & Industrials, AlphaSense Ari Greenberg, Head of Energy and Industrials, joined AlphaSense in February of 2021. With over 15 years of experience, Ari is a key partner for strategy, M&A and competitive intelligence professionals across the sector. He is highly collaborative, dedicated, and has a proven track-record of building teams that deliver impeccable results for our clients.
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Eric Bradley MD New Energies & Sustainability, Taurus Investment Holdings
Eric Bradley MD New Energies & Sustainability, Taurus Investment Holdings Eric Bradley leads Taurus Investment Holdings efforts in clean energy delivery and high efficiency energy consumption for new and existing real estate, overseeing its EcoSmart Solution affiliate and RENU Communities subsidiary, and leading Taurus’ ESG policy and energy transition programs firmwide. Bradley has over 29 years of experience in the energy and energy technology sector. He joined Taurus from Shell New Energies. Prior to that role, he led Engie’s North American division transition from merchant thermal generator into renewable energy and energy solution services. Bradley has held prior positions in strategy/business development, energy retailing and new business division launches, and has extensive experience in power and natural gas markets, renewable energy, energy storage and energy services.
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Leslie Beyer CEO, Energy Workforce & Technology Council
Leslie Beyer CEO, Energy Workforce & Technology Council Leslie Beyer is the CEO of the Energy Workforce & Technology Council. Beyer’s career include 15 years serving in the U.S. Senate, multiple presidential campaigns, The White House – Executive Office of the President, U.S. State Department and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Recently, she served as Director, Member and Board Relations with the National Association of Manufacturers. She is an Independent Director on the Board of Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. She also serves on the Boards of the World Affairs Council of Greater Houston and IPAA/PESA Education Advisory Board. She is a former Independent Director at PPI and served on the U.S. International Trade Administration’s U.S.-Mexico Energy Business Council. Beyer holds a BA in Latin American Studies and Spanish from the University of Texas at Austin.
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Alex Robart Energy & Sustainability Leader, Microsoft
Alex Robart Energy & Sustainability Leader, Microsoft Alex Robart is the Microsoft’s Worldwide Strategy Leader for Energy & Sustainability. In this role, he owns Microsoft’s commercial viewpoint on energy and sustainability, drives BU strategy, and works with customers to develop transformation and sustainability strategies. Most recently, he was the CEO an AI SaaS company at the leading edge of operations technology digital transformation. Prior to that, he was a technology entrepreneur investor. He has an MBA from the University of Michigan and a BS in Systems Engineering from the University of Virginia.

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What people are saying

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Valuable networking opportunities combined with insightful panel discussions.

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Valuable discussions around sustainability efforts and emerging technologies, offering meaningful insights into the future of the industry.

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Engaging and relevant topics that offered valuable industry insights.

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A well-curated setting with relevant topics and engaging speakers enabled meaningful conversations.

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ESG shaping investments

ADI Forum archives

2020 ADI Forum

Chris R. Chandler, EVP & COO of Plains All American, kicked off the 2020 ADI Forum, which featured 7 panels and 20+ speakers from Shell, ConocoPhillips, Phillips 66, Neste, and MAN Energy Solutions. Topics included upstream and midstream oil and gas, LNG, petrochemicals, power, and the energy transition, offering a strategic snapshot of a rapidly […]

2019 ADI forum

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. Event Sponsors Your […]

2018 ADI Forum

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 […]