The Downstream USA 2026 agenda is built around the four priorities defining the USA’s leading refining conference this year: operational excellence, business transformation, digitalization, and supply chain resilience. Sessions go deep on real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance, TAR planning, and AI adoption — led by practitioners who’ve done it.
• Connect with fellow emerging leaders facing the same pressures: budget limitations, talent gaps, operational performance demands and evolving digital expectations
• Learn directly from industry trailblazers on excelling in an industry where doing more with less is the new normal
• Engage in candid peer exchange to accelerate knowledge transfer with operations engineers, process engineers, and early career downstream professionals
• Examine three common barriers that continue to limit progress: bolt-on AI strategies, fragmented data environments and human-centered interfaces that restrict intelligent execution
• Understand the fundamental shift in execution required to overcome these challenges and unlock greater value
• Chart a practical path forward built around three coordinated shifts designed to turn digital investments into measurable operational impact
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Dan Brennan, VP, Customer Innovation, Octave
• Protect day-to-day reliability by reinforcing operational fundamentals to reduce variability, supported by disciplined leadership and consistent work management practices
• Improve capital and resource efficiency by routing work to the right delivery channel and basing investment decisions on asset strategy, portfolio risk and economic contribution
• Strengthen equipment strategies and speed up bad-actor identification with AI and digital tools that frontline teams adopt and own through a strong reliability-focused culture
Natalie Thompson, Vice President, Reliability and Maintenance, bp
Walter Pesenti, Vice President of Manufacturing Excellence, Borouge International
Ahmed Farag, Business Development Strategy, Gecko
• Hear case studies of how owner operators use category management to handle engineering services, equipment rentals, fabrication, specialty contractors, and MRO with greater precision
• Map competitive landscape matrices to identify where suppliers hold leverage, and increase your negotiating power
• Protect TAR and CAPEX schedules during heavy maintenance seasons by becoming a top-tier segmentation user
Jose Velarde, Head of Indirect Procurement – Americas, Huntsman
Suhaib Kaissi, Manager, Strategic Sourcing, Capex, Maintenance & Turnarounds (Americas), Huntsman
• Meet leading MDM and cataloguing providers delivering integrated asset and maintenance data foundations
• As an operator, learn how better data governance improves PM tracking, spare-parts accuracy, SAP performance, and reduced downtime
• As a provider, uncover the biggest operator pain points in asset data quality, visualization, and maintenance planning
Mitigating the talent gap with work rationalization, digital enablement, and shared value workforce partnerships
• Accelerate knowledge transfer and close skill gaps by enabling frontline workers and contractors with connected worker technologies that capture expert know-how and guide tasks in real time
• Free up higher value capacity by identifying and automating low value or administrative tasks using simple work rationalization tools, while aligning upskilling plans across maintenance, engineering, and contractor teams
• Fund workforce transformation through shared value models using "pain share, gain share" partnerships that allow integrated operators and external workforce partners to share cost, spread risk, and jointly solve industry wide talent shortages
Lisa Williams, Global Manufacturing and Engineering Operations, Talent Strategy Director, Dow
David Mercer, Director of Technology, Fluor
Moderator: Rafa Alvarez, SVP of Regional Workforce Development, Greater Houston Partnership
• Eliminate guesswork by grounding maintenance decision-making in equipment history, cost awareness, and root-cause analysis
• Improve the accuracy of field repairs and repair notifications by aligning maintenance priorities across operators, engineering, and maintenance teams
• Enhance frontline maintenance culture through gamified KPIs and incentive structures that motivate ownership of notification quality, schedule compliance, and equipment health
• Compare notes with peers who hold signing authority across reliability, digital, capital and operations
• Add the challenge blocking your next investment to the challenge wall, and find the peer who has already solved it
• Build the relationships you'll actually call in Q3 when you need an honest read on a six-figure spend
• Enhance daily reliability execution by creating structured collaboration touchpoints between operators, maintenance and engineering teams
• Achieve plant-wide optimization by securing early cross-department alignment and reframing process automation from unavoidable cost to high-yield investment
• Optimize work management by unifying functional priorities and strengthening ownership of asset data and core processes
Amber Randon, Business Reliability Director, Dow
Jimmy Jernigan, Director, Reliability, LyondellBasell
Moderator: Dipankar Das, Vice President, Enterprise Process Transformation, Marathon Petroleum
• Meet leading automation vendors to see the newest control, HMI, isolation, and plant-run technologies in action
• As an operator, understand which automation upgrades most improve uptime, safety, and connected-worker performance and where AI augments controls
• As a provider, learn what CIOs/CTOs and instrumentation teams need for scalable integration and digital workforce enablement
• Benchmark the AI technologies your peers are truly implementing - from predictive models to operator-assist tools - and gain candid insight into what worked, what failed, and why
• Assess your organization's AI maturity and influence strategy with other leaders in terms of security concerns, corporate pressure and FOMO
• Turn evolving AI regulations and internal policies into opportunities by aligning adoption strategies to optimize compliance and unlock business value
Ram Seetepalli, Director, Digital Transformation & Innovation, Motiva Enterprises
Brent Railey, Vice President, Enterprise Transformation, Seeq
• Standardize field notifications and work requests with clear guidelines and incentives for frontline teams
• Build a step-by-step framework for transitioning maintenance programs toward root-cause-driven reliability and continuous improvement
• Optimize staffing levels by evaluating backlog health and distinguishing critical work from chronic noise
• Mitigate quick-fix pressure by adopting structured approaches that balance production demands with long-term reliability
Shivaprasad Narayana, Lead Architect, Consultant, bp
David Mason, Director, Reliability, Maintenance and Turnarounds, Borouge International
• Join a facilitated tour of engineering, procurement and consulting firms
• As an operator, understand how to make your projects more attractive to EPCs and put yourself at the front of the line when capital expenditure picks up
• As a solution provider, learn about the key drivers of EPC activity and whether you hold keys to a successful strategic partnership
• Evaluate your compression fleet through consistent criteria and operating data, focusing on units with the highest business impact
• Identify practical optimization levers (controls, configuration, maintenance, and upgrades) to meet evolving process demands
• Create an actionable roadmap for fleet optimization that balances reliability, energy efficiency, and emissions reduction
• Discuss with peers also navigating rising cost pressures, tariffs, and shifting supplier dynamics
• Add your toughest challenge – from resilience to digital maturity – to the challenge wall, and connect with someone who is already tackling it
• Walk away with meaningful connections that will last long after the conference
• Apply a practical diagnostic framework across data, workflows, and decision-making to determine why digital initiatives underperform before the next turnaround
• Use digital tools, AI, and scenario modeling to triage and reprioritize scope when turnaround windows compress
• Shift from static risk registers to real-time, data-driven risk scoring that supports auditable license-to-operate decisions
Oratile Sematle, Lead Digital Transformation Operations, Sasol
Ahmed Musa, Leader, Digital Manufacturing, Borouge International
Cali Collins, Co-Founder & Chief Product Officer, Optimality
Moderator: Dipankar Das, Vice President, Enterprise Process Transformation, Marathon Petroleum
• Convert paper SOPs to digitized procedures with engineered controls
• Embed if/then interlocks and weather & permit signals into a digitalized SOP, linking operating discipline and HSE to practical digitalization and grounding AI in real data governance and field reality
• Design a plant data governance model with data steward roles amongst peers to cut downtime or cost with measurable impact
• Draft a tool-agnostic data playbook with validation checkpoints to ensure your teams know how to treat data before choosing software
Ram Seetepalli, Director, Digital Transformation & Innovation, Motiva Enterprises
Shivaprasad Narayana, Lead Architect, Consultant, bp
• Prioritize investments and allocate limited resources using risk- and value-based decision frameworks
• Understand how to leverage digital tools and analytics to enhance maintenance ROI
• Benchmark your reliability framework against peers and uncover best practices from diverse roles and seniority levels
Samantha Borssen, Site Manager Lake Charles, Sasol
Jack Hu, Process Automation Director, Dow
• Ensure documentation handoff protocols are in place so operations continue without disruption
• Hear from front-end development managers, project managers, engineers, and construction teams navigating handovers for smooth capital projects
• Learn how to align technology stacks years ahead to remain compliant and commercial as operational needs evolve
Â
Daryl Gilbert, Senior Project Manager, BASF
• Eliminate rework and scope churn from FEL 0 onward with integrated schedules that create unified scope
• Get practical answers to questions around critical labor, equipment, and materials before peak maintenance seasons restrict supply
• Improve cost and schedule certainty by applying best-practice front-end loading to reduce HSE exposure and rework risk
Prabhat Verma, Senior Project Manager, Large Capital, Chevron
• Reduce complexity and compliance risk by transforming paper-based procedures into concise digital checklists that guide critical tasks
• Boost task accuracy and reinforce safety standards with role-based digital workflows that simplify steps and align with operator expertise
John Irvine, Senior Operational Excellence Project Manager, Dow
• Cut lifecycle costs and boost asset reliability by applying Dow's automation-first infrastructure model that enables AI readiness and long-term scalability
• Grasp the framework to align discipline, culture, and architectural choices to achieve scalable, autonomous operations Jack Hu, Process Automation Director, Dow
• Protect capital budgets by defining stage gate evaluation criteria that link AI vendor claims to measurable schedule, cost, and productivity outcomes before tools are embedded into projects
• Establish clear decision authority by defining when AI-generated forecasts or risk signals inform decisions and when project leadership must formally override them
• Structure AI engagements like capital investments, moving from capability-led pitches to contracts tied to delivery performance, contingency reduction, and portfolio-level ROI
• Identify and eliminate outdated or low-value tasks using a simple work rationalization method you can apply immediately to your plant, unit, or site
• Determine the right source of work — what should remain with employees, what can shift to contractors, and what can be digitally enabled to reduce strain on limited teams
• Build a targeted upskilling plan grounded in the remaining high-value work, ensuring your workforce gains exactly the capabilities required for a leaner, more technology-enabled operation
Lisa Williams, Global Manufacturing and Engineering Operations, Talent Strategy Director, Dow
• Learn how to standardize scheduling discipline and establish clear shift-to-shift alignment to reduce variability
• Foster a culture of accurate field work notifications with context to enhance maintenance planning and enable engineers to accelerate root-cause analysis
• Cultivate ownership across schedulers, planners, craft, and operators to create the data-driven foundation needed for successful digital transformation
Amber Randon, Business Reliability Director, Dow
Ziyan Sheriff, Senior Process Data Scientist, Digital Transformation & Innovation, Kaneka America
David Mason, Director, Reliability, Maintenance and Turnarounds, Borouge International
Moderator: Jeff Krimmel, Owner, Krimmel Strategy Group
• Explore top AI, real-time optimization, and connected-worker tools delivering measurable performance gains
• As an operator, identify which digital enablers drive real operational value
• As a provider, hear what digital transformation teams require for adoption, data readiness, and ROI justification
• Learn how cross-sector intelligence from oil & gas, LNG, petrochemicals, and data centers can dramatically lower TAR cost and risk
• See how regional arbitrage and adjusting timing by even a few months can secure better labor, equipment, and lower rates
• Understand how to use forward-looking market patterns to avoid being trapped in peak global outage cycles
Joe Tant, President & CEO, Greater Port Arthur Chamber of Commerce
• Design a practical roadmap for technology adoption that balances cost, timing, and performance in a fast-changing digital landscape
• Learn how to evaluate ROI and market trends to decide when to invest and when to wait
• Develop sourcing strategies that clarify build-versus-buy decisions and cut through vendor hype by focusing on measurable business outcomes
Â
Prasanna Tankhiwale, Senior Manager, Digitalization, Motiva
Raj Rapaka, Digital Transformation Advisor, ExxonMobil
• Reduce human error and eliminate "pencil whipping" with mandatory evidence capture, timestamps, and automated data recording
• Strengthen compliance and task consistency by converting operational steps into streamlined role-specific digital workflows
• Improve maintenance quality and adoption through gamified KPIs that reward accuracy, completeness, and on-time execution
John Irvine, Senior Operational Excellence Project Manager, Dow
• How senior leaders are recalibrating what must remain in house vs. what can be partnered, as complexity, disruption and cost pressure increase
• Why transport, contractor availability, TAR execution and logistics coordination have moved from operational concerns to board level risk topics
• Common pitfalls operators underestimate when shifting from asset ownership to orchestration and partnership-led models
Bret Bement, VP, Supply Chain Management, Oxea Chemicals
Bob Dayon, Head of Client Services, Uber Freight
Moderator: Chad Burke, President & CEO, Economic Alliance Houston Port Region
• Learn how to secure leadership buy-in for TAR windows, budgets, and resource prioritization using business case templates
• Lead cross-functional coordination by navigating competing priorities between operations, procurement, EPCs, safety, and finance
• Improve frontline execution with daily briefing formats that communicate risk, expectations, and urgency during high-pressure events
Robin Harris, Site Senior Turnaround Manager, TotalEnergies
Daryl Gilbert, Senior Project Manager, BASF
Sterling Vance, Senior Project Manager, Turnaround Process & Corporate, CVR Energy
Moderator: Matt Miceli, Principal Consultant, Gradient Energy Advisory
• Swap candid stories with peers navigating the same daily pressures: legacy controls, shrinking teams, AI expectations from leadership that don't match field reality
• Add your current engineering headache to the challenge wall and find the engineer across the room who's already worked through it
• Walk into day 2 with three new peers you can text when the next unplanned outage hits
• See cutting-edge TAR innovations - from drones to isolation plugs - that reduce man-hours and boost safety
• As an operator, discover tools that speed up critical path work and shrink outage durations
• As a provider, learn what TAR managers prioritize when selecting technologies under schedule and safety pressure
• Connect with fellow emerging leaders facing the same pressures: budget limitations, talent gaps, operational performance demands and evolving digital expectations
• Learn directly from industry trailblazers on excelling in an industry where doing more with less is the new normal
• Engage in candid peer exchange to accelerate knowledge transfer with operations engineers, process engineers, and early career downstream professionals
• Protect day-to-day reliability by reinforcing operational fundamentals to reduce variability, supported by disciplined leadership and consistent work management practices
• Improve capital and resource efficiency by routing work to the right delivery channel and basing investment decisions on asset strategy, portfolio risk and economic contribution
• Strengthen equipment strategies and speed up bad-actor identification with AI and digital tools that frontline teams adopt and own through a strong reliability-focused culture
Natalie Thompson, Vice President, Reliability and Maintenance, bp
Walter Pesenti, Vice President of Manufacturing Excellence, Borouge International
Ahmed Farag, Business Development Strategy, Gecko
• Eliminate guesswork by grounding maintenance decision-making in equipment history, cost awareness, and root-cause analysis
• Improve the accuracy of field repairs and repair notifications by aligning maintenance priorities across operators, engineering, and maintenance teams
• Enhance frontline maintenance culture through gamified KPIs and incentive structures that motivate ownership of notification quality, schedule compliance, and equipment health
• Enhance daily reliability execution by creating structured collaboration touchpoints between operators, maintenance and engineering teams
• Achieve plant-wide optimization by securing early cross-department alignment and reframing process automation from unavoidable cost to high-yield investment
• Optimize work management by unifying functional priorities and strengthening ownership of asset data and core processes
Amber Randon, Business Reliability Director, Dow
Jimmy Jernigan, Director, Reliability, LyondellBasell
Moderator: Dipankar Das, Vice President, Enterprise Process Transformation, Marathon Petroleum
• Standardize field notifications and work requests with clear guidelines and incentives for frontline teams
• Build a step-by-step framework for transitioning maintenance programs toward root-cause-driven reliability and continuous improvement
• Optimize staffing levels by evaluating backlog health and distinguishing critical work from chronic noise
• Mitigate quick-fix pressure by adopting structured approaches that balance production demands with long-term reliability
Shivaprasad Narayana, Lead Architect, Consultant, bp
David Mason, Director, Reliability, Maintenance and Turnarounds, Borouge International
• Join a facilitated tour of engineering, procurement and consulting firms
• As an operator, understand how to make your projects more attractive to EPCs and put yourself at the front of the line when capital expenditure picks up
• As a solution provider, learn about the key drivers of EPC activity and whether you hold keys to a successful strategic partnership
• Prioritize investments and allocate limited resources using risk- and value-based decision frameworks
• Understand how to leverage digital tools and analytics to enhance maintenance ROI
• Benchmark your reliability framework against peers and uncover best practices from diverse roles and seniority levels
Samantha Borssen, Site Manager Lake Charles, Sasol
Jack Hu, Process Automation Director, Dow
• Identify and eliminate outdated or low-value tasks using a simple work rationalization method you can apply immediately to your plant, unit, or site
• Determine the right source of work — what should remain with employees, what can shift to contractors, and what can be digitally enabled to reduce strain on limited teams
• Build a targeted upskilling plan grounded in the remaining high-value work, ensuring your workforce gains exactly the capabilities required for a leaner, more technology-enabled operation
Lisa Williams, Global Manufacturing and Engineering Operations, Talent Strategy Director, Dow
• Learn how to standardize scheduling discipline and establish clear shift-to-shift alignment to reduce variability
• Foster a culture of accurate field work notifications with context to enhance maintenance planning and enable engineers to accelerate root-cause analysis
• Cultivate ownership across schedulers, planners, craft, and operators to create the data-driven foundation needed for successful digital transformation
Amber Randon, Business Reliability Director, Dow
Ziyan Sheriff, Senior Process Data Scientist, Digital Transformation & Innovation, Kaneka America
David Mason, Director, Reliability, Maintenance and Turnarounds, Borouge International
Moderator: Jeff Krimmel, Owner, Krimmel Strategy Group
• Swap candid stories with peers navigating the same daily pressures: legacy controls, shrinking teams, AI expectations from leadership that don't match field reality
• Add your current engineering headache to the challenge wall and find the engineer across the room who's already worked through it
• Walk into day 2 with three new peers you can text when the next unplanned outage hits
• Ensure documentation handoff protocols are in place so operations continue without disruption
• Hear from front-end development managers, project managers, engineers, and construction teams navigating handovers for smooth capital projects
• Learn how to align technology stacks years ahead to remain compliant and commercial as operational needs evolve
Â
Daryl Gilbert, Senior Project Manager, BASF
• Eliminate rework and scope churn from FEL 0 onward with integrated schedules that create unified scope
• Get practical answers to questions around critical labor, equipment, and materials before peak maintenance seasons restrict supply
• Improve cost and schedule certainty by applying best-practice front-end loading to reduce HSE exposure and rework risk
Prabhat Verma, Senior Project Manager, Large Capital, Chevron
• Protect capital budgets by defining stage gate evaluation criteria that link AI vendor claims to measurable schedule, cost, and productivity outcomes before tools are embedded into projects
• Establish clear decision authority by defining when AI-generated forecasts or risk signals inform decisions and when project leadership must formally override them
• Structure AI engagements like capital investments, moving from capability-led pitches to contracts tied to delivery performance, contingency reduction, and portfolio-level ROI
• Hear case studies of how owner operators use category management to handle engineering services, equipment rentals, fabrication, specialty contractors, and MRO with greater precision
• Map competitive landscape matrices to identify where suppliers hold leverage, and increase your negotiating power
• Protect TAR and CAPEX schedules during heavy maintenance seasons by becoming a top-tier segmentation user
Jose Velarde, Head of Indirect Procurement – Americas, Huntsman
Suhaib Kaissi, Manager, Strategic Sourcing, Capex, Maintenance & Turnarounds (Americas), Huntsman
• Apply a practical diagnostic framework across data, workflows, and decision-making to determine why digital initiatives underperform before the next turnaround
• Use digital tools, AI, and scenario modeling to triage and reprioritize scope when turnaround windows compress
• Shift from static risk registers to real-time, data-driven risk scoring that supports auditable license-to-operate decisions
Oratile Sematle, Lead Digital Transformation Operations, Sasol
Ahmed Musa, Leader, Digital Manufacturing, Borouge International
Cali Collins, Co-Founder & Chief Product Officer, Optimality
Moderator: Dipankar Das, Vice President, Enterprise Process Transformation, Marathon Petroleum
• Learn how cross-sector intelligence from oil & gas, LNG, petrochemicals, and data centers can dramatically lower TAR cost and risk
• See how regional arbitrage and adjusting timing by even a few months can secure better labor, equipment, and lower rates
• Understand how to use forward-looking market patterns to avoid being trapped in peak global outage cycles
Joe Tant, President & CEO, Greater Port Arthur Chamber of Commerce
• How senior leaders are recalibrating what must remain in house vs. what can be partnered, as complexity, disruption and cost pressure increase
• Why transport, contractor availability, TAR execution and logistics coordination have moved from operational concerns to board level risk topics
• Common pitfalls operators underestimate when shifting from asset ownership to orchestration and partnership-led models
Bret Bement, VP, Supply Chain Management, Oxea Chemicals
Bob Dayon, Head of Client Services, Uber Freight
Moderator: Chad Burke, President & CEO, Economic Alliance Houston Port Region
• Learn how to secure leadership buy-in for TAR windows, budgets, and resource prioritization using business case templates
• Lead cross-functional coordination by navigating competing priorities between operations, procurement, EPCs, safety, and finance
• Improve frontline execution with daily briefing formats that communicate risk, expectations, and urgency during high-pressure events
Robin Harris, Site Senior Turnaround Manager, TotalEnergies
Daryl Gilbert, Senior Project Manager, BASF
Sterling Vance, Senior Project Manager, Turnaround Process & Corporate, CVR Energy
Moderator: Matt Miceli, Principal Consultant, Gradient Energy Advisory
• See cutting-edge TAR innovations - from drones to isolation plugs - that reduce man-hours and boost safety
• As an operator, discover tools that speed up critical path work and shrink outage durations
• As a provider, learn what TAR managers prioritize when selecting technologies under schedule and safety pressure
• Examine three common barriers that continue to limit progress: bolt-on AI strategies, fragmented data environments and human-centered interfaces that restrict intelligent execution
• Understand the fundamental shift in execution required to overcome these challenges and unlock greater value
• Chart a practical path forward built around three coordinated shifts designed to turn digital investments into measurable operational impact
Â
Dan Brennan, VP, Customer Innovation, Octave
• Meet leading MDM and cataloguing providers delivering integrated asset and maintenance data foundations
• As an operator, learn how better data governance improves PM tracking, spare-parts accuracy, SAP performance, and reduced downtime
• As a provider, uncover the biggest operator pain points in asset data quality, visualization, and maintenance planning
Mitigating the talent gap with work rationalization, digital enablement, and shared value workforce partnerships
• Accelerate knowledge transfer and close skill gaps by enabling frontline workers and contractors with connected worker technologies that capture expert know-how and guide tasks in real time
• Free up higher value capacity by identifying and automating low value or administrative tasks using simple work rationalization tools, while aligning upskilling plans across maintenance, engineering, and contractor teams
• Fund workforce transformation through shared value models using "pain share, gain share" partnerships that allow integrated operators and external workforce partners to share cost, spread risk, and jointly solve industry wide talent shortages
Lisa Williams, Global Manufacturing and Engineering Operations, Talent Strategy Director, Dow
David Mercer, Director of Technology, Fluor
Moderator: Rafa Alvarez, SVP of Regional Workforce Development, Greater Houston Partnership
• Compare notes with peers who hold signing authority across reliability, digital, capital and operations
• Add the challenge blocking your next investment to the challenge wall, and find the peer who has already solved it
• Build the relationships you'll actually call in Q3 when you need an honest read on a six-figure spend
• Meet leading automation vendors to see the newest control, HMI, isolation, and plant-run technologies in action
• As an operator, understand which automation upgrades most improve uptime, safety, and connected-worker performance and where AI augments controls
• As a provider, learn what CIOs/CTOs and instrumentation teams need for scalable integration and digital workforce enablement
• Benchmark the AI technologies your peers are truly implementing - from predictive models to operator-assist tools - and gain candid insight into what worked, what failed, and why
• Assess your organization's AI maturity and influence strategy with other leaders in terms of security concerns, corporate pressure and FOMO
• Turn evolving AI regulations and internal policies into opportunities by aligning adoption strategies to optimize compliance and unlock business value
Ram Seetepalli, Director, Digital Transformation & Innovation, Motiva Enterprises
Brent Railey, Vice President, Enterprise Transformation, Seeq
• Evaluate your compression fleet through consistent criteria and operating data, focusing on units with the highest business impact
• Identify practical optimization levers (controls, configuration, maintenance, and upgrades) to meet evolving process demands
• Create an actionable roadmap for fleet optimization that balances reliability, energy efficiency, and emissions reduction
• Discuss with peers also navigating rising cost pressures, tariffs, and shifting supplier dynamics
• Add your toughest challenge – from resilience to digital maturity – to the challenge wall, and connect with someone who is already tackling it
• Walk away with meaningful connections that will last long after the conference
• Convert paper SOPs to digitized procedures with engineered controls
• Embed if/then interlocks and weather & permit signals into a digitalized SOP, linking operating discipline and HSE to practical digitalization and grounding AI in real data governance and field reality
• Design a plant data governance model with data steward roles amongst peers to cut downtime or cost with measurable impact
• Draft a tool-agnostic data playbook with validation checkpoints to ensure your teams know how to treat data before choosing software
Ram Seetepalli, Director, Digital Transformation & Innovation, Motiva Enterprises
Shivaprasad Narayana, Lead Architect, Consultant, bp
• Reduce complexity and compliance risk by transforming paper-based procedures into concise digital checklists that guide critical tasks
• Boost task accuracy and reinforce safety standards with role-based digital workflows that simplify steps and align with operator expertise
John Irvine, Senior Operational Excellence Project Manager, Dow
• Cut lifecycle costs and boost asset reliability by applying Dow's automation-first infrastructure model that enables AI readiness and long-term scalability
• Grasp the framework to align discipline, culture, and architectural choices to achieve scalable, autonomous operations Jack Hu, Process Automation Director, Dow
• Explore top AI, real-time optimization, and connected-worker tools delivering measurable performance gains
• As an operator, identify which digital enablers drive real operational value
• As a provider, hear what digital transformation teams require for adoption, data readiness, and ROI justification
• Design a practical roadmap for technology adoption that balances cost, timing, and performance in a fast-changing digital landscape
• Learn how to evaluate ROI and market trends to decide when to invest and when to wait
• Develop sourcing strategies that clarify build-versus-buy decisions and cut through vendor hype by focusing on measurable business outcomes
Â
Prasanna Tankhiwale, Senior Manager, Digitalization, Motiva
Raj Rapaka, Digital Transformation Advisor, ExxonMobil
• Reduce human error and eliminate "pencil whipping" with mandatory evidence capture, timestamps, and automated data recording
• Strengthen compliance and task consistency by converting operational steps into streamlined role-specific digital workflows
• Improve maintenance quality and adoption through gamified KPIs that reward accuracy, completeness, and on-time execution
John Irvine, Senior Operational Excellence Project Manager, Dow
• Connect with fellow emerging leaders facing the same pressures: budget limitations, talent gaps, operational performance demands and evolving digital expectations
• Learn directly from industry trailblazers on excelling in an industry where doing more with less is the new normal
• Engage in candid peer exchange to accelerate knowledge transfer with operations engineers, process engineers, and early career downstream professionals
• Hear case studies of how owner operators use category management to handle engineering services, equipment rentals, fabrication, specialty contractors, and MRO with greater precision
• Map competitive landscape matrices to identify where suppliers hold leverage, and increase your negotiating power
• Protect TAR and CAPEX schedules during heavy maintenance seasons by becoming a top-tier segmentation user
Jose Velarde, Head of Indirect Procurement – Americas, Huntsman
Suhaib Kaissi, Manager, Strategic Sourcing, Capex, Maintenance & Turnarounds (Americas), Huntsman
• Meet leading MDM and cataloguing providers delivering integrated asset and maintenance data foundations
• As an operator, learn how better data governance improves PM tracking, spare-parts accuracy, SAP performance, and reduced downtime
• As a provider, uncover the biggest operator pain points in asset data quality, visualization, and maintenance planning
• Compare notes with peers who hold signing authority across reliability, digital, capital and operations
• Add the challenge blocking your next investment to the challenge wall, and find the peer who has already solved it
• Build the relationships you'll actually call in Q3 when you need an honest read on a six-figure spend
• Meet leading automation vendors to see the newest control, HMI, isolation, and plant-run technologies in action
• As an operator, understand which automation upgrades most improve uptime, safety, and connected-worker performance and where AI augments controls
• As a provider, learn what CIOs/CTOs and instrumentation teams need for scalable integration and digital workforce enablement
• Benchmark the AI technologies your peers are truly implementing - from predictive models to operator-assist tools - and gain candid insight into what worked, what failed, and why
• Assess your organization's AI maturity and influence strategy with other leaders in terms of security concerns, corporate pressure and FOMO
• Turn evolving AI regulations and internal policies into opportunities by aligning adoption strategies to optimize compliance and unlock business value
Ram Seetepalli, Director, Digital Transformation & Innovation, Motiva Enterprises
Brent Railey, Vice President, Enterprise Transformation, Seeq
• Standardize field notifications and work requests with clear guidelines and incentives for frontline teams
• Build a step-by-step framework for transitioning maintenance programs toward root-cause-driven reliability and continuous improvement
• Optimize staffing levels by evaluating backlog health and distinguishing critical work from chronic noise
• Mitigate quick-fix pressure by adopting structured approaches that balance production demands with long-term reliability
Shivaprasad Narayana, Lead Architect, Consultant, bp
David Mason, Director, Reliability, Maintenance and Turnarounds, Borouge International
• Join a facilitated tour of engineering, procurement and consulting firms
• As an operator, understand how to make your projects more attractive to EPCs and put yourself at the front of the line when capital expenditure picks up
• As a solution provider, learn about the key drivers of EPC activity and whether you hold keys to a successful strategic partnership
• Discuss with peers also navigating rising cost pressures, tariffs, and shifting supplier dynamics
• Add your toughest challenge – from resilience to digital maturity – to the challenge wall, and connect with someone who is already tackling it
• Walk away with meaningful connections that will last long after the conference
• Convert paper SOPs to digitized procedures with engineered controls
• Embed if/then interlocks and weather & permit signals into a digitalized SOP, linking operating discipline and HSE to practical digitalization and grounding AI in real data governance and field reality
• Design a plant data governance model with data steward roles amongst peers to cut downtime or cost with measurable impact
• Draft a tool-agnostic data playbook with validation checkpoints to ensure your teams know how to treat data before choosing software
Ram Seetepalli, Director, Digital Transformation & Innovation, Motiva Enterprises
Shivaprasad Narayana, Lead Architect, Consultant, bp
• Prioritize investments and allocate limited resources using risk- and value-based decision frameworks
• Understand how to leverage digital tools and analytics to enhance maintenance ROI
• Benchmark your reliability framework against peers and uncover best practices from diverse roles and seniority levels
Samantha Borssen, Site Manager Lake Charles, Sasol
Jack Hu, Process Automation Director, Dow
• Eliminate rework and scope churn from FEL 0 onward with integrated schedules that create unified scope
• Get practical answers to questions around critical labor, equipment, and materials before peak maintenance seasons restrict supply
• Improve cost and schedule certainty by applying best-practice front-end loading to reduce HSE exposure and rework risk Prabhat Verma, Senior Project Manager, Large Capital, Chevron
• Protect capital budgets by defining stage gate evaluation criteria that link AI vendor claims to measurable schedule, cost, and productivity outcomes before tools are embedded into projects
• Establish clear decision authority by defining when AI-generated forecasts or risk signals inform decisions and when project leadership must formally override them
• Structure AI engagements like capital investments, moving from capability-led pitches to contracts tied to delivery performance, contingency reduction, and portfolio-level ROI
• Identify and eliminate outdated or low-value tasks using a simple work rationalization method you can apply immediately to your plant, unit, or site
• Determine the right source of work — what should remain with employees, what can shift to contractors, and what can be digitally enabled to reduce strain on limited teams
• Build a targeted upskilling plan grounded in the remaining high-value work, ensuring your workforce gains exactly the capabilities required for a leaner, more technology-enabled operation
Lisa Williams, Global Manufacturing and Engineering Operations, Talent Strategy Director, Dow
• Explore top AI, real-time optimization, and connected-worker tools delivering measurable performance gains
• As an operator, identify which digital enablers drive real operational value
• As a provider, hear what digital transformation teams require for adoption, data readiness, and ROI justification
• Design a practical roadmap for technology adoption that balances cost, timing, and performance in a fast-changing digital landscape
• Learn how to evaluate ROI and market trends to decide when to invest and when to wait
• Develop sourcing strategies that clarify build-versus-buy decisions and cut through vendor hype by focusing on measurable business outcomes
Prasanna Tankhiwale, Senior Manager, Digitalization, Motiva
Raj Rapaka, Digital Transformation Advisor, ExxonMobil
• Reduce human error and eliminate "pencil whipping" with mandatory evidence capture, timestamps, and automated data recording
• Strengthen compliance and task consistency by converting operational steps into streamlined role-specific digital workflows
• Improve maintenance quality and adoption through gamified KPIs that reward accuracy, completeness, and on-time execution
John Irvine, Senior Operational Excellence Project Manager, Dow
• Swap candid stories with peers navigating the same daily pressures: legacy controls, shrinking teams, AI expectations from leadership that don't match field reality
• Add your current engineering headache to the challenge wall and find the engineer across the room who's already worked through it
• Walk into day 2 with three new peers you can text when the next unplanned outage hits
• See cutting-edge TAR innovations - from drones to isolation plugs - that reduce man-hours and boost safety
• As an operator, discover tools that speed up critical path work and shrink outage durations
• As a provider, learn what TAR managers prioritize when selecting technologies under schedule and safety pressure
