In 2018, the role of Honorary Speaker at the conference passed to Steven Chu, an experimental physicist, Professor at Stanford University, a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, a Nobel Prize Laureate in Physics for his research in laser cooling and trapping of atoms (together with Claude Cohen-Tannoudji and William Phillips).

The most pressing issues were addressed by the following speeches: “Talent and Diversity: Essential Elements to be a Sustainable Innovative and Attractive Employer” and “Innovation and innovative concepts for a more sustainable supply chain”.

This year, SIBUR’s team worked hard to deliver on a whole range of objectives. The major focus was to keep up to date with market trends, discuss possible cooperation options (including through investment projects or swap deals) and reveal the company’s production development plans, build up the customer base, foster the existing relationships, and negotiate on new long-term contracts for all product groups.

SIBUR’s Vienna office became the host to negotiations with clients, with more than 175 meetings held by a cross-functional team with current and potential partners over the course of four days.

The company’s representatives were also able to attend ICIS seminar Managing Petrochemical Risks in an Uncertain World organised on the sidelines of the EPCA meeting.

During the conference, SIBUR for the first time held a special event for informal networking with the clients. The gala-dinner gathered over 160 representatives of both existing and potential clients. The event took place on 8 October at the Belvedere Gallery historic building complex in Vienna.

EPCA traditionally gathers representatives from leading chemical companies.

Guests enjoyed a Russian ballet performance and took an excursion in the museum exhibiting masterpieces by Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, and Oskar Kokoschka. During the official part of the event, Pavel Lyakhovich, member of the Management Board, delivered a presentation on SIBUR’s development projects and growth strategy. EPCA annual meetings are not only a venue to share information, but also an opportunity to forge relationships with key clients.

Andrey Frolov,
CEO of SIBUR International GmbH:

“The EPCA annual meeting is one of the top and most popular events for the global petrochemical business community. It has a two-track programme, with the first track covering key global petrochemical market developments along with the associated technology and social sector trends. This year’s meeting topic of sustainable development was of particular interest to both SIBUR and the growing number of petrochemical companies worldwide. Many speakers agreed that successful businesses are the ones guided by sustainability values. The second part of the meeting’s programme had more of an operational focus, serving as a springboard to develop our key partnerships through multiple talks and negotiations. As in the previous years, SIBUR was represented by a large cross-functional team from across the Company's geography, as this format proved to be best suited to address the entire breadth of the agenda to be discussed with our business partners. Another meeting’s highlight was an exciting Russian-style evening show staged for our clients by Russian actors and performers at the beautiful Belvedere.”

In Q1 2019, SIBUR will take part in the following exhibitions:

• India Rubber Expo, the 10th International Rubber Exhibition, Mumbai (India), 17–19 January 2019;
• Plexpo India, an international plastics and packaging exhibition, Mumbai (India), 17–20 January 2019;
• Interplastica, the 22nd International Plastics and Rubber Trade Fair, Moscow, 29 January – 1 February 2019;
• Interlakokraska, the 23rd Specialised International Exhibition, Moscow, 4–7 March 2019;
• Tire Technology Expo, an international tire manufacturing technology exhibition, Hannover (Germany), 5–7 March 2019;
• European Coatings Show, an international paint and coatings exhibition, Nuremberg (Germany), 19–21 March 2019.

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