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MENA Downstream
Digital Transformation
Conference

Driving Industry 4.0 in MENA’s downstream sector

Sofitel Abu Dhabi Corniche, Abu Dhabi, UAE

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6 - 7 March, 2023

EVENT OVERVIEW

The oil & gas industry globally has been undergoing a period of massive transformation, influenced by Covid-19, fluctuating oil prices and the push for Net Zero agenda by 2030.These factors have resulted in even greater emphasis on optimizing production and sustainable operations, accelerating the pace of digital transformation and future technology integrations across MENA’s O&G industry, especially the downstream sector.

MENA’s refineries, petrochemical plants and gas processing plants have been adopting emerging technologies, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and AI-powered technologies in a bid to drive production optimization, profitability, capitalize on emerging opportunities and meet sustainability objectives of their downstream organisations.

The MENA Downstream Digital Transformation Conference, taking place on 6-7 March 2023 in Abu Dhabi, will address the challenges in the implementation and capitalization of emerging technologies and digital solutions by convening C-suite executives and heads of digital transformation, innovation, information technology, operational technology, data management and analytics, maintenance, process automation and cyber security to optimize production and cost efficiency while ensuring security of the digital infrastructure.

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Speakers

Maryam Al Shaibani

Vice President – Information & Digital Solutions

OQ
Oman

Dr. Udo Huenger

Vice President, Middle East

BASF
U.A.E.

Fayez Kharbat

Head of Digital Business Venturing

Saudi Aramco
Saudi Arabia

Nofal Al Saidi

Vice President – Business Improvement

OQ
Oman

Mia Buban

Partner

Deloitte & Touche U.A.E.

Omar El Sinnary

Manager – Engineering Services (Inspection & Corrosion)

ADNOC Gas Processing
U.A.E.

Abdullah Y Dhafer

Division Head – Operational Excellence

Saudi Aramco
Saudi Arabia

Mathew George

General Manager- Petrochemicals

Indian Oil Corporation
India

Bart Cornelissen

Energy, Resources & Industrials Leader – Middle East

Deloitte
U.A.E

Ahmed Al Shandudi

Manager, Information Management & Digital

OQ
Oman

Florian Mueller

Senior Partner
Bain & Company

Germany

Shakthisena Thiru

Head of Engineering

Dr. Ebrahim Al Alkeem Al Zaabi

Director, Digital Transformation & Cybersecurity

Government of Abu Dhabi
U.A.E.

Santhi Sekhar Choppala

Senior Advisor Operations

Dolphin Energy
U.A.E.

Dr. Steve Matthews

Integrity Consultancy Manager

Petrofac Asset Solutions
U.A.E.

Hamed Al-Abri

Senior New Technology Advisor

Petroleum Development Oman
Oman

Muhammad Farrukh Amin

Team Lead - Data & Analytics

BAPCO
Bahrain

Rajendrakumar Meghani

Section Leader, Process Automation

ADNOC Group
U.A.E.

Nagaraju Reddicharla

Senior Digital Solutions Specialist

ADNOC
U.A.E.

Dr. Jassim Haji

President

AI Society
Bahrain

Satheesh Kumar

Senior Engineer

Borouge
U.A.E.

Juan Pedro Bretti Mandarano

Engineer, Data Science and Energy Advisor

Repsol
Spain

Fatema AlQubaiti

Associate Data Scientist

Bapco
Bahrain

Why You CANNOT MISS the Conference?

Meet Chief Technology Officers, Vice Presidents & decision-makers spearheading the digital transformation agenda for their O&G downstream organisations
Understand how some of the largest refineries, petrochemical plants and gas plants globally and regionally have been achieving production optimization and profitability via digital transformation
Achieve cost efficiency, plant reliability and efficient energy management by leveraging on the potential of IoT in downstream facilities
Optimize downstream supply chain operations and achieve massive cost savings by leveraging on IoT and AI-powered solutions
Drive your organization’s ESG agenda by capitalizing on the capabilities of IIoT and digital technologies

Conference Agenda

First Day6^th March, 2023

Second Day7^th March, 2023

DAY 1
08:00	Registration, refreshments, and networking
09:00	Opening remarks by Great Minds Group
09:05	Welcome address and opening remarks by conference chairman
09:15	Keynote address
09:30	C-suite Panel discussion: Industry 4.0: Transforming MENA’s O&G downstream sector Leveraging Industry 4.0 and IIoT: Enabling agile functions in dynamic business environment Capitalizing on emerging opportunities and forging future roadmap for the organisation Driving profitability and strategic business objectives via insights-driven decision-making, optimizing production and achieving sustainable operations through digital and AI-powered solutions Panellists: Udo Huenger, Vice President, Market Area Middle East, BASF, U.A.E. Fayez Kharbat, Digital Investment & Growth, Senior Consultant, Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia
10:00	Panel Discussion: Data is the new oil – Optimizing downstream processes and performance through data integration, advanced analytics and improved data governance strategy Data as the cornerstone of driving business growth and capitalizing on emerging opportunities amidst the changing energy environment Promoting data centralization and sharing across departments for better decision-making Implementing the right data governance strategy to effectively capture, extract and clean collected data Capturing value and strategic insights from data via AI-powered data analytics and predictive modeling solutions Exploring how refineries can adapt predictive analytics capabilities and reliability strategies around predictive maintenance Panelists Ahmed Shandudi, Lead, Information Management, OQ, Oman Florian Mueller, Partner, Head of EMEA Advanced Analytics Practice, Bain & Company, Germany Mathew George, General Manager, Petrochemicals, Indian Oil Corporation, India
10:45	Networking coffee break
11:15	Panel Discussion: Maintaining cost leadership, operational excellence and sustainability via application of industrial artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics Integration of AI: Continuous monitoring and real-time data analysis for providing valuable and timely insights to capitalize on time sensitive and situation specific opportunities Driving profitability through cost optimization and meeting operational targets at complex downstream facilities Leading global energy delivery with reduced carbon intensity: Optimizing eco-friendly operations and reducing environmental impact of Industry 4.0 technologies Panelists Nofal Al Saidi, Vice President – Business Improvement, OQ, Oman Abdulla Al Dhafer, Division Head – Operational Excellence, Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia Dr. Jassim Haji, President, AI Society, Bahrain Bart Cornelissen, Partner- Strategy, Energy, Resources & Industrials Leader – Middle East, Monitor Deloitte, U.A.E.
12:00	Industry Sessions This session will highlight latest technologies in downstream digitization. The session consists of 15-minute back-to-back presentations from experts in the industry who will provide insights and case studies on the successful application of a variety of digital innovations. Industry insight one Industry insight two
12:30	Case study: The real challenge of digitalization is not technology – BAPCO’s digital transformation journey Find out how BAPCO’s digital factory forged a digital culture Developing talents for a digital future and addressing the need for a culture shift for successful digital transformation Developing data champions to derive meaningful insights to improve efficiency and reduce cost Speaker Muhammad Farrukh Amin, Team Lead – Data & Analytics, BAPCO, Bahrain
12:50	Presentation: Energy transition and transformation of oil companies into energy companies – An outlook Speaker Mathew George, General Manager, Petrochemicals, Indian Oil Corporation, India
13:10	Panel discussion: Optimizing plant management and critical equipment uptime via IoT-powered predictive maintenance Drawing on the capabilities of IoT, sensors and cognitive AI among other technologies to monitor dynamic refinery conditions and unplanned events in real time to improve uptime and subsequently profitability Deploying asset monitoring and predictive analytics platform for maximizing asset efficiency and integrity across downstream operations Achieving sophisticated insights into equipment health through continuous online monitoring of equipment, running machine learning analytics and incorporating digital twin models, and scheduling overhaul programs Panelists Omar El Sinnary, Manager – Engineering Services (Inspection & Corrosion), ADNOC Gas Processing, U.A.E. Omar AlJunaibi, Manager, Digitization, Abu Dhabi Polymers Co Ltd (Borouge), U.A.E. Dr. Steve Matthews, Integrity Consultancy Manager, Petrofac Asset Solutions, U.A.E. Shakhtisena Thiru, Project & Engineering Manager, Downstream Assets, OQ, Oman
13:55	Chairman closing remarks and end of conference day one
14:00	Networking lunch

DAY 2
08:00	Registration, refreshments, and networking
09:00	Welcome address by the conference chairman
09:05	Panel discussion: Driving successful digital transformation and strategic outcomes, and role of cloud solutions in effective deployment Best practices in achieving successful end-to- end digital transformation Innovations and technologies powering digital transformation of the O&G downstream sector Optimizing data management and analytics, and operational agility by utilizing hybrid cloud Driving the energy transition and powering the NetZero agenda through digital transformation Panelists: Ahmed Al Shandudi, Lead, Information Management, OQ, Oman Juan Pedro Bretti Mandarano, Engineer, Data Science and Energy Advisor, Repsol, Spain Hamed Al-Abri, Senior New Technology Advisor, Petroleum Development Oman, Oman Muhammad Farrukh Amin, Team Lead – Data & Analytics, BAPCO, Bahrain Nagaraju Reddicharla, Senior Digital Solutions Specialist, ADNOC Group, U.A.E.
09:50	Presentation: Improving security of digital assets in IR 4.0 era of cyberattacks Strengthening security of the digital assets by utilizing advanced cyber tracking and protection solutions using AI and ML Improving asset visibility, reliability and security while decreasing operational and maintenance cost Securing your remote operations Enabling immediate detection, failure notification and minimization of attacks through real-time monitoring and protection systems Shielding your industrial control system (ICS) with intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDPS) Speaker Dr. Ebrahim Al Alkeem Al Zaabi, Director, Digital Transformation & Cybersecurity, Government of Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.
10:10	Industry Sessions This session will highlight latest technologies in downstream digitization. The session consists of 15-minute back-to-back presentations from experts in the industry who will provide insights and case studies on the successful application of a variety of digital innovations. Industry insight one Industry insight two
10:40	Panel discussion: Process automation as a key enabler of operational excellence Driving operational excellence, performance optimisation and cost mitigation by leveraging on the capabilities of next generation advanced process control Technologies and innovations in process automation Utilizing AI & ML-based APC for maximizing productivity and achieving operational safety Panelists Rajendra Hasmukhlal Meghani, Section Leader, Process Automation, ADNOC Refining, U.A.E. Santhi Sekhar Choppala, Snr. Advisor – Operations, Dolphin Energy, U.A.E.
11:20	Networking coffee break
11:50	Presentation: Optimizing energy management at O&G downstream facilities Driving efficient energy management for cost optimization and improving profit margins for downstream organisations Optimizing resource usage and reducing the cost of producing electricity A look at emerging technologies and energy optimization tools enabling optimal operation of the energy systems Integrating smart energy management systems for reducing and complying with stringent emissions standards as well as effective waste management Speaker Harish Somayajula, Energy Manager, Borouge, U.A.E.
12:05	Panel discussion: Best practices in optimizing asset performance and output Using predictive control technology, IIoT & AI to optimize downstream unit’s operations, prevent unplanned shutdowns and equipment downtime Deploying robotics and drones for remote asset surveillance, monitoring and enhanced safety Utilizing visualization and emerging technologies such as digital twins to mitigate key IT and OT convergence challenges as well as drive effective asset management
12:40	Fire-side chat: Digital upskilling: Developing the downstream workforce Developing the right talent formula to meet the business requirements through extensive training for skills adoption and change management Upskilling the workforce for ensuring strong uptake of technology powered downstream operations to maximize digital capabilities Identifying best models for fostering digital culture; Driving effective change management for successful transition to new operational models and processes Creating attractive opportunities for the right talent to join the downstream sector Speakers Fatima Khubaisi, Associate Data Scientist, BAPCO, Bahrain
13:00	Panel discussion: Optimizing downstream supply chain: Capitalizing on IIoT and AI-powered technology solutions for addressing challenges and mitigating costs Utilizing IIoT-powered data-driven analytics and AI for predicting and overcoming supply chain choke Driving rapid implementation of technology solutions for fast results and cost savings Enabling optimal asset maintenance to reduce downtime while ensuring safe operations
13:35	Closing remarks by the conference chairman
13:45	Close of conference and networking luncheon

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

C-suite Executives, Vice Presidents, General Managers, Directors, Managers, and Heads of Departments from:

Industries

WHY GET INVOLVED?

Get in front of
your target market

Get access to key decision makers from the downstream sector in the region and get insight into their plans to invest in new technologies and spot opportunities.

Increase your
competitiveness

Understand the challenges faced by the region's key NOCs and downstream companies to identify how you can help them overcome them with customised solutions.

Generate strong
leads

Gain insight into the future needs for digital solutions in the downstream companies, influence decision makers, and possibly be shortlisted for upcoming projects.

SPONSORS & PARTNERS

Platinum Partner

Who Should Sponsor?

Service/solution providers of:

Data Storage (Cloud, Hybrid Cloud, Data Centers…etc)
Data Collection and Analytics Solutions / Big Data
Data Governance and Privacy
IIoT
System Integration
Cyber and Information Security

INDUSTRIES

Sponsorship OPPORTUNITIES

We have a diverse range of sponsorship opportunities available. A member of the sponsorship team will work with you to create a bespoke package to suit your business objectives.

For more information email partnerships@gmevents.ae or call +971 (0) 4 568 7800