Connecting, sharing, learning
Industry Leaders discuss 21st century challenges
SafeRock is delighted to have the opportunity to participate in a variety of conferences and symposia throughout the year that encourage thought leaders to share their views on pressing issues encountered by industry and humanity as a whole. SafeRock’s position as a strategic partner for a wide range of Fortune 500 companies puts us in a unique position to report back to our clients on key issues learned, represent our client’s views on the big stage, and find ways to implement cutting-edge innovations without delay that help our clients move towards more flexible supply chains, reach sustainable development goals, and lead large corporations through challenges encountered in the 21st century.
Opportunities
SafeRock participates in these symposia in a variety of roles: SafeRock CEO Shah Karim is a distinguished speaker who has been invited on numerous occasions to speak about his expertise in the retail, chemical, and environmental sectors. Combined with SafeRock’s deep knowledge in big data, Shah has become a highly sought after thought leader to educate industry leaders on the challenges imposed by big data and how to address them successfully. If you would like Shah to speak at a future conference, please contact us here.
As a board member of the Chemical Marketing and Economics (CME), Shah supports the NGO in a range of annual events such as the CME NASA STEM Series that brings together industry, academia, government, and the public to discuss topics related to the chemical sciences, and the CME STEM Leadership Awards™, that honor leaders who use the transformative power of chemistry to advance humanity.
It is an honor for SafeRock to be present at a range of events on a recurring basis and we are proud to share our knowledge with the wider community.
The CME NASA STEM Events bring together industry, academia, government, and the public to enlarge the global STEM talent pool. Events feature the sustainability of cutting-edge innovations in the chemical sciences to advance human space travel to the solar system and beyond, and translate them into new knowledge to improve the lives of people and make their dreams a reality.
SafeRock participated in three days packed with inspirational research, industry, jobs, and new STEM career paths. Over 3,200 STEM professionals and students have attended past CME NASA Symposiums from 2017 to 2023. A full program overview of this year’s event can be found here, the following highlights were offered:
- CME NASA Symposium featuring 2001 & 2022 Nobel Laureate Barry Sharpless talk on “Click Chemistry: New Dimensions” and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory 13th Director Kimberly Budil
- CME NASA Sustainability Summit featuring NetZero 2050 talks by executives at Air Products, BASF, ExxonMobil, GSK, Northrop Grumman, McKinsey, Axiom Space
If your company is involved in the chemical sciences and would like to find out more, please reach out to us here.
SafeRock was privileged to participate in the Second IEF-GARP Global Energy Risk Forum organized by the IEF and the Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP) on 7 June 2023 in Paris, France.
How will physical and financial energy sector risk managers navigate transitions in a decade marked by unprecedented levels of energy market volatility and geopolitical upheaval? The Forum invited leading policy makers and senior energy and climate risk managers to consider responses that strengthen energy and climate security and reach sustainable development and emission reduction goals by 2030 and global net-zero emissions mid-century. ESG-related data is incomplete and lacks standardization. The full program overview can be found here. To safeguard an inclusive global economic recovery and allow energy transitions to succeed, sessions addressed:
- Protecting Energy Security and Managing the Transition
- Transformative Trends in Energy Supply and Demand
- Socially Responsible Business Practices and ESG
- Evolving Physical-Financial Energy Market Interactions
Invited participants deepened dialogue on the issues they explored under these key themes at the inaugural session that IEF and GARP convened in Madrid last year. The IEF-GARP Global Energy Risk Forum was governed by the Chatham House Rule. Key findings and insights inform the global dialogue on energy security, sustainable development goals, and climate change and strengthen energy market governance in the new risk environment. If you would like to discuss the findings and see how they apply to your company, contact us here.
The Global Sustainable Development Congress (GSDC) brought together 1,600+ global thought leaders and innovators to discuss urgent solutions to the sustainability emergency. The event featured a pre-launch reveal of the THE Impact Rankings to take a closer look at performance across popular SDGs and learn from best practice around the world, followed by the live reveal of the full ranking on 1 June, 2023.
Challenging the usual thinking on what higher education, governments, businesses and society must do to help society meet the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the congress was a call to action for global universities to pivot their educational, research, innovation and outreach programmes towards tangible outcomes.
Delegates from around the world immersed themselves in sessions aligned with the societal transformations needed to achieve the SDGs.
Agenda themes included:
- Sustainable health and demography
- Sustainable energy and industry
- Sustainable environment
- Sustainable cities and communities
SafeRock was thrilled to be participating in this event since it gave us the opportunity to meet with new and existing clients from Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is an exciting country to engage in the areas of chemicals, retail, and the environment. If you would like to connect with industry peers in Saudi Arabia, don’t hesitate to reach out to us here.
It was a privilege for SafeRock to participate in the 2023 IRI Annual Conference in Philadelphia. The conference audience are innovation professionals working in corporations, startups, universities, and federal laboratories. While open to the public, most conference attendees are IRI members, IRI research partners, or members of the National Association of Manufacturers.
At the conference, the following topics were discussed:
- The Human Side of Digital Transformation
- Mapping the Innovation Ecosystem onto Your DNA to Drive Growth
- Decision-Making in Portfolio Management
- Strategies for R&D Leadership to Improve Supply Chain and Increase Company Value
- Diversity, Inclusion, and Innovation: Creating a Supportive Workplace
- Industry 4.0 and the Future of Manufacturing
- The Digital Workforce: How Flexibility is the Key to a Successful Hybrid Model
- MITRE Quick Response Initiative: Leveraging Corporate Culture for Real World Impact
- Innovation ROI Best Practices
- Leading People Through Digital Transformation
- Understanding Organizations’ Adoption of Novel Design Practices
- AI and Supply Chain Optimization
- Future of Sustainable Packaging
SafeRock CEO Shah Karim had the honor to speak in the “Exploring Sustainability Solutions: Navigating Challenges and Opportunities in Innovation” breakout session, which focused specifically on sustainability maturity in new product development and examined both the progress and challenges in this area. Additionally, participants had the opportunity to get a glimpse into the sustainability efforts of Armstrong World Industries. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us to get a debrief on what was discussed at the session.
Shah is no stranger to the IRI ecosystem. Together with Crown Holdings’ Daniel A. Abramowicz, Shah co-published a paper entitled “Risk and Resilience in Supply Chains” in the Research-Technology Management paper Volume 64, 2021. The content is adapted from their presentation at the IRI Virtual 2021 Annual Conference and offers insights into how companies can take steps to enhance their supply chains and mitigate risks. The full paper can be downloaded here.
Contact us to discuss topics covered at one of the recent IRI events we participated in.
SafeRock CEO Shah Karim has had a longstanding relationship with his Alma Mater Yale University. He is co-founder of Friends of Yale From Industry (FYI), a group that strives to create bridges between Yale and its alumni in the public, private and social sectors. He hopes to find avenues through which Yale’s faculty, students and alumni outside academia can do more in partnership on collective priorities than would otherwise be possible.
A range of different events in collaboration with Yale have since taken place, giving businesses a venue to connect with Yale students before they join the workforce. This relationship has also fostered research collaborations between Fortune 500 companies and researchers at Yale. If you would like your company to lead a Yale event or you would like to collaborate with Yale student researchers, don’t hesitate to contact us to get the ball rolling.
The World Petrochemical Conference (WPC) is the premier gathering of industry leaders and government officials, creating a platform for insight, and dialogue on major strategic issues facing the global petrochemical industry. SafeRock CEO Shah Karim joined Head of Strategic Commodities for S&P Global Commodity Insights Deb Ryan and Texas State Climatologist John Neilsen-Gammon in leading a Fireside Chat on “The intersection of climate and economics.” In the discussion, Karim and Gammon shared their thoughts on the most significant risks relating to climate change within the petrochemical industry and offered advice on how to mitigate them.
With over 1500 attendees from more than 550 companies and 53 countries, WPC brought together a wide range of SafeRock clients in the chemical manufacturing sector. According to the organizer, 38% of attendees either influence or make the final decision when it comes to purchasing, making it an important conference to attend to be up to date with what is happening in the market. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us to get to know more about the key points discussed at this conference.
Chemical Marketing and Economics (CME) brings together Nobel Laureates and the leaders of industry, government, academia, philanthropy, and the public to share cutting-edge insights in exciting events and award-winning programs—such as the CME STEM Leadership Awards™ and CME NASA Symposium co-organized with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Earth’s finest space agency, and Technical Divisions of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.
The CME STEM Leadership Awards™ honors leaders with distinction in harnessing the transformative power of chemistry to advance humanity. Past honorees include Nobel Laureates Frances Arnold and Eric Betzig, Craig Venter (Human Genome Project), Roy Vagelos (Merck, Regeneron), James and Marilyn Simons (Simons Foundation), Henry Kravis (KKR), Martin Brudermüller (BASF), Bob Patel (LyondellBasell), Ed Breen (DowDuPont), David Skorton (Smithsonian), James Green (NASA), David Cote (Honeywell), and Robert Langer (MIT).
SafeRock CEO and CME board member Shah Karim had the honor of introducing CME Partner Mark Eramo at the 2022 CME Leadership Awards. Eramo is the Global Senior Vice President for Oil Markets, Midstream, Downstream, and Chemicals at S&P Global Commodity Insights. He delivered a speech to kick off the event which honored Dow CEO Jim Fetterling and Air Products CEO Seifi Ghasemi.
Seifi Ghasemi was the recipient of the 2022 CME STEM Leadership Award™ for Lifetime Achievement. “Mr. Ghasemi’s record of achievements has been breathtaking in financial returns, creating an inclusive, winning team and supporting programs for diverse STEM talent. His dedication enables the next generation of STEM professionals to participate in the company’s success,” CME Co-Chair Ms. Ksenia Takhistova noted. “Under his visionary leadership we have seen exciting pioneering strategies in gasification, carbon capture and hydrogen for mobility at Air Products, which drive its rapid expansion,” CME Co-Chair Mr. Steve Barnett stated.
Jim Fitterling was the recipient of the 2022 CME STEM Leadership Award™ for Diversity and Inclusion. Jim Fitterling is the chairman and chief executive officer of Dow, a global materials science company with 2021 sales of $55 billion. He has played a key role in the Company’s transformation, from lower-margin, commodity businesses to one more deeply focused on higher-growth, consumer demand-driven markets that value innovation – with the goal of creating the most innovative, customer-centric, inclusive and sustainable materials science company in the world.
Registrations have opened for the 2023 CME STEM Leadership Awards™ set to take place at the Metropolitan Club in NYC on December 8th, 2023. If you would like to sponsor a table and attend the event, please reach out to us. We are looking forward to having you join us for another memorable event!
