Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE

تحت رعاية صاحب السمو الشيخ محمد بن زايد آل نهيان، رئيس دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة

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Giovanni Sale

SVP, Corporate and Business - MAIRE

SVP, Energy Transition Strategy – NEXTCHEM

Giovanni
Giovanni

Graduating in Chemical Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Milan in 1988, he has over 30 years of experience in the Technology, Engineering, and Construction Business within the Oil & Gas, Petrochemical, Energy, and Electrochemical sectors. He began his career in the Electrochemical Industries at De Nora, before joining Tecnimont, the integrated EPC solution company of the MAIRE group, as a Proposal Manager in 1996. His career advanced to the role of Project Director, managing projects in North Africa, Middle East, North and South America, and later as the Senior Vice President of Operations, overseeing the business lines of Oil & Gas, Petrochemicals, Fertilizers, and Power Plants from 2008 to 2012. Subsequently he was appointed as SVP for Business Development & Commercial of Tecnimont Group. In 2023 he assumed the roles as Senior Vice President of Corporate and Business Strategy at MAIRE and Senior Vice President of Energy Transition Strategy at NEXTCHEM to drive the Maire Group in the new industrial paradigm of Energy Transition and Material Transformation.

Session Overview
Thursday, 6 November
11:00
Decarbonisation Conference Room A 11:00 - 11:40
Maximising nuclear's potential in today's energy industry

Nuclear energy is regaining global relevance as countries seek pragmatic, scalable, low-carbon solutions to deliver the energy the world needs in the most cost- and carbon-efficient way possible. With renewed investment in advanced fission, small modular reactors (SMRs), and early-stage fusion, nuclear is positioning itself as a dependable complement to renewables and a key enabler of energy security. SMRs are gaining momentum for their ability to deliver consistent baseload power and serve industrial energy needs. Fusion is also attracting significant funding from both public and private sources, fuelling long-term optimism despite commercial deployment being at least a decade away. Despite these milestones, advanced nuclear faces persistent challenges - from licensing complexity and financing hurdles to supply chain constraints and the need for reliable offtake agreements. As electricity demand continues to rise - driven by the growth of artificial intelligence (AI) across all sectors and the electrification of heavy industry - nuclear technologies offer a resilient pathway to low-emission energy. Realising their full potential will require collaboration across regulators, energy providers, and industry leaders to accelerate market readiness and integration into a transforming energy system.

Attendee Insights:

Hear how operators, technology developers, and policymakers are navigating the resurgence of nuclear, exploring the role of SMRs and fusion in securing low-emission energy while addressing the regulatory, financial, and infrastructure barriers to scale.

Speakers
James Walker
Nano Nuclear Energy Inc.
CEO
Christer Viktorsson
Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR)
Director-General
Giovanni Sale
SVP, Energy Transition Strategy – NEXTCHEM
SVP, Corporate and Business - MAIRE
Nobuo Tanaka
Executive Director Emeritus, International Energy Agency (IEA)
CEO, Tanaka Global
Thursday, 7 November
11:45
Decarbonisation Conference Decarbonisation Theatre 11:45 - 12:45
View Session
Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) take-off: ensuring financing and production scaling

Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is gaining recognition as a sustainable alternative to traditional jet fuel. Despite considerable interest and investment, challenges hinder its widespread adoption including the high cost of production compared to conventional jet fuel, limited availability of sustainable feedstocks, lack of clear and consistent government policies for production, and infrastructure. Scaling SAF production can play a key role in meeting the aviation industry's need to decarbonise. To achieve this, significant R&D investment will be required to optimise SAF production from emerging feedstocks as well as consistent international policies to provide clear, long-term signals to incentivise the necessary capital investments by SAF producers.

Attendee insights:

Learn about the potential of SAF to reduce carbon emissions and the strategies required to finance and scale its production.

Speakers
Siegfried Knecht
VP Director R&T Affairs, Airbus
CEO, aireg
Martijn Arjen van Koten
OMV
EVP Fuel & Feedstock
Giovanni Sale
MAIRE
SVP Corporate & Business Strategy
Linn Tonsberg
bp Middle East LLC; Director, air bp Middle East & Africa
Managing Director
Dr. Alejandro Ríos Galvan
Khalifa University of Science and Technology
Chief Research Scientist
Moderator
Eithne Treanor
E Treanor Media
Founder & CEO

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