Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, in his capacity as Ruler of Abu Dhabi

تحت رعاية صاحب السمو الشيخ محمد بن زايد آل نهيان ، رئيس الدولة "حفظه الله"، بصفته حاكماً لإمارة أبوظبي

Supported by

Charlie Tan

CEO

Global Impact Coalition

Charlie
Charlie

Charlie is Chief Executive Officer at the Global Impact Coalition (GIC), a CEO-led cross-industry accelerator platform founded by some of the world’s leading chemical companies. GIC is focused on enabling new business models and investment in proof of concepts that drive net zero and circularity objectives. Charlie works closely with the CEO Advisory Board and Executive Committee, composed of c-suite leaders from GIC member companies, and he guides a team of partners and collaborators to drive projects from ideation to spin-off. Previously, Charlie was at the World Economic Forum, where he led the incubation and development of the Global Impact Coalition as a spin-off from the Low Carbon-Emitting Technologies (LCET) platform. Prior to the Forum, Charlie spent over a decade in commodities trading and building successful start-ups within the energy and shipping spaces. One of these included setting up a global shipping oil waste collection and recycling business, aimed at increasing waste traceability and transparency standards. This successful business was active in 35 ports in 22 countries with a truly global sustainability footprint. Charlie has a BSc in Business from Imperial College London and a CFA Certificate in Investment Management. Charlie has been featured in publications by The Financial Times, Business Matters, Sustainable Plastics, Energy Connects, Chemical Engineering, among others, and has written several articles for the World Economic Forum’s highly regarded Agenda blog. He is a regular speaker at global events including Reuters Sustainability Conferences, ADIPEC, Economist Impact Sustainability Week, ESF and Davos, and he has been on leading podcasts including Radio Davos, Energy Voice, and Edie’s Sustainability Uncovered. In addition, Charlie co-wrote a globally recognized policy whitepaper on chemical sector decarbonization endorsed by industry CEOs and regulators.

Session Overview
Monday, 2 November
16:40
Downstream, Chemicals & Industrial Value Chains Conference Room A 16:40 - 17:20
Competing for feedstock advantage in a tighter supply environment

Competition for feedstocks is intensifying as petrochemical capacity expands across major industrial hubs. The IEA reported slower growth in petrochemical feedstock demand in 2025 as trade disruption and weaker industrial activity weighed on petrochemical markets. Yet feedstock cost, availability and flexibility continue to influence how producers compete for investment and market share. Disruptions to hydrocarbon supply have reinforced that feedstock availability, not just cost, can constrain downstream production, with ethane-advantaged regions pulling ahead and naphtha-based systems remaining exposed to crude-linked volatility. Producers are responding by investing in multi-feedstock flexibility and repositioning around basins where structural access to competitive hydrocarbons is strongest. The gap between advantaged and constrained production systems is widening, and feedstock strategy is increasingly shaping long-term investment decisions and regional competitiveness rather than being treated as a logistics consideration. Producers that secure structural feedstock advantage now will define where downstream capacity is built and who captures the margin as supply conditions tighten.

Attendee Insights:
Explore how competition for feedstocks is reshaping downstream advantage and which production systems are best positioned to compete.

Wednesday, 4 November
10:30
Downstream, Chemicals & Industrial Value Chains Plenary Hall B 10:30 - 11:00
Competing for feedstock advantage in a tighter supply environment
Competition for feedstocks is intensifying as petrochemical capacity expands across major industrial hubs. The IEA reported slower growth in petrochemical feedstock demand in 2025 as trade disruption and weaker industrial activity weighed on petrochemical markets. Yet feedstock cost, availability and flexibility continue to influence how producers compete for investment and market share. Disruptions to hydrocarbon supply have reinforced that feedstock availability, not just cost, can constrain downstream production, with ethane-advantaged regions pulling ahead and naphtha-based systems remaining exposed to crude-linked volatility. Producers are responding by investing in multi-feedstock flexibility and repositioning around basins where structural access to competitive hydrocarbons is strongest. The gap between advantaged and constrained production systems is widening, and feedstock strategy is increasingly shaping long-term investment decisions and regional competitiveness rather than being treated as a logistics consideration. Producers that secure structural feedstock advantage now will define where downstream capacity is built and who captures the margin as supply conditions tighten.
Attendee Insights:
Explore how competition for feedstocks is reshaping downstream advantage and which production systems are best positioned to compete.

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