Argus Base Oils Conference Asia, Middle East & Africa

Samer Akram

Director, Unichem

Samer Akram was born in Saudi Arabia and grew up in London, England, going on to study law and achieving his Bachelor of Laws (LLB), continuing as a postgraduate to complete a Legal Practice Course, and then Articles at a well-known London law firm, and was admitted to the Roll of Solicitors in July 2003, practising law in England & Wales for over 10 years as a criminal litigator, before relocating to Durban, South Africa, to take up the role of Director of Operations at Unichem Services, a speciality lubricants, base stocks and chemicals distributor & lubricants manufacturer, servicing the lubricant and grease blenders in sub-Saharan Africa & the Middle East. In 2013, Unichem acquired Habot Oil, a dedicated, private label, fully synthetic lubricant blend plant located in Johannesburg, servicing the mining, aviation, processing, and heavy industries in Southern Africa. In 2017, Samer was appointed Managing Director of Habot Marine Services, the authorised distributor of ExxonMobil Marine Lubricants in South Africa & Mozambique. Over the last 10 years Unichem has established itself as a technology leader in Energy Efficient Lubricant Design. Through global partnerships and investment in local talent we have partnered with our customers to consistently deliver locally designed, blended, and marketed synthetic lubricants. Samer is a member of the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE), the South African Institute of Tribology (SAIT), the Institute of Directors in Southern Africa (IODSA) and The Law Society of England & Wales

Dr. Imtiaz Ahmed

CEO, PACHEM Global Pvt Ltd

Imtiaz Ahmed is a highly experienced business professional in the petrochemical industry. With over 28 years of experience in this field, he has held a variety of senior positions in several prominent companies, including Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of PACHEM Global Pvt Limited, Faras Fertilizer Company Pvt Limited, and International Petrochemicals (Pvt) Limited.

Imtiaz began his career as an Assistant Professor at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia, where he taught for four years. He then went on to pursue his Ph.D. at the University of Mississippi, which he completed in 1990. After graduation, he went on to become the owner of several successful businesses in the petrochemical industry.

With his commitment to excellence and his unwavering dedication to the industry, Imtiaz is poised to continue making a significant impact in the world of petrochemicals for many years to come.

Anant Bhargava

Director, IFP Petro Products Pvt Ltd

Anant Bhargava is a visionary leader with over 30 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. As CEO and Director of IFP Petro Products Private Limited, he has driven the company's growth and success, emphasizing sustainability as a core value. Under his leadership, IFP has become a market leader in Re-Refined Base Oil (RRBO) production, significantly increasing its capacity and upgrading its technology.

He is a member of the Circular Economy committee report formed by the esteemed Niti Aayog under the nodal Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas (MoPNG) and recently became a member of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) committee for Re-Refined Base Oil. His expertise in the Circular Economy has made him a sought-after speaker on sustainability, resource management, and circular business models.

As a Chief Mentor of the Enviro Oil Savers Association (EOSA), a not-for-profit association that is actively driving Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) in Used Oil and comprising all stakeholders, including oil producers, re-refiners, and OEMs, he is also a part of the steering committee of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), India. His vision for a clean and green India is deeply rooted in his family values, influenced by his father, Late Shri. Madan Mohan Bhargava, a Mechanical Engineer from Benaras Hindu University, and his mother, Smt. Urmila Bhargava, the Managing Director of IFP.

John Fitton

Business Group Director – Africa & Middle East, IMCD oiltech

John Fitton graduated with a MSc Mechanical Engineering from the University of Cape Town. The next 6 years were spent in research and development on internal combustion engines at CAE and VWSA. A move to the petroleum industry at BP and Sasol resulted in using the automotive application knowledge and the impact that the fuel and lubricants can have on the machine and hence the passion for Tribology and the impact that this can have on the cost of industry.

John is currently employed by IMCD oiltech in the Lubricants and Energy sectors – supplying solutions (components and additives) to the petroleum and related industry industries in Africa. John is passionate about Tribology the benefits that a knowledge of Tribology can provide to the business sector and the economy. As such, he has been actively involved with the SAIT for the past 26 years, providing training and knowledge sharing, with the sole intention of promoting Tribology. This includes being a SABS committee member of various roles for almost 20 years.

Bhupinder Singh

Regional Director, Duckham's Oils

Michael Boyer

Director, SAIL-Europe

Mike joined SAIL-Europe as director in November 2021 from Lubrizol having worked within the lubricants industry for 24 years. He has held numerous technical and commercial positions which have provided him with a wide range of skills and experience within the automotive lubricants industry including product line management and managing lubricant qualification technical programs in accordance with the industry codes of practice that collectively make up the EELQMS process.

In his current role as Director at SAIL-Europe, Mike is responsible for managing the letter of conformance, EELQMS sub-licensing and product survey and compliance schemes on behalf of ATIEL.

Mike holds an MSc degree in Lubricant and Hydraulic Technology from De Montfort University in the United Kingdom and has presented technical and commercial papers at a number of high-profile seminars and conferences throughout the world.

Michel Sanchez Rivas

PAO Business Development Manager EMEA, Chevron Phillips Chemical Company

Michel (BSc-Chemistry ) has 32 years experience in Lubricant additives, formulations and feedstock base oil manufacturing. Prior to working for CPChem ,Michel worked for Lubricant & fuel Additives as Quality Control Group Leader at Ethyl SA Research & Technical support Rep. for Chemical Intermediates (including Alcohols, Linear Alpha olefins & Polybutenes) at Amoco Chemical Belgium R&D center (Louvain La Neuve, Belgium), TS&D Representative for Linear Alpha olefins & Polyalphaolefins at BP Belgium and later as Market development manager for Ineos Oligomers. Author or co-author of various papers and patents, he is currently Polyalphaolefins Business dev Manager EMEA for Chevron Phillips Chemical.

Ali Al-Ganzory

CEO, G&B Global Corp

Ali Al-Ganzory is the CEO of G&B Global Corp. and a seasoned Senior Base Oils Trader with over a decade of experience in the base oil and petrochemical industry. He has successfully expanded market presence across the Americas, Europe, Egypt, and the Middle East by developing and managing trading strategies and mitigating risks. Ali holds a Master's in Business Analytics, enhancing his ability to use data science, predictive modelling, and market analysis for strategic decision-making. Ali’s goal is to continue delivering value and excellence to G&B Global Corp and its clients by applying his extensive knowledge and analytical expertise to the base oil trading market, driving the company’s mission of growth and innovation.

Joyce Cai

Director, Wuchan Zhongda Chemical Group

Nikhil Agarwal

Managing Director, Globestar Energy FZE

Mr Nikhil Agarwal is a dynamic, result oriented leader with a rich experience of 25 plus years in Fortune 500 organisations. He is an engineer and holds an MBA (Marketing & Sales) and MBA (Energy Management) from University of Houston, Texas and Indian Institute of Management. Mr Agarwal used his deep industry knowledge, strong educational background and commercial acumen to set up Globestar Energy FZE, a highly reputed name in base oil trade. Globestar is successfully trading all base oil grades and petrochemicals in MENA, Far East Asia, India and Africa. His past work experience includes senior sales and marketing positions at Elf Lubricants, TotalEnergies India, Reliance Industries and Diamond Petroleum.

Guo Harn Hong

Global Lead Base Oils, Argus

Guo Harn graduated from the National University of Singapore with First Class Honours in Economics. He was on the university’s Dean List in 2014/2015 and 2016/2017. Guo Harn also holds a diploma with highest distinction in Business Information Technology from Temasek Polytechnic. He was on the institute’s Director’s Honour’s List in 2009 and 2010.

Victor Hu

Senior Analyst, Argus

Victor studied International Politics LLB in college and started working as a PRA reporter from 2007. Victor has covered dozens of products ranging from ferrous/non-ferrous metals to oil products and began covering the Chinese base oils market from 2021.

Tara Tang

Senior Reporter, Argus

Li Li Chng

Associate Editor, Argus

Chng Li Li joined Argus Media in 2023 as Base Oils Associate Editor. She previously worked with ICIS for more than six years covering petrochemicals market. Prior to joining the price reporting industry, she worked several years as a communications professional in the financial services and energy sectors.

Christian Hotten

Reporter, Argus

Christian's role includes contributing spot prices, market analysis and news to the Argus Global base oil services. Christian is an experienced journalist who holds a first-class degree in Philosophy from the University of Southampton.

Christian's previous experience includes working as a reporter for a remote US internship covering global political news. Following six months covering agriculture for Argus, he joined the global base oils team.