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Nick Harris, ExxonMobil Basestocks Sales Manager – Europe, Africa & Middle East
Nick Harris has had responsibility for ExxonMobil Basestocks’ business across Europe, Africa and the Middle East since September 2024. Now based out of Brussels, Nick was previously looking after ExxonMobil Basestocks’ Strategic Accounts worldwide. Overall Nick has more than 20 years’ experience with ExxonMobil which has seen him located across Asia, Europe and the US in a variety of Sales, Marketing, Strategy and Business Development roles within Fuels and Lubricants businesses across the corporation.
Nick will be discussing the key trends in, and challenges facing, the European Lubricants industry, and how these challenges can be addressed.
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Dixit Parmar, Sustainability Manager, Lubrizol
Dr Dixit Parmar is Sustainability Manager at Lubrizol within the Corporate Sustainability Group reporting directly to the Chief Sustainability Officer. He holds a Masters and PhD in Organic Chemistry from the University of Manchester. Dixit is the key point of contact for all stakeholders to help implement their sustainability strategies. His role involves guiding strategic and practical sustainability efforts to enhance value across various business divisions. He is responsible for leading the journey on Sustainable Solutions and is also in charge with ensuring that Lubrizol’s capabilities around Life Cycle Assessments continues to evolve to meet the needs of the present and future. He has accumulated over 9 years experience working in the speciality chemical industry and prior to Lubrizol, he spent 2 years as a researcher at the RWTH Aachen in Germany.
Dixit will be speaking about the crucial intersection of data and sustainability in emerging applications for lubricants. As the industry continues to evolve, understanding how data-driven insights can promote sustainable practices is vital for innovation and growth.
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Mark Powell, Director, Services and Solutions EMEA, Certas Lubricant Solutions
Mark Powell is the Director of Services and Solutions at Certas Lubricant Solutions, where he leads strategic initiatives to deliver innovative and high-performance engineering solutions for the lubricants industry. With over two decades of experience in the lubricant sector, Mark has built a reputation for his expertise in optimising service offerings, driving operational excellence, and providing tailored solutions that meet the evolving demands of the market.
Mark has held pivotal roles including Industrial Business Unit Director at Certas and Managing Director at Broughton Lubricants. His leadership has been instrumental in fostering strategic partnerships, such as the collaboration with the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre to pioneer new lubrication techniques and optimise machine performance.
At Certas Lubricant Solutions, Mark is at the forefront of developing advanced technologies and sustainable solutions that support customers across diverse industries. His deep understanding of lubricant performance, supply chain optimization, and system integration allows him to deliver solutions that enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and improve environmental impact.
In addition to his technical expertise, Mark is deeply committed to helping businesses optimise their approach to sustainability through lubrication. He understands the growing importance of reducing the environmental impact across the entire value chain, and works closely with clients to implement lubrication solutions that support their sustainability goals. By focusing on energy efficiency, waste reduction, and longer lubricant life cycles, Mark helps businesses reduce their carbon footprint and achieve measurable environmental benefits. His holistic approach ensures that clients not only meet regulatory standards but also drive meaningful progress towards more sustainable operations, aligning with the broader shift towards greener, more responsible business practices.
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Oliver Kaye, Director, LP Brussels
Oliver Kaye co‐founded the political consultancy LP Brussels in 2010 and has 20 years of experience in the EU environment He advises in the fields of climate, sustainability and energy, and has worked on a number of campaigns around lubricants, renewable energy and sustainable fuels – both at a technical and a political level to ensure that policymakers and legislators have the best possible information to create effective legislation. He also supports industries to understand the processes of the EU better and plan ahead with regards to their regulatory compliance.
Prior to LP Brussels, Oliver worked in the European Parliament for five years as a senior political advisor to an MEP. As part of his work in the European Parliament, he was involved in the legislative process on a wide range of policy areas at all levels, including committee, plenary and trilogue negotiation. Oliver continues to apply this knowledge and insight on behalf of clients on a broad range of EU initiatives.
He is a graduate of the University of Manchester, and speaks French and a little German, Italian and Romanian. He isalso club treasurer for the UK football team in in the Brussels Euroleague.
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Colin Morton
Colin is an independent consultant with 25 years’ international experience across the specialty chemicals industry in both technical and commercial roles.
Colin will be exploring the real-world applications of AI in the lubricants sector that are already transforming working life – impacting business, manufacturing, marketing, talent, and innovation – and shaping the future of our industry, in a special “lunch & learn” session.
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Gemma Stephenson, Business Development Manager, Cargill
Gemma is a Business Development Manager for Cargill Bioindustrial’s Energy Technologies sector. She obtained a PhD in Materials Chemistry in 2012 from The University of Manchester, before joining Croda Lubricants in 2012. Here her main focus was on tribology as well as additive and base oil development. She then moved over into a commercial role, where she now focusses on sustainability initiatives within Energy Technologies. She is also a member of the Additive Technical Committee (ATC) and the UEIL Sustainability Committee.
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Gabriella Twining, Global Editor Base Oils at Argus Media, Argus Media
Gabriella is an experienced commodity reporter having previously covered the Biomass desk. Prior to Argus she reported on and provided analysis for IHS Markit in its Maritime and Trade department after several years working in ship management at CMA CGM.
Gabriella will be presenting on the latest emission standards and their implications on base oils demand. The presentation will explore lubricant needs for sustainability initiatives, how some grades of base oils are better suited to meet these requirements, demand-supply balances in Europe, and arbitrage opportunities in an increasing complex economic environment.
