Carlos Pascual, Former Top U.S. Energy Official, to Keynote IHS Chemical World Petrochemical Conference, March 24-27

HOUSTON

Carlos Pascual, senior vice president of IHS, and until recently, a senior U.S. diplomat and the leading energy official for the U.S. State Department, will provide his unique insights on the global energy and geopolitical landscape as a keynote speaker at the upcoming IHS Chemical 30^th Annual World Petrochemical Conference (WPC) and Workshops, March 24 – 27, 2015, at the Galveston Island Convention Center at the San Luis Hotel in Galveston, Texas.

Pascual will bring a wealth of experience in global energy issues and international affairs to his March 25 presentation entitled, “The New Geopolitics of Energy: Seismic Shifts.” Within that discussion, he will explore key issues, including:

• The significance of OPEC’s move away from managing the supply of crude oil
• The implications of lower oil prices for Russia-Ukraine conflict and European energy security
• Prospects for an international agreement on Iran
• ISIS and its role in Iraq
• Implications for energy and climate challenges in China, India and Asia
• Challenges for future global competitiveness

“I am very pleased to have the opportunity to speak at the 30^th Annual World Petrochemical Conference, which is recognized globally as the pre-eminent chemical conference,” Pascual said. ”We will explore the inter-reliance between the energy markets and the petrochemical industry, as well as discuss the influences of geopolitics on both of these industries, which are so critical to global economies.”

As the U.S. energy envoy and coordinator for international energy affairs, Pascual established and directed the new Energy Resources Bureau at the State Department and was senior advisor to the Secretary of State on energy issues. He had previously been U.S. ambassador to both Mexico and Ukraine, and was special assistant to the president for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia on the National Security Council.

At the State Department, Ambassador Pascual led energy diplomacy across Asia, Eurasia, Europe and the Middle East, including on such key issues as Iranian sanctions and the geopolitical impacts of the shale gas revolution. Ambassador Pascual had previously established the State Department’s first comprehensive civilian response capacity to respond to conflicts, leading to the creation of a bureau to promote sustainable solutions to conflict and strife. He also served as coordinator for U.S. assistance to Europe and Eurasia and directed the resources to help consolidate the independence of the former Soviet states.

Between State Department assignments, Ambassador Pascual served for four years as vice president and director of foreign policy studies at the Brookings Institution in Washington D.C., heading its research on international affairs. Prior to the State Department, Ambassador Pascual worked at the U.S. Agency for International Development, where he led national strategy projects and, among other posts, was chief of strategy and policy for Africa. His books include Power and Responsibility: Building International Order in an Era of Transnational Threats. He is a graduate of Stanford University and the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

At the WPC, Pascual is replacing Dan Yergin, IHS vice chairman, as speaker on the agenda. Pascual will be joined as a speaker at WPC by an international group of industry, technology and financial leaders—including CEOs and other senior leaders of the world’s major chemical producers, including:

• Peter L. Cella, president and CEO of Chevron Phillips Chemical Company
• Roberto Bischoff, CEO of Braskem Idesa
• Rainer Diercks, president of the petrochemicals division at BASF
• Musab Al-Mahruqi, CEO of Oman Oil Refining and Petroleum Industries Company (ORPIC)
• Matthew Aguilar, senior vice president of ExxonMobil Chemical

Cella will offer his perspectives on managing North America’s renewed growth in the petrochemical sector, while Bischoff will discuss the latest developments in Latin America’s petrochemical market. Representing BASF, the world’s largest chemical producer in terms of revenue, Diercks will address the outlook for the European chemical industry as Europe positions itself for sustainable growth, while Al-Mahruqi will share his views of the Mideast from the perspective of an integrated chemical producer.

These executives will join more than 80 other speakers in offering their insights on the industry’s future related to the WPC’s key theme, “The New Energy Environment: Implications for Chemicals Output and Global Supply Chains: Positioning the Chemical Industry for Profitable Growth.” The discussions will focus on the petrochemical industry’s sustainable growth opportunities in light of the new energy environment – the great deflation era – caused by the dramatic fall in oil prices and energy market volatility. The WPC will welcome more than 1,200 attendees from more than 40 countries.

Nariman Behravesh, Ph.D., IHS chief economist, will provide a global economic outlook with a focus on the plunge in oil price and its impact on the developed and emerging economies. Behravesh is ranked as one of Bloomberg’s Top 10 economists for 2009 and 2010 and is the author of Spin-Free Economics: A No-Nonsense, Nonpartisan Guide to Today’s Global Economic Debates (McGraw-Hill).

To view the conference agenda and register for the event or the training workshops, please visit www.ihs.com/WPC2015.

MEDIA REGISTRATION: The WPC 2015 will include an on-site workroom for media, featuring internet access, ample workspace and a dedicated staff liaison to assist with facilitation of interviews. Members of the news media interested in covering the event can do so free of charge, but must register in advance by contacting Melissa Manning at melissa.manning@ihs.com or 1+ 832-458-3840. When doing so, please send your name, organization, phone, e-mail and organization website.

About IHS (www.ihs.com)

IHS (NYSE: IHS) is the leading source of insight, analytics and expertise in critical areas that shape today’s business landscape. Businesses and governments in more than 150 countries around the globe rely on the comprehensive content, expert independent analysis and flexible delivery methods of IHS to make high-impact decisions and develop strategies with speed and confidence. IHS has been in business since 1959 and became a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange in 2005. Headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, USA, IHS is committed to sustainable, profitable growth and employs about 8,800 people in 32 countries around the world.

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IHS Inc.
Melissa Manning, +1 832-458-3840
melissa.manning@ihs.com
or
Press Team, +1 303-305-8021
press@ihs.com
or
IHS Inc. – London
Katarzyna Kosior, +1 44 20 8276 4796
Katarzyna.kosior@ihs.com