THE first Dow Innovation Summit in the Middle East took place last March 4-5 at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia. The Summit was held under the theme of “Solutions through Innovation” and hosted more than 200 attendees which included senior industry leaders, government stakeholders, business partners and customers from the industry sectors of energy, water, infrastructure, packaging and consumer goods. The two-day program included presentations from a number of Dow Global R&D and business executives, prominent industry experts and government authorities who presented the latest technological advancements across a wide variety of industries. In addition, the participants were given exclusive tours of KAUST and participated in industry-focused panel sessions and workshops. In the “Innovation in Action” Industry workshops, Dow's solutions and innovations were presented by the Company's global R&D leaders along with the regional commercial leaders from Dow Coating Materials, Dow Construction Chemicals, Dow Consumer Care, Dow Microbial Control, Dow Oil Gas & Mining and Dow Water and Process Solutions. Delivering the keynote address at the Summit was Dr. A.N. Sreeram, Dow Corporate Vice President of Research & Development followed by speakers from some of the Kingdom's most influential government agencies: Saudi Technology Development and Investment Company (TAQNIA) and the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA). Joining this line up of powerful spokespersons at the summit were Dr. Jean-Lou Chameau, President of KAUST and technology executives from global leaders in their respective industries: Saudi Aramco, Evonik Industries and Cristal Corporation. Hosting the event, Dow's President for Saudi Arabia, Dr. Zuhair Allawi, said “innovation moves at a rapid pace and we must stay ahead. The Dow Innovation Summit presented us with the opportunity to share best practices, discuss new solutions and address the challenges that we face today. We look to better understand our customers' needs and help them build a stronger value proposition.” "This event validates Dow's commitment and dedication to drive innovation and helps to ensure that our stakeholders are aware of the strengths of our R&D and commercial organizations coupled with strong strategic external partnership. It also enables the identification of innovative technologies and solutions that provide our stakeholders with real value”. Dr. Wiltrud Treffenfeldt, Chief Technology Officer for Dow in Europe, Middle East, Africa and India added, “The Dow Innovation Summit successfully brought together like-minded professionals from industry to better understand which technologies Dow can offer. Dow continuously seeks to develop new solutions together with our customers and universities like KAUST to enable sustainable growth in this part of world. ” As part of the overall program, tours were arranged to seven specific KAUST Research Centers and R&D labs at KAUST which gave attendees the unique opportunity to visit the university's state of the art facilities. The Summit ended with a tour of Dow's Global Water Technology Center which is part of the Dow KSA R&D Center at KAUST. — SG
