The Invite Only Event for Plant,
Digital and Operations Leaders
May 6-7, 2025
| Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort, Austin, TX
Main Conference Day 2
7:45 am - 8:00 am
REGISTRATION & NETWORKING BREAKFAST
8:00 am - 8:10 am
Chair’s Opening Remarks
8:10 am - 8:55 am
LIGHTNING TALKS: Hear how Innovative Energy Leaders are using Connected Worker Technologies to Optimize Operations and Sharpen their Competitive Edge
Philippe Daroux -
Operations Technology Product Line Manager,
Chevron
Alex Costa - Vice President of IT, PSC Group
Bemi Anjous - Chief Information Security Officer, Noble Corp
Rajeev Sinha - Chief IT Enterprise Architect, PG&E Corporation
This session will feature 4 lightning talks, each from an industry leader in the connected worker space. Designed to share a project challenge, insights into the technology that helped solve it and the lessons learned along the way. You’ll leave with practical insights into how each company is driving ROI.
- The Industrial Internet of People at Chevron: Examining how we use Connected Worker Technologies to Drive Efficiency and Keep our Workers Safe in the Field, Philippe Daroux, Operations Technology Product Line Manager, Chevron
- Empowering Workers with Mobile and AI Technologies: Modernizing PSC Group's Operations, Alex Costa, Vice President of IT, PSC Group
- Identifying System Vulnerabilities and Cyber Threats in Nobel’s Converged IT/OT Environment, Bemi Anjous, Chief Information Security Officer, Noble Corporation
- Using Data, Advanced Analytics and AI to Optimize Processes, Reduce Costs and Improve Decision Making, Rajeev Sinha, Chief IT Enterprise Architect, Pacific Gas and Electric Company
8:55 am - 9:25 am
CASE STUDY: Designing a Successful Modernization Approach for AI Readiness Across Your Operations
A recent survey revealed that 61% of organizations plan to invest in AI to prepare for the next evolution of industrial applications. However, many face operational and technical barriers that complicate AI readiness. Join this presentation to explore how you can unlock competitive advantage with AI, including:
- Understanding your current capabilities and identifying areas where AI can drive improvements
- Ensuring you have high-quality data required for your AI to learn, make predictions and train
- Developing a workforce plan that includes investing in AI capability and upskilling your current workforce
- Having robust cybersecurity in place to reduce the vulnerability of AI systems
9:25 am - 10:00 am
UPVOTING: Making Time for Real-Time Audience Feedback and Expert Analysis on the Critical Issues of Leadership and Change Management
Jeff Green -
Chief Information Officer,
STRIKE
Heitor Cauneto - Global Manufacturing Excellence and Digital Transformation Senior Director, Bunge
Tammy Bilbo-Palms - Operation Excellence Superintendent/ Digital Transformation Champion, TotalEnergies
Keith Campbell - Refining IT Director, Marathon Petroleum Corporation
Join us for an interactive session where you’ll participate in live surveys and see your responses shape the discussion. Our expert speakers will analyze the real-time feedback, providing you with actionable insights and fostering a collaborative environment. Be part of the conversation and gain valuable perspectives to stay ahead in your field.
How will you answer these key questions….
Question 1: Which scenario best describes the Digital Skills Gap in Your Organization?
- We are struggling to attract new talent, so I am implementing comprehensive training programs to reskill current employees in digital technologies and data analytics
- I have a mature workforce that pushes back on digital transformation initiatives, so we are adopting skill-based hiring practices to ensure we have a future ready workforce
- We are leveraging learning and development platforms and virtual reality immersive training tools to rapidly onboard our new employees and upskill our current workforce
Question 2: How are your Leadership Team adapting to Today’s Digital World?
- I have established a culture of innovation and experimentation that embraces digital initiatives and sees failure as a learning opportunity
- I have a risk averse culture and leadership team which makes it difficult for me to drive digital transformation initiatives across my organization
- I have established a clear vision for digital transformation that is supported by my leadership team and prioritizes areas that can have the most significant impact on business goals
Question 3: What is your organization's readiness level for change?
- I have developed a strategic approach to change management across all of our digital transformation projects which has increased user adoption across our workforce
- I do not have change management expertise in our organization which has severely hindered digital transformation initiatives and caused project delays
- I have a corporate culture that is not open to change and resists new technologies and processes
Heitor Cauneto
Global Manufacturing Excellence and Digital Transformation Senior DirectorBunge
Tammy Bilbo-Palms
Operation Excellence Superintendent/ Digital Transformation ChampionTotalEnergies
10:00 am - 10:30 am
NETWORKING BREAK
10:30 am - 11:00 am
ONE-TO-ONE BUSINESS MEETINGS
11:00 am - 11:30 am
ONE-TO-ONE BUSINESS MEETINGS
10:55 am - 11:25 am
THINK TANK: Connected Assets for a Smarter Workforce – Creating a Hyper-Connected Ecosystem for Proactive Condition-Based Monitoring and Predictive Maintenance
It is essential that energy organizations minimize downtime and optimize their assets for maximum productivity. By utilizing condition-based monitoring and predictive maintenance across your assets, organizations can reduce maintenance costs by 25-30% and improve equipment reliability by 70-75%.
Join this think tank to benchmark with your peers, share success stories, and discuss the challenges you face when looking to enhance condition-based monitoring and predictive maintenance capability across your operations.
11:30 am - 12:00 pm
ONE-TO-ONE BUSINESS MEETINGS
11:30 am - 12:00 pm
THINK TANK: Seamlessly Connect Workers, Information and Assets across your Facilities with Private Wireless and industrial Edge Devices
To achieve the best return on your connected worker investment it is essential that you have in place private wireless to ensure real-time worker collaboration and enhanced decision making. To maximize your competitive edge, industrial edge devices allow you to leverage machine and plant data to optimize operations, reduce costs and increase uptime.
This think tank will give you the opportunity to benchmark with your peers, share success stories, and discuss the challenges you face when looking to implement private wireless and edge devices.
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
NETWORKING LUNCH
Join these highly collaborative Executive Boardrooms with a select group of peers facing similar challenges. Like a traditional workshop, just slightly shorter, each session will kick off with a 15-20 min presentation of a success story from a digital transformation project, followed by time to dive into interactive discussions and contextualize your new learnings. This is a prime opportunity to share your Connected Worker insights, troubles, advice, and everything in-between!
EXECUTIVE BOARDROOM
1:00 pm - 1:45 pm TOPIC A: Embracing Human Centered Design in Connected Worker Solutions to Drive Collaboration and Engagement Adam L Ballard - Technology Advisor, Hess CorporationThe concept of a human-centered connected worker focuses on technology, workflows, and data, all designed to enhance how workers engage with their tasks, colleagues, and the wider enterprise.
Join this executive boardroom to discover strategic implementation goals and the essential role of human-centered design, including:
- Examining how connected worker solutions can achieve human-centered goals and improve employee engagement, satisfaction, well-being, and professional growth
- Understanding the importance of human-centered design to overcome low user adoption and disappointing returns on investment
- Placing your workforce at the forefront of technological advancement and fostering a culture of continuous improvement and growth
- Driving organizational objectives across safety, efficiency, and employee satisfaction that align with both human interests and advanced asset management practices
Join these highly collaborative Executive Boardrooms with a select group of peers facing similar challenges. Like a traditional workshop, just slightly shorter, each session will kick off with a 15-20 min presentation of a success story from a digital transformation project, followed by time to dive into interactive discussions and contextualize your new learnings. This is a prime opportunity to share your Connected Worker insights, troubles, advice, and everything in-between!
EXECUTIVE BOARDROOM
1:00 pm - 1:45 pm TOPIC B: Autonomous Transformation – Designing a Future where Technology Complements, not Replaces Human Capabilities Jack Hu - Process Automation Director - Energy, MSP, EOB & Logistics - Global Role, DowAccording to a 2024 Boston Consulting Group Survey more that 4 in 10 frontline workers fear that AI technologies could replace them in the next decade. This has highlighted the importance of communicating how AI and increased automation will help workers do their jobs more effectively and enhance their experience, not replace them. Join this executive boardroom to understand the evolving relationship between humans and machines and the collaboration opportunities that can maximize productivity, innovation and competitiveness in the digital age, including:
- Examining the barriers to adoption and the strategies you can implement to optimize collaboration for long-term success
- The role of AI in augmenting human decision making, optimizing processes, and offering recommendations based on predictive models
- Discussing the opportunities to automate repetitive tasks and free up your workforce to focus on more high-value strategic priorities
- Investing in reskilling and upskilling to prepare employees to transition into new roles that focus on managing and optimizing human-machine collaboration
1:45 pm - 2:15 pm
ONE-TO-ONE BUSINESS MEETINGS
1:45 pm - 2:15 pm
THINK TANK: Leveraging Prescriptive Analytics for Effective Decision-Making
Prescriptive analytics can support effective decision-making by providing actionable recommendations based on data analysis, helping your employees to optimize outcomes and navigate uncertainties. However, implementing it can be challenging due to the need for high-quality data, complex algorithms, and significant investment in technology and skilled personnel. Join this think tank to benchmark with your peers, share success stories, and discuss the challenges you face when looking to implement prescriptive analytics capability across your enterprise.
2:15 pm - 2:45 pm
ONE-TO-ONE BUSINESS MEETINGS
2:15 pm - 2:45 pm
THINK TANK: Revolutionizing Employee Onboarding with Immersive Technologies
With high turnover and the ongoing challenge of attracting a skilled workforce, it's important to create dynamic, interactive, and immersive onboarding experiences that engage the next generation of employees, improve retention, accelerate learning, and enhance job readiness. In this interactive think tank you will benchmark with your peers and discuss how to use immersive technologies to train your new hires in a controlled risk-free environment that accelerates learning and skill retention.
2:45 pm - 3:15 pm
KEYNOTE PANEL: Examining How Connected Worker Technologies Can Achieve Critical Safety Improvements Across Your Operations
Ilker A. Kalali -
Chief Technology Officer,
Pirelli Tires North America
Brad Green - Head of HSSE, CITGO
Connected worker technologies are helping energy companies achieve their reliability and efficiency goals, with worker safety enhancements often being a natural extension of these initiatives. Join this keynote panel to explore the implementation of connected safety initiatives that protect workers in potentially hazardous environments, including:
- Utilizing AI and machine learning technologies to identify safety risks and mitigate incidents before they occur.
- Connecting, engaging, and empowering your workers with seamless voice, video, and data communications.
- Gaining a high-level view of industrial plants through continuous monitoring to enhance safety analysis and identify potential risks.
- Preventing accidents and providing frontline assistance using hands-free smart wearable devices that connect remote workers to subject matter experts.
3:15 pm - 3:55 pm
CLOSING KEYNOTE ADDRESS: Exploring Celanese’s Approach to Digital Transformation: Transforming People and Systems at Scale and Speed
Sameer Purao -
Senior Vice President & Global Chief Information Officer,
Celanese
In 2021, Celanese began a digital transformation journey to optimize their manufacturing plants and connect workers with real-time information. In this presentation, Sameer Purao will discuss the challenges they encountered, and the strategies used to foster culture and engagement along the way.
- Examining the drivers behind Celanese’s transformation initiatives – the digital customer journey, digital manufacturing, and digital back office
- Understanding how to gain consensus from your stakeholders and teams on a strategy for carrying out transformation work
- Creating a legacy to keep on driving future innovations and transformation initiatives
