Programming

Jeremy Bess

ITR Economics

Jeremy Bess is a vital member of ITR Economics team of expert economists and consultants. Backed by a decade of consulting experience, he lends his expertise to the production of client reports, forecast reviews and research, and frequent communications with clients.

Jeremy majored in economics at the University of Tampa, and went on to earn a Masters of Business Administration from the University of South Florida. His accomplishments include, but are not limited to, being featured on The Working Lunch podcast, speaking at the 2017 World Tea Expo, presenting a pricing workshop at the 2019 Burger King Global Convention, hosting a workshop at the University of South Florida’s Executive Peer Workshop Series, and publishing several blogs and articles on economic events.

Prior to joining the ITR Economics team, Jeremy got his start at Jaffe Tilchin Wealth Management, researching economic and financial information to inform clients on investment strategies. From there, he held many positions at Revenue Management Solutions, working his way up to Senior Director of North America Consulting Services at Revenue Management Solutions, where he worked closely with many C-suite executives to optimize business profitability.

Vijay Ramachandran

Vice President- Key Accounts, Packaging & Consumer Goods Adhesives, North America, Henkel Corporation

• Vice President- Key Accounts, Packaging SBU, North America & Mexico since Jan 2020‎
• ‎Vice President- Marketing Packaging and consumer goods Division- North America & ‎Mexico
• ‎Regional Business Head Tapes & Labels- Henkel India, Middle East & Africa
• ‎Multiple sales & marketing roles with DuPont Imaging Technologies from 1999 to 2014 in India, Shanghai, and USA
• ‎Vijay Ramachandran holds a master’s in marketing management from Mumbai university, ‎Mumbai, India, and a bachelor’s in economics from Osmania university, Hyderabad, India.‎

Henkel operates globally with a well-balanced and diversified portfolio in three business units: ‎Laundry & Home Care, Beauty Care and Adhesive Technologies. Founded in 1876, Henkel holds globally ‎leading market positions, both in the consumer and in the industrial businesses, with well-known ‎brands such as Persil, Schwarzkopf, and Loctite. Henkel employs more than 50,000 people. Henkel’s ‎preferred shares are listed in the German stock index DAX.‎

Gerald Michael

Vice President- Business Management Dispersions, North America, BASF Corporation

• Vice President – Business management for Dispersion applications in North America, including Adhesives. Located at BASF Corporation in Charlotte, NC
• ‎Director – Business management for Dispersions in Adhesive and Fiber Bonding Asia Pacific. Located at BASF China in Shanghai, China
• ‎‎Multiple roles in Strategy, Procurement, Marketing, and Business Development with BASF businesses in China, USA, the Netherlands, and Germany
• ‎Gerald Michael holds a Master’s degree in chemical engineering from Nottingham University, UK and a Master’s degree in general management from Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. More than 111,000 employees in the BASF Group contribute to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio comprises six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of €87.3 billion in 2022.

Tarun Manroa

Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, Berry Global

Tarun Manroa was appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer in September 2018. Since 2005, Mr. Manroa has held multiple positions of increasing responsibility in engineering, operations, product management, and supply chain with Berry. From 2015, until his most recent appointment, Mr. Manroa served as the Company’s Executive Vice President and General Manager of Engineered Products in our Engineered Materials Division. He holds a Bachelor of Technology degree in Mechanical Engineering from Shaheed Bhagat Singh College of Engineering and Technology in India; a Master of Science degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute; and a Master of Liberal Arts in General Management from Harvard University Extension School.

Tim Pione

Senior Vice President, Bostik

Tim joined The Arkema Group in March of 2022 with the acquisition of the Ashland Performance Adhesive ‎business and was appointed Senior Vice President for Bostik, the adhesives solutions division within ‎Arkema. Tim has global responsibility for the Advanced Packaging and Converting business unit, which ‎consists of both the PSA segment and Flexible Packaging segment. ‎

Tim joined Ashland in June of 2018 as Vice President and General Manager for the Global Adhesives ‎business. In January 2020 after an organizational restructuring within Ashland, Tim was appointed by the ‎new CEO as Vice President and General Manager, Performance Adhesives Business Unit.‎

Tim brings more than 20 years of experience in the Adhesives Industry, most recently serving as Vice ‎President and General Manager, Ashland Inc. Performance Adhesives Business Unit. Prior to Ashland, Tim ‎worked as President of Savare Specialty Adhesives LLC from 2010 until joining Ashland in 2018. Prior to ‎joining Savare, Tim held various positions of increasing responsibility at Procter and Gamble and Avery ‎Dennison as well as his first stop at Ashland from 2005 until 2010.‎

Tim has a passion for leadership that began in his early days at The United States Naval Academy and grew ‎further after graduation while serving in the United States Navy. ‎

Tim graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from The United States Naval Academy in ‎‎1993. Tim also earned an Executive Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from The Ohio State ‎University in 2008.‎

Steve Williams

VP C5 and Hydrocarbon Resins, Argus Media, Inc.

Mr. Williams has been with Argus since 2020 and has more than 38 years of experience in the petrochemical industry. He spent 28 years with The Dow Chemical Company (now Dow Inc.), a global petrochemical company, as well as seven years with Chemium International, a Houston-based petrochemical trading firm. Mr. Williams served in numerous roles at Dow, including sourcing feedstocks for ethylene production, managing NGL joint venture interests and managing the Americas aromatics and derivatives businesses. As a part of his aromatics business responsibilities, he was exposed to many C5 monomer suppliers and developed an extensive knowledge of feedstock, olefin and downstream operations. Mr. Williams is an expert in pygas-related co-products, including C5 monomers, DCPD and related aromatic processing co-products serving as feed for hydrocarbon resin production.  His responsibilities at Argus include the publication of the monthly Argus C5 and Hydrocarbon Resins report as well as the Argus Hydrocarbon Resins Analytics annual report.

Presentation Summary:

The last decade has seen a dramatic shift in the regional capacities for a number of hot melt and pressure sensitive adhesive components including hydrocarbon based tackifiers, styrene block co-polymers, and polymers like EVA.  In this presentation, we will examine recent growth in production capacity for a number of these hot melt components, look briefly at corresponding trade flows, and discuss the implications for adhesive and pressure sensitive tape producers in the west.

Tim Hinson

Head of TM, Uber Freight

Tim is a seasoned professional in the field of supply chain management and logistics, currently serving as ‎the Head of TM (Transportation Management) for Uber Freight. He assumed this role in October of 2022, ‎leveraging his extensive industry expertise to contribute to the continued expansion and transformation ‎of the company’s managed transportation business.‎
‎ Prior to joining Uber Freight, Tim held various executive positions in prominent organizations, solidifying ‎his reputation as a trusted leader in the field. As the Chief Operating Officer (COO) at BluJay, he played a ‎pivotal role in shaping the company’s operational strategies, which was the foundation for significant ‎growth. Before his tenure at BluJay, Tim served as the Vice President of Logistics at Chep, where he ‎oversaw the logistical operations, spearheading initiatives that resulted in enhanced productivity, cost ‎savings, and overall operational excellence.‎
‎ Drawing upon his wealth of supply chain experience and proven leadership capabilities, Tim brings a ‎strategic and results-driven approach to his role at Uber Freight. His commitment to operational ‎excellence, combined with his ability to navigate and adapt to the evolving transportation landscape, ‎make him a key driver of success for Uber Freight. ‎

Presentation Summary:

Strategies for building stability and resilience into your supply chain 

In this session, Tim will outline market trends and economic forces impacting supply chains, as well as best practices to manage them. He’ll discuss how a nimble strategy can increase stability and resilience heading into the holiday season. In an industry infamous for its perpetual volatility, Tim will also offer tips for leveraging technology to increase visibility, transparency, cost savings, and access to capacity. The marketplace pendulum continues to swing. The right approach, tools, and expertise are key to navigating each cycle.