Mr. Zhuang Yi

Current President International

Mr. Zhuang Yi has a well-recognized and extensive professional background in the polymer industry. He is currently the chief specialist in synthetic materials for China Petroleum and Chemical Group (Sinopec).

Mr. Yi has been engaged in scientific research and management in the field of petrochemical and synthetic polymer materials. In 1988, he joined the Liaoyang Branch of PetroChina Company Limited. In 1997, he joined Sinopec and worked in the Science and Technology Department. In 2022, he was appointed as Sinopec's Chief Specialist in the field of synthetic materials.

He currently serves as Vice President of the China Synthetic Rubber Industry Association and Director of the Chemical New Materials Professional Committee of the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation.

Mr. Bowei Lee

IISRP General Award 2025

Mr. Lee actively supports the synthetic rubber community through his involvement with the IISRP. In 2017, he co-sponsored the IISRP’s Annual General Meeting in Taipei. In 2016, LCY actively facilitated the meetings for the 183rd Technical Operating Committee and the 158th Environmental Health Committee in IISRP APS at LCY’s Research and Development Center in Taiwan. Lee firmly believes that a better world can only be realized through a strong commitment to sustainability. Driven by LCY’s guiding principle of “Catalyze Innovation,” he established a Green R&D Center under the U.S. LEED Green Building Rating System standards to further reduce carbon footprint. During his 17-year tenure as the Managing Director of the Taiwan Responsible Care Association (TRCA), Lee dedicated his efforts to the responsible care and social responsibility of the Taiwanese chemical industry since 1998. In addition, Lee’s advocacy for circular economy in Taiwan was unequivocal during his 6-year tenure as President of the Taiwan Chemical Industry Association (TCIA). Mr. Lee is a fervent advocate for Green R&D within the Group, leading to numerous granted patents. Under Lee’s commitment to net-zero goals, the Group has made significant investments in the development of environmentally friendly products.

An exemplary achievement is the self-crosslinking SIS water-based latex, which offers solutions for natural latex allergies and medical waste management, marking a pioneering achievement in Taiwan. Mr. Lee’s unwavering focus on advancing green elastomer materials development within the LCY Group will further enhance the quality and convenience of everyday life. Nurturing the Future Talents Mr. Lee is deeply committed to promoting sustainable development and nurturing talent within the materials industry. He actively engages in industry advocacy and has held roles in 3 various educational organizations, including the LCY Education Foundation. Throughout his career, he has sponsored numerous scholarships to support outstanding young individuals in Taiwan in pursuing their education at leading international institutions, including sponsoring a Nobel prize level conference (the Bowei Research Conference, BRC) in Chemistry annually.

Professor Zhang Liqun

IISRP Technical Award 2025

Professor Liqun Zhang has made contributions to the realm of polymer materials and engineering, particularly in the field of synthetic rubber, achieving globally recognized accomplishments and status. His exemplary achievements have been recognized with prestigious awards in the United States, Japan, United Kingdom, and the global community. These accolades, often steeped in history and limited to one recipient per edition, recognize his contributions, along with several important awards from associations and societies in the fields of polymer and chemical engineering in China. Evidently, Professor Zhang's influence extends beyond accolades, as reflected in his extensive record of over 100 Plenary and Invited lectures at international conferences. As the corresponding author of more than 400 SCI-indexed papers, his publications have amassed over 43,000 citations, attaining an impressive H-index of over 100. Professor Zhang undoubtedly ranks as the top citation in the field of rubber worldwide. Additionally, he holds over 200 Chinese patents and PCT patents.

Professor Zhang may be considered one of the most outstanding scientists in the field of rubber materials science and engineering worldwide today. In China, he is the only Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering in the field of rubber materials science and engineering and is the leading academic figure in this field. Because of his innovative research including bio-based rubber, recycled waste rubber, epoxidized rubber such as synthesized epoxidized SSBR, epoxidized NR and epoxidized BR, thermoplastic vulcanizate and so Professor Zhang not only made significant technical contributions, but also, remarkably pushed forward the rapid progress of the worldwide synthetic rubber industry and production.

Bill Hyde

Vice President of Olefins and Elastomers in Chemical Market Analytics, a Dow Jones Company

Bill began his career with Union Carbide Corporation in 1990 where he had various positions, including engineering, optimization, planning, and logistics. In 2000, he joined Texas Petrochemicals as a Business Analyst. Bill joined CMAI in the Olefins Consulting practice in 2002. He assumed responsibility for CMAI’s Global C4 Olefins and Elastomer Practice in 2006. In 2011 he was promoted to Senior Director Olefins and Elastomers in IHS Chemicals, Now IHS Markit, with responsibility for the global suite of Olefins and Elastomers Services. Currently is Vice President of Olefins and Elastomers in Chemical Market Analytics, a Dow Jones Company. He has published several papers on the Olefins and Elastomers industries as well as presented at Olefins and Elastomers Conferences around the world. Bill has B.S. and M.S. Degrees in Chemical Engineering from Brigham Young University and an M.B.A. from Tulane University.

Roxanna Bauza-Petrovic

General Director of Programs of the International Institute of Synthetic Rubber Producers, Inc. based in Houston, Texas.

Her career began at INSA in 1999 (Mexico) where she held several positions until 2003 when she transferred to Dynasol, LLC (Houston) as their marketing specialist. She holds a BS in chemical engineering from ITCM (Mexico) and she completed her MBA in digital marketing at CEREM International Business School in 2018. Roxanna served as Dynasol’s representative on the Americas Section Statistical Committee and as the Institute’s Statistical Committee Chair in 2009. In her current role, Roxanna is accountable for the IISRP’s Statistical Programs including data collection, reconciliation, systems design, and analysis and reporting. Also, she is responsible for the preparation of all statistical publications. Has direct responsibility for the Statistical Committee activities and serves as principal liaison for this Committee to the Managing Director. Assists the Managing Director for policy planning, development and implementation. Roxanna has more than 20 years of experience in engineering, supply chain, procurement, quality systems, project management, commercial intelligence and international business development support.

Massimo Cialone

After achieving a summa cum laude M.Sc Degree in Chemical Engineering in Rome in 1994 on organic Materials, he devoted himself to the tire industry from 1995 until today. Over the last 29 years, Massimo has worked for international global companies in different roles in R&D, where he was able to gain expertise in both Raw Materials to Compounding as well as Processing. He joined Hankook - European Technical Center in 2015, where he serves a Material and Compounding Chief Specialist. Since 2019 his major focus is the development of innovative materials in the field of sustainability as well as coordinating research project in the EU area. Massimo also represents Hankook in several International Organizations such as ETRMA )European Tire and Rubber Manufacturers Association) and TIP (Tire Industry Project) Massimo is married and has one daughter.

David Shaw

David Shaw is the owner and Chief Executive of an international company called Tire Industry Research (TIRes). He has over 35 years' experience of the global tire industry. TIRes publishes a weekly newsletter on the tire industry in China as well as monthly reports on the global tire industry. These are regarded as some of the most influential publications in the tire industry and are essential sources of information and insight for many stakeholders. Since 2020, he has focussed on sustainability in the tire industry and offers some of the most insightful commentaries on the state of sustainability actions in the global tire business His customers include tire makers, tire wholesalers, and suppliers to the tire industry as well as financial institutions, other consultants, and government departments and industry associations. He regularly advises chief executives and corporate strategists on the future development of the global tire industry David regularly presents at conferences and tire industry events in Asia, the Americas and Europe.

Dr. Lekshmi S. Nair

Dr Lekshmi Nair is an international development expert, with over 20 years of distinguished professional trajectory with the public sector, private sector, academia, research, and International Organizations. A leading Economist with agriculture, trade, commodity, and management expertise, contributing to trade, equity, and sustainable development, focusing on developing and less developed economies. Dr Nair has over two decades of experience in elastomers with the International Rubber Organizations. Before joining ANRPC, Dr Nair had research and academic associations with the University of London, the Australian National University, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Government of India, and the International Rubber Study Group. Dr Nair holds a PhD in Economics from the University of London and is also a Cambridge University alumnus.

Prof. Dr. Chaoying Wan

University of Warwick

Dr. Chaoying Wan is a Professor at the International Institute for Nanocomposites Manufacturing (IINM), WMG, University of Warwick, UK. She specialises in macromolecular design via polymer chemistry and reactive processing technologies. She leads the Advanced Rubber Laboratory, sponsored by the High Value Manufacturing Catapult Centre of UK, WMG, working closely with global and national industries to innovate polymer nanotechnology for rubber circularity. The research strategies include in situ functionalisation, reactive processing, polymer foaming and 3D/4D printing. The functional elastomers have been applied for self-healing, adaptive and reprocessable soft devices, high performance sealing materials in harsh environments, damping and noise-control, and green tyre industries. The research aims to understand the relationship of microstructure - performance - circularity of polymer nanocomposites, and to co-develop sustainable rubber technologies for industrial decarbonization.  

Robert Simmons

Global Data

Robert Simmons joined GlobalData with the acquisition of LMC in 2021, he is responsible for tyre and rubber market research. At LMC he was the Managing Director of LMC Tyre and Rubber. Robert has been analysing the tyre market for over 20 years and is a regular speaker at international conferences. He first learnt about natural rubber in Papua New Guinea where he worked in the early 1990s. He is an economist by training and has a Masters’ Degree in Agricultural Economics from Reading University.

Dr. Walter Ramirez

Innventik S. L.

Dr. Walter Ramirez is the CEO of Innventik S.L., a Consulting & Engineering firm, specializing in Elastomers and Rubbers founded in 2016. He worked for 33 years at DESC-Repsol-Dynasol, where he occupied positions as Global Director of R&D and Corporate Strategy Director. Dr. Ramirez has experience leading industrial innovation, developing New Technologies-Products-Applications including new grades of Elastomers (SBS, SEBS, SIS) and Rubbers (E-SBR, NBR, SSBR SSBR-Functionalized), Styrene-Acrylic Polymers, for multiple applications (Tires, Lubricants, Adhesives, Sealants, Asphalts, Medical, Alimentary). He is Chemical Engineer with a Doctorate in Polymers from Université Claude Bernard Lyon-France and has Innovation Diploma from M.I.T. He has been Scientific Counsel for the President of Mexico, Board Member for the Secretary of Economy, Board Member for National Science Foundation. He is the author of Patents, Scientific Publications and +15 Technology Manuals for commercial Technologies developed.

Marjolein Groeneweg

Synthos Group / Global Marketing Director

Born in the Netherlands, Marjolein Groeneweg began her career at the Dow Chemical Company in the UK, swiftly advancing through key sales and business development roles across Scandinavia, the Benelux countries and Germany. After Dow sold its automotive division to Trinseo in 2010, she progressed to leading the global marketing communications for Trinseo’s Automotive and Engineered Materials businesses. Since the acquisition of Trinseo's synthetic rubber business by Synthos in 2021, Marjolein has led the global strategic marketing activities for Europe's largest producer of synthetic rubber, a leader in the industry’s transition to materials with a lower carbon footprint. Marjolein also manages Synthos' collaborations and partnerships with sustainability and tire recycling associations and networks, establishing herself as a respected expert in these fields and well-versed in relevant legislative developments in Europe.

Michael Ulbrich

Nevis GmbH

Michael is an independent management consultant and startup investor with almost 25 years of professional experience. He focuses on process industries and sustainability. He worked for global consulting firms The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Accenture. In collaboration with the European chemical industry council (Cefic), he has authored various publications on the transition of the chemical industry towards a circular economy. Further, he has published in journals such as CHEManager on circular economy and corporate innovation management topics. Before becoming an independent advisor in mid-2024, in his last role at Accenture, he was managing director in the chemicals and natural resources practice and global lead for sustainability services and circular economy for the chemical industry. He has been mandated as IISRP’s sustainability advisor since October 2024. In addition, he is advising corporate clients on market strategy, innovation management, and restructuring, and is actively investing in circular economy and health tech startups. Michael holds an M.Sc. degree in Engineering from Technische Universität Berlin, Germany, and an MBA from INSEAD, France and Singapore. He is married and has three children

David McNamara

Allied Irish Bank, Chief Economist

David is AIB’s Chief Economist and Head of it Economic Research Unit. He is responsible for the bank’s economic forecasting and macro insights  for it diverse client and stakeholder base. He is well-known commentator on Irish and international conomic and financial market trends. David has extensive experience across academia and the private sector, with prior roles in consulting and investment banking. He holds a Masters of Economic Science from the University of Galway, and a PhD from Trinity College Dublin.

Noah V. Hirsch Tembovolsky

ETB Global, CEO

Noah Vladimir Hirsch Trembovolsky is the founder and CEO of ETB Global B.V., a Netherlands-based startup dedicated to developing cutting-edge chemical process technologies with a focus on sustainability. Under his leadership, ETB Global has pioneered a proprietary method for producing bio-based butadiene from bio-ethanol, providing a renewable alternative to traditional fossil-derived products. The ETB process was created in collaboration with leading experts in chemical catalysis from some of the most prestigious universities in the field. Noah has successfully steered the project from its initial concept to the upcoming construction of a demonstration plant at the Brightlands Chemelot Campus, a prominent European hub for sustainable chemistry. Before founding ETB, Mr. Hirsch Trembovolsky accumulated over a decade of managerial experience across various industries, including five years in the venture capital sector. He earned an MBA with distinction in Entrepreneurship from Kingston University London and previously graduated from Moscow State University. Additionally, he completed a specialized study program on venture capital at Stanford University. Originally born in the USSR, Noah relocated to the Netherlands in 2020, driven by his mission to revolutionize the petrochemical industry by transitioning to bio-based chemicals. Outside of his professional endeavors, Noah is a devoted father to his young son, an enthusiastic amateur cyclist and a passionate sailor, founder of local communities for expats and entrepreneurs, all while remaining deeply committed to advancing sustainable innovation.