UKLA President’s Report
I am writing this soon after the UKLA’s annual dinner, which was held at a new location for us this year at 8 Northumberland Avenue, London. My thanks again to our Secretariat for organising another very successful event.
The theme of the evening was Navigating the Future, with many challenges, from our global and local politics, a deteriorating economic environment both in Europe and globally, and major social and environmental challenges. We face escalating trade tensions globally, regional political uncertainties across Europe, and ever-changing regulatory requirements for our products.
For me, one of the major challenges we face is from the increasing impetus behind environmental pressures for companies and industries to explain and justify our businesses and our practices. Groups such as Extinction Rebellion (just a year old) and individuals such as Greta Thunberg may have grabbed the headlines, but they reflect a wider disquiet among many serious thinkers across the globe about mankind’s impact on the environment, and the steps we should take to protect our planet.
As the lubricants industry, we are often seen as just UEIL President’s Report
I would like to take this opportunity to share my reflections about the UEIL Annual Congress which took place in Cannes.
We had two main ambitions: to put together a programme that would be thought-provoking and inspiring, and to provide excellent networking opportunities.
We put a lot of time and passion into building the programme, and I was very happy to see a high attendance and - more importantly – high levels of participation and engagement from the delegates. During the first day we covered topics and trends that affect our industry, such as artificial intelligence, digital marketing, positive disruption, and competence transfer, while the second day was dedicated to technical and regulatory aspects. We continued with the format launched in Budapest, alternating speeches and panel discussions, that gave the delegates the possibility to discuss with our expert speakers. The discussions were just as interesting as the presentations, and the energy level in the room was high through to the very last presentation on the programme, which was really great to see.
4 LUBE MAGAZINE NO.154 DECEMBER 2019
another part of the oil industry and as part of the problem, but in reality we play a vital role in providing solutions, particularly through our technology in continuously improving fuel efficiency, reducing emissions, and by helping to reduce wasted energy. The potential benefits we can bring for the environment are enormous.
But it is not just the applications of some of our products that cause environmental concern for some. 2019 has seen a number of safety incidents and fires in plants across the world, notably in China, the USA and more recently in France, which apart from highlighting the tightness of supply chains in our industry, have also given rise to questions about our “licence to operate” in and near communities.
We all have a role to play to establish and meet high standards for our industry, and also to make the positive case for our industry as a responsible contributor to society, and to promote all the practical benefits we can bring to the environment through our products and technologies.
David Hopkinson, UKLA President
We made sure to create several networking opportunities and chose a hotel that would provide a lot of space for side meetings. Based on the feedback I received during the event, many of the delegates were pleased with the business opportunities generated by the Congress. Personally, I
was very satisfied with the new potential business that the Congress generated for my company.
We received great support from all our sponsors, and I would like to again take the opportunity to thank them all for making the Congress possible.
We have already done a great deal of preparatory work for the 2020 Congress which will take place on October 28-30 in Athens, Greece. We will do our best to make it even better than the Congress in Cannes. If you have any thoughts on the Congress – either this year’s or next year’s edition – please do get in touch with me and we can have a chat.
I look forward to seeing you in Athens! Valentina Serra-Holm, UEIL President
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