Tom Branna, Editorial Director03.08.10
Every four years, the global detergent industry gathers in Montreux for the World Conference on Detergents, which is sponsored by the American Oil Chemists Society. But for the first time, this year’s event, which will be held Oct. 4-7, includes the chief executives from the three biggest detergent manufacturers in the world: Procter & Gamble, Unilever and Henkel.
“We’ve elevated a high level program even higher by having all three CEOs,” explained J. Keith Grime, general chair, Montreux 2010 and president, JKG Consulting. “This is the biggest conference put together in terms of scope and the level of speakers.”
Other members of the executive committee include Thomas H. Müller-Kirschbaum, co-chair and corporate senior vice president, Henkel; Manfred Trautmann, co-chair and vice president and general manager, detergents and intermediates BU, Clariant International, and David Duncan, past chair and president, DRD Consulting.
Conference organizers expect the event to attract nearly 700 delegates from around the world, and while many will go to Montreux to hear the CEOs and other detergent executives, conference organizers have made sure that other voices, with different perspectives, will be heard.
“It’s always a bit of a challenge to attract speakers from outside the industry,” noted Duncan. “But we’ve been very successful.”
As a result of these efforts, the conference will include presenters with expertise in the appliance and textile industry.
The conference program has been divided into three themes. Day 1, “Defining the Future,” will focus on the future and define the direction in which the industry is headed. Day 2, “Innovations in the Value Chain,” will inspire delegates with presentations from around the world, according to show organizers.
Finally, Day 3, “Smarter Ways of Doing Things,” will focus on sustainability. In recent years, as the economy worsened, consumers turned to private label and other less expensive formulas to stay within their budgets. This trend, however, doesn’t mean consumers will settle for cheaply made products.
“Consumers still want high performance products,” observed Müller-Kirschbaum. “But we must explore different ways of doing things and doing things smarter.”
Here’s a look at the full conference program:
Day 1, Opening keynote, Robert McDonald, Procter & Gamble, “The Power of Purpose-inspired Strategy for Business Growth.” Other speakers and topics include Bill Schmitz, Deutsche Bank, “Soap and Mirrors—The Future of the Consumer Products Industry;” Chris DeSoiza, Milliken Research, “Innovation—the Future of the Textile Industry;” Afternoon keynote, Paul Polman, Unilever; Max von Zedtwitz, PRTM, China, “China Perspective;” Jeffrey Hollender, Seventh Generation, “The Responsibility Revolution: How the Next Generation of Businesses Will Win” and Richard Seymour, Seymour Powell, “Design Presentation.”
Day 2, Opening keynote, Kasper Rorsted, Henkel. Other speakers and topics include Michael Heinz, BASF, “Perspectives on Mergers and Acquisitions;” Erwin Annys, CEFIC, “REACH;” Emile Ishida, Tohoku University, “Is Civilization Headed for Collapse? Channeling the Forces of Nature;” Norman Hay, Cargill International, “When will Biobased Raw Materials Replace Traditional Chemicals in Industrial Applications for the Detergent Industry?” Julian Ho, Singapore Economic Development Board, “Economic Trends and Forecasts” and Koich Nakamura, Kao, “Defining the Future through Innovations toward Highly Eco-friendly Washing.”
Day 3, Keith Weed, Unilever, “Cleaner Clothes and a Cleaner Planet;” Dochui Choi, Samsung Electronics, “Trends in Energy (Including Water Usage);” Hans-Willi Schroiff, Henkel, “Neuromarketing;” Issy Goldwasser, Symyx Technologies, “IT/High Throughput R&D Services Model;” Jay Golden, Arizona State University, “Sustainability in the Laundry and Home Care Industry;” Paul Bennett and Simon Blyth, IDEO, “Packaging Design and Innovation;” Thomas J. Lange, Procter & Gamble, “Modeling and Simulation Consumer Testing;” Mark McGregor, Leadership Center, “Motivation and the Psychology of Winning.”
More info: www.aocs.org/meetings/Montreux
“We’ve elevated a high level program even higher by having all three CEOs,” explained J. Keith Grime, general chair, Montreux 2010 and president, JKG Consulting. “This is the biggest conference put together in terms of scope and the level of speakers.”
Other members of the executive committee include Thomas H. Müller-Kirschbaum, co-chair and corporate senior vice president, Henkel; Manfred Trautmann, co-chair and vice president and general manager, detergents and intermediates BU, Clariant International, and David Duncan, past chair and president, DRD Consulting.
Conference organizers expect the event to attract nearly 700 delegates from around the world, and while many will go to Montreux to hear the CEOs and other detergent executives, conference organizers have made sure that other voices, with different perspectives, will be heard.
“It’s always a bit of a challenge to attract speakers from outside the industry,” noted Duncan. “But we’ve been very successful.”
As a result of these efforts, the conference will include presenters with expertise in the appliance and textile industry.
J. Keith Grime, general chair, Montreux 2010 and president, JKG Consulting |
Thomas H. Müller-Kirschbaum, co-chair and corporate senior vice president, Henkel |
A Full Program Is Planned
The conference program has been divided into three themes. Day 1, “Defining the Future,” will focus on the future and define the direction in which the industry is headed. Day 2, “Innovations in the Value Chain,” will inspire delegates with presentations from around the world, according to show organizers.
Finally, Day 3, “Smarter Ways of Doing Things,” will focus on sustainability. In recent years, as the economy worsened, consumers turned to private label and other less expensive formulas to stay within their budgets. This trend, however, doesn’t mean consumers will settle for cheaply made products.
“Consumers still want high performance products,” observed Müller-Kirschbaum. “But we must explore different ways of doing things and doing things smarter.”
Here’s a look at the full conference program:
The World Detergent Conference organizing committee includes (l-r): Manfred Trautmann, Keith Grime, Thomas Müller-Kirschbaum and David Duncan. |
Day 2, Opening keynote, Kasper Rorsted, Henkel. Other speakers and topics include Michael Heinz, BASF, “Perspectives on Mergers and Acquisitions;” Erwin Annys, CEFIC, “REACH;” Emile Ishida, Tohoku University, “Is Civilization Headed for Collapse? Channeling the Forces of Nature;” Norman Hay, Cargill International, “When will Biobased Raw Materials Replace Traditional Chemicals in Industrial Applications for the Detergent Industry?” Julian Ho, Singapore Economic Development Board, “Economic Trends and Forecasts” and Koich Nakamura, Kao, “Defining the Future through Innovations toward Highly Eco-friendly Washing.”
Day 3, Keith Weed, Unilever, “Cleaner Clothes and a Cleaner Planet;” Dochui Choi, Samsung Electronics, “Trends in Energy (Including Water Usage);” Hans-Willi Schroiff, Henkel, “Neuromarketing;” Issy Goldwasser, Symyx Technologies, “IT/High Throughput R&D Services Model;” Jay Golden, Arizona State University, “Sustainability in the Laundry and Home Care Industry;” Paul Bennett and Simon Blyth, IDEO, “Packaging Design and Innovation;” Thomas J. Lange, Procter & Gamble, “Modeling and Simulation Consumer Testing;” Mark McGregor, Leadership Center, “Motivation and the Psychology of Winning.”
More info: www.aocs.org/meetings/Montreux