Advertise on podcast: Chemical Week

CW editor-in-chief Mark Thomas and S&P Global Energy Platts senior price reporters Mujidah Yahaya and Archit Singh join the podcast for discussion of key takeaways from EPCA 2026. Topics include securing supply for Europe amid disruptions, the shrinking European petrochemical industry and how Europe can set policy to springboard growth for the rest of the decade. The Chemical Week podcast is the industry's premier platform for wide-ranging discussion of issues impacting the global chemicals sector, hosted by the editors of Chemical Week and S&P Global Energy. Subscribe to the Chemical Week podcast on your favorite platform, or visit chemweek.com/podcast to view our episode archive.

CW specialties editor Sotirios Frantzanas joins the podcast for a short discussion of key takeaways from FECC 2026, the annual conference of European chemical distributors. Topics include the outlook for chemical distribution in Europe and how distributors are weathering the continent's prolonged industrial downturn.

Chemical Week publisher and S&P Global Energy head of conferences content Rob Westervelt joins the podcast for a discussion of CW's Billion-Dollar Club issue and the 2026 Asia Pacific Petroleum Conference (APPEC). Rob and podcast host Vincent Valk discuss the competitive pressure created by China's massive state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and how incumbent producers are responding, exemplified by this year's Billion-Dollar Club ranking. Rob also discusses some key takeaways from APPEC.

AlkaLi Labs co-founder and CEO, Luis Valencia, and BioMade program director/technology, David Nathan, and program manager, Jonathan Valdez, sit down with Chemical Week specialties editor Sotirios Frantzanas to discuss biomanufacturing developments, including a new biomanufacturing program led by AlkaLi Labs with support from BioMade that is developing a scalable microbial process to extract lithium from oil-field produced water. The Chemical Week podcast is the industry's premier platform for wide-ranging discussion of issues impacting the global chemicals sector, hosted by the editors of Chemical Week and S&P Global Energy. Subscribe to the Chemical Week podcast on your favorite platform, or visit chemweek.com/podcast to view our episode archive.

Chemical Week editors Vincent Valk and Sotirios Frantzanas and S&P Global Energy price reporter Nayana Khosla join host Jameson Croteau for a discussion on second quarter chemical earnings. The panel examines how Middle East geopolitical tensions and related supply disruptions temporarily tightened global markets, lifting margins for many North American and European producers even as underlying demand remained weak. Topics include supply-chain shifts, specialty chemicals' resilience, continued weakness in housing and automotive demand, and emerging growth areas such as semiconductors, data centers, aerospace and defense.

Federico Mennella, managing director and head of chemicals and materials, DC Advisory, joins host Vincent Valk for a discussion on the chemical M&A rebound in 2026. Large deals look to be returning as companies grow more comfortable with volatility and pursue portfolio repositioning, while smaller and midsized transactions remain constrained by financing and valuation gaps. Topics include AI-linked surges, private equity hesitation and which end markets remain the most resilient for deal making.   The Chemical Week podcast is the industry's premier platform for wide-ranging discussion of issues impacting the global chemicals sector, hosted by the editors of Chemical Week and S&P Global Energy. Subscribe to the Chemical Week podcast on your favorite platform, or visit chemweek.com/podcast to view our episode archive.

Paul Kurias, S&P Global Ratings director, lead analyst, corporate ratings, and Danny Krauss, S&P Global Ratings director, join host Vincent Valk for a discussion on the 2026 credit outlook for the chemicals sector. The sector outlook remains mixed as US chemical companies may benefit in the near term from Middle East-related supply disruptions and relative cost advantages, but those same geopolitical pressures could create longer-term risks through inflation, weaker demand and stress in vulnerable end markets such as agriculture and commodities. At the same time, growth tied to AI, data centers and advanced materials provides a meaningful bright spot for specialty chemical producers. However, the industry remains exposed to high interest rates, soft housing and automotive demand. Check out the latest ratings report here.

Hexion president and CEO, Michael Lefenfeld, joins host Vincent Valk for a discussion on how to embed AI into the day-to-day operations of a chemical company—optimizing manufacturing, supply chain logistics, and organizational processes while improving speed, precision, sustainability, and decision-making quality.

Mark Lustig, partner at consultancy PwC, joins the podcast to discuss the firm's chemicals manufacturing investment attractiveness index. Key points of discussion include which countries are the most attractive investment destinations now and in the future, the impact of industrial policy on the competitive landscape, and how supply chains and growth can figure into investment decisions.  Check out the full index here.

Solstice Advanced Materials CEO, David Sewell, joins host Jameson Croteau for a discussion on the company's spin-off from Honeywell and the high-growth sectors of semiconductor chip and data center cooling, US nuclear energy and the ongoing transition from legacy HFCs to lower-global-warming-potential HFOs. The Chemical Week podcast is the industry's premier platform for wide-ranging discussion of issues impacting the global chemicals sector, hosted by the editors of Chemical Week and S&P Global Energy. Subscribe to the Chemical Week podcast on your favorite platform, or visit chemweek.com/podcast to view our episode archive.

Chemical Week editor-in-chief Mark Thomas, senior editor Vincent Valk and S&P Global Energy senior price reporter Mujidah Yahaya join host Jameson Croteau for a discussion of first-quarter results season, with a particular focus on the impact of the Iran conflict. The renewed importance of supply security, potential impact on the outlook, and how long disruptions may last are key topics. The panelists also discuss inflation impacts and some rare pockets of growth for the industry.

In his farewell as editor-in-chief, Chemical Week's Ian Young sits down with Vincent Valk to reflect on his 36-year career covering the chemical industry. He highlights the industry's most significant transformations, including the rise of digitalization and artificial intelligence, as well as China's rapid development from a dependent partner in joint ventures to a dominant global powerhouse across various chemical segments. Despite current regulatory and economic hurdles, Young remains optimistic about the sector's resilience and its vital role in driving sustainability and societal progress. The Chemical Week podcast is the industry's premier platform for wide-ranging discussion of issues impacting the global chemicals sector, hosted by the editors of Chemical Week and S&P Global Commodity Insights. Subscribe to the Chemical Week podcast on your favorite platform, or visit chemweek.com/podcast to view our episode archive.

Nick Powell, CEO of Ingredients & Specialties from Univar Solutions, joins the podcast for a discussion about supply security and the state of the chemical distribution industry. Topics include the supply chain aftereffects of the war in the Middle East, the chemical end markets supporting growth in a low demand environment, and how AI use and careful M&A strategy can propel growth for distributors in 2026 and beyond.

Jay Bhatia, founder and CEO of Agilis, an AI-enabled software provider for chemicals, joins the podcast to discuss the development of outward-facing AI tools in the industry. Key topics include the importance of master data management, why context is critical for building accurate AI tools, and what the industry's customer base is looking for from AI.

In two live interviews from the 2026 World Petrochemical Conference, Dow CEO Jim Fitterling and American Chemistry Council CEO Chris Jahn discuss the state of the industry in a moment of heightened volatility. Fitterling discusses the potential impact of the Middle East war, gives an update on the Dow's Alberta net-zero cracker, and talks about the prospects for Europe's competitiveness. Jahn highlights ACC's policy and regulatory priorities, and the ongoing uncertainty around global trade.