Facilitated In-Person Book Club Session
Alyssa Sweigart
Brave New You by Mary Poffenroth, Ph.D.
Inspired by WIC’s Q2 Book Club selection, Brave New You: Strategies, Tools and Neurohacks to Live More Courageously Every Day by Mary Poffenroth, Ph.D., this facilitated discussion is designed to help you reflect, learn from others, and turn insight into action.
Haven’t read the book or weren’t able to join the Q2 book club gatherings? That's okay. This session stands on its own and offers an opportunity to learn from peers and gain practical tools for navigating fear, uncertainty, and self-doubt.
opening Keynote Session
Simone Ahuja
THE EASE EQUATION™: Simplicity and the Power of Less in a Complex World
In today’s chemical industry, leaders are navigating a new kind of pressure: shifting global trade flows, restructuring, increased regulation, and constant uncertainty on top of the ongoing pressure to do more with less.
But the real opportunity isn’t in doing more. It’s in doing less, but better.
In this high energy, interactive keynote, innovation strategist and bestselling author Dr. Simone Ahuja shows how to create clarity, confidence, and momentum - even when the path forward isn’t fully defined. Drawing on her work in highly regulated, science-based industries, Simone shares how individuals can lead, influence, and solve problems from where they are - without needing more resources, time, or authority.
Grounded in the principle of jugaad (resourceful problem solving), this session offers a practical, human centered approach to navigating change that allows you move forward with more simplicity, ease and confidence.
Concurrent Session 1
Yasmina Rauber
The No Club: Eliminating Non-Promotable Work
Non-promotable tasks like note-taking, organizing team events, onboarding new hires, and low-visibility administrative work are essential to keeping organizations running, yet they rarely contribute to career advancement. Research shows these tasks disproportionately fall to women, often quietly shaping workload, burnout, and promotion readiness.
Ana López
The Silent Stages of Women’s Careers: Retaining Women at the Table Through Cycle, Perimenopause & Menopause Literacy
This session positions hormonal awareness as a strategic career and talent imperative, offering a supportive, practical learning space for women and allies to explore how the menstrual cycle, perimenopause, and menopause can silently shape women’s professional trajectories and their representation at decision‑making tables. It reframes hormonal health from an individual matter to a critical lever for sustainable careers, leadership readiness, and organizational performance.
Natacha Catalino
Is AI Going to Take My Job? Reskilling for a Gen-AI Future
AI is transforming the chemicals and manufacturing industries faster than any previous technological wave, raising urgent questions about job security, evolving skill sets, and what the workforce of the future will look like. This session offers a grounded, transparent look at what AI can and cannot replace, especially in technical, operational, and leadership roles.
Concurrent Session 2
Jaime Skinner
Cracking the Corporate Code: Navigating Power Structures & Bureaucracy
Sponsored by Brenntag
This session equips professionals with practical strategies to understand and navigate complex organizational hierarchies, decision-making processes, and unwritten rules. It is especially relevant for women and underrepresented groups seeking to increase influence and advance their careers in matrixed or highly structured organizations.
Candice Lecourt
Panel: Pregnant in the Plant: Navigating Safety, Policy & Career
Sponsored by Bakelite
Working in manufacturing and plant environments presents unique challenges during pregnancy, where safety protocols, physical demands, shift schedules, and plant culture intersect with deeply personal health decisions. Yet many women find themselves navigating these realities quietly, unsure of what accommodations they can request, how to advocate for themselves, or how pregnancy may impact perceptions of their commitment and career trajectory.
*Moderator
Senior Leadership Symposium: Engaging Discussions for Executives
Step into a realm of unparalleled leadership refinement at the invite-only Senior Leadership Symposium. Exclusively curated for Vice Presidents and senior executives, this symposium offers more than just a platform. It's a sanctuary for profound conversations and transformative knowledge exchange. Here, amidst an atmosphere charged with innovation and camaraderie, attendees will have the opportunity to delve deep into the nuances of leadership, gain fresh perspectives, and forge invaluable connections that transcend the confines of the symposium.
Christine Johnson
Debora Costa*
Emotional Intelligence as a Competitive Advantage
Sponsored by Harcros
This session focuses on developing and applying emotional intelligence (EQ) to enhance leadership effectiveness in high-stakes, complex, or fast-paced environments, particularly within the chemicals industry. Attendees will learn practical tools to strengthen self-awareness, empathy, and interpersonal skills, which directly impact team performance, decision-making, and organizational culture.
Paola Benitez Torres
Marinesa Lipsey
Julia Frey
Concurrent Session 3
Felecia Mallett*
Panel: Leading at the Intersection of Underrepresentation
Sponsored by Koppers
In many organizations, being “the only one” in the room carries weight. For women who are also navigating additional dimensions of underrepresentation, whether as women of color, LGBTQ+ leaders, professionals living with disabilities, first-generation professionals, or others with intersecting identities, the visibility can be amplified, the pressure heightened, and the expectations more complex. These leaders are often asked to represent, educate, and perform at exceptional levels, all while carving out authentic space for themselves.
*Moderator
Erika Latta, MBA
Initiated by Change: A Practical Playbook for High-Stakes Transitions
This talk will share a practical, embodied framework for navigating and initiating change with clarity and confidence. It blends real-world strategy with somatic practices that help leaders not just “manage” change, but use it as a catalyst for growth.
Reanne Rust*
Panel: Tapping Developing Economies for Growth
This session focuses on strategies for chemical companies to identify, enter, and grow in emerging global markets. It provides insights into the opportunities, challenges, and strategic considerations needed to expand successfully while managing risk.
Key areas include market identification, competitive landscape, entry strategies, operational considerations, risk management & resilience and case studies.
*Moderator
Roma Shah
Josh Dillingham
Yaqi Wo
Penney Simmons
Suzy Billington
Dr. Deepak Parikh
Chemical Industry Session
Alex Lidback
Soline Guérineau
Who’s Left Standing? Exploring the Big Questions around Trade Flows, Market Dynamics and the Future of Chemicals
Sponsored by ICIS
Is Europe’s production network in structural decline? What's the future landscape of trade flows and how will that affect the supply chain? Are specialty chemicals the industry’s new lifeline? Is sustainability losing momentum? Will AI reshape or replace the workforce?
The chemical industry underpins more than 90% of manufactured goods. Today, it sits at the epicenter of geopolitical realignment, tariff escalation, shifting trade flows and accelerating digital disruption. The consequences for competitiveness, profitability and long-term survivability are profound.
Nacole B. Hinton
Concurrent Session 4
From Policy to Practice: Leading a Multigenerational Workforce
Today’s workforce spans four, and soon, five generations, each shaped by different economic realities, technologies, leadership norms, and cultural expectations. In chemicals and manufacturing environments where collaboration, safety, and operational excellence are critical, generational misalignment can quietly impact communication, engagement, and performance. Assumptions about work ethic, loyalty, feedback preferences, or career ambition often create unnecessary friction across teams.
Maryanne Hauser
Profit Alone Isn’t Enough: How Modern Companies Create Long-Term Value
This session explores how chemical companies are rethinking the traditional shareholder-first model in favor of a broader, long-term approach that balances financial performance with environmental, social, and governance (ESG) priorities.
Kaavya Rathnakumar, Ph.D.
Communication & Conflict: Leading Effectively in High-Stakes Environments
Sponsored by Jungbunzlauer
In this session, you’ll discover how to build credibility and trust by uncovering the key elements of authentic relationship-building during times of change while showcasing your expertise in genuine ways. You’ll also learn how to scale with purpose through real-life case studies, translating lessons into actionable steps for aligning team members with strategic goals.
Closing Keynote
Anne Le Guennec
The Decisions That Define a Career: In Conversation with Veolia’s Anne Le Guennec
Sponsored by Veolia
Careers are rarely built through one perfect plan. They are shaped through a series of decisions, risks, setbacks, and moments of uncertainty. In this candid and interactive fireside chat with WIC Co-Founder Kylie Wittl, Anne Le Guennec will reflect on the defining choices that shaped her journey from engineering school to international leadership and the C-suite. From pursuing opportunities abroad early in her career to navigating major professional pivots across Morocco, the Middle East, and France, Anne will share honest insights on resilience, reinvention, leadership, and learning to advocate for yourself along the way.