FEATURED SPEAKERS

Ilia Tarasov

Ilia Tarasov is a Technological Manager and Composite Process Engineer with over 12 years of experience in advanced composites for boatbuilding and aerospace projects. He specializes in one-shot resin infusion for complex hulls of high-performance boats and designing production workshops and equipment for tropical conditions, focusing on large-scale (5-20 ton) marine composite structures.

Dr. Lourens Blok

Dr. Blok is co-founder and chief technology officer of Lineat Composites. He has over 10 years of hands-on working experience with carbon fibre composites with a strong background in computational mechanics, previously working on carbon fibre for crashworthiness applications at BMW. He obtained his PhD in short fibre composite materials at the Bristol Composites Institute in 2020, researching additive manufacturing techniques for highly aligned fibre thermoplastic materials. After his PhD, he co-founded Lineat Composites, an award winning cleantech start-up developing fibre alignment technologies to turn single use carbon fibre in a multi use sustainable material.

Professor Zhongwei Guan

Professor Zhongwei Guan is Executive Director of Advanced Materials Research Centre of Technology Innovation Institute in Abu Dhabi. He received his first degree on Solid Mechanics in Sichuan University China in 1982 and was awarded PhD on Structural Behaviour of Polymeric Pipelining in University of Bradford UK in 1993. He was Reader in Lightweight Composite Materials and Structures at the University of Liverpool.

He has published more than 160 SCI papers in refereed leading international journals on lightweight composite structures subjected to extreme loading conditions such as projectile impact and blast, covering fibre metal laminates, PVC foambased sandwiches and SLM lattice structures, corrugated sandwiches, timber structures, high temperature TP prepreg, etc., with a h-index of 37 in Google Scholar and citation more than 4400. He was Chairman of the 5th International Conference on Computational Methods held in Cambridge in 2014. He is a member of editorial board of International Journal of Impact Engineering and Applied Composite Materials. He also serves as a scientific committee member of more than 20 international conferences and has given more than 20 keynotes, thematic and plenary speeches.

Dr. Ganesh Chandra Basak

Dr. Ganesh is a leading expert in the field of polymer with more than 25 years of experience including academic as well as industrial exposure. He currently serves as Global R&D Head for Flame Retardants at the Hindalco, Belagavi unit, wherein he leads a focus on developing innovative materials especially Aluminium Trihydrate (ATH) with applications in flame retardant, filler, water treatment, adhesives, ceramic etc. industry considering sustainability of the environment.

Dr. Ganesh holds a Ph.D. in Polymer Science from IIT Kharagpur and has published 22 peer-reviewed articles in prestigious journals, 11 patents, 3 book chapters, 1 technology provided to plant and presented more than 20 international forum and acquired two National Awards from Indian Government. He also carries B. Sc [Chemistry (H)], B. Tech and M. Tech [Polymer] degree having qualified in Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE), along with many accolades with his name like National Doctoral Fellowship (NDF), Senior Research Fellow [from Bhaba Atomic Research Centre (BRNS) and Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)] and plenty of other.

Mr. Gyan Vardhan

Mr. Gyan Vardhan is a seasoned professional with deep expertise in operations, technical services, and sales & marketing of Aluminium Trihydrate. As the Global Sales Manager for Flame Retardants at Hindalco,Specialty Alumina & Chemicals, he leads the charge in sales, business development, and demandgeneration for Aluminium Trihydrate (ATH). Mr. Gyan focuses on building sustainable business relationships and delivering strong value propositions across various industries. His expertise extends to multiple applications, including the use of ATH as a flame retardant filler in cable compounds, composites, solid surfaces, paints & coatings, and carpet backing.

Gordon Rodricks

I hail from the Bombay East Indian Maharashtrian Catholic Community. My native place is Girgaum Mumbai.

Qualifications:

• Passed SSC -- St Teresa’s High School Girgaum Mumbai.
• Graduated with BSc Honours in Chemistry/Geology -- St Xavier's College Bombay.
• Diploma in Business Management – St Xavier’s Inst of Management. Mumbai
• Diploma in Marketing Management. – Siddharth College of Management Mumbai
• Post Graduate professional courses in Advertising, Public Relations & Journalism; Corporate Organisational Structure & Design, Practical Finance, and Fibreglass Reinforced Plastics.
• Was Camp Secretary at St Xavier’s College Social Service League –
• Adult Education, Road Constuction,, mofussil Health Programmes etc etc

Professional Status
1. Started career with Fibreglass Pilkington Ltd 1965 as a Marketing Assistant and grew to be General Manager ---All India Marketing and Sales in CEAT Ltd Glass Fibre Division/FGP Ltd. The year of my retirement marked the highest Sales and Profits by the Company.
2. After first retirement joined FRP Accessories Mumbai as Vice President Marketing and Development.
3. Till Jan 2023 I was Chief Executive & Gen Mgr with The FRP Institute of India; an organization that represents and works to further the various causes of the Fibreglass Composites Industry in India
4. Retired from FRP Accessories Mumbai 01.04.2014.

Anil Kumar Sharma

Dr. Sharma is a seasoned executive, leader and strategist. He is an expert in administration, skill development,operation management, product & process design and execution, development of Innovative projects and their commercialization for growth of new businesses in field of technical education,creation of Centre of Excellences,textiles,chemicals,pharmeceutical.

As a creator of ecosystem of innovations in the field of specialty chemicals and technical textiles, he developed multi-million rupees business through in-house innovation with two distinct production centers having profitability of around 40%.

His specialization has been to orient institutes towards better financial as well as physical health by fulfill 4 goods i.e. Public, Private, Industry & Strategic and to make staff learn how to bridge the gaps between Research & Technology and Technology & Commercialization besides improving deliver ability.

Prakash Parmar

Experienced Deputy Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the cable manufacturing industry. Skilled in Research and Development (R&D), Analytical Skills, Engineering, Polymers, and Plastics. Strong professional with a Bachelor of Technology focused in Polymer from College of Engineer & Technology.

Paul Gray

Paul started his working life in the Royal Air Force and his first taste of working in the Gulf spending 10 years in KSA training technicians, managing and maintaining the Saudi Royal Air Force front line fighter aircraft.

On returning to the UK due to his eldest son’s illness in 1999, Paul changed industries from aerospace to marine, establishing himself as a hands on boat builder for one of the top 3 UK boat manufacturer’s at the time, Fairline Boats.

His career with Fairline saw him progress from boat builder, warranty engineer worldwide, leading Prototype Engineering and later into Full Cycle New Product Project Management. From here Paul was headhunted to lead Programme Management for world renown Palmer Johnson Superyachts in the USA, and his first taste of the Superyacht world.

In a career that has seen Paul rise from boat builder to Executive Board and C Suite positions for several world class yacht and superyacht builders, Paul has seen it all, done it and probably got the (launch) T Shirt of some of the industries iconic yachts and ships.

From UK to USA – USA to UK, the Queen Elizabeth Class Carrier Projects, to UAE, Montenegro and Turkiye and then finally settling back in the UAE in RAK, Paul is one of the few manufacturing experts worldwide in the marine industry who has built in all forms of base material from Carbon Fibre to Steel, Composites to Aluminium, taking yachts from concept through to the realisation of a physical dream.

Pauls talk will discuss all aspects of his career and the leadership and interpersonal skills gained from a young age in a military environment, the transition back into civilian life, the struggles through Covid, and onto his own personal experiences in deciding to incorporate a business in the UAE, with a dream of giving back to the industry that has served him so well, investing in future UAE based Marine Academy’s, helping smaller Emirati boat builders realise efficiencies, and finally in building his own brand of boats and yachts.

Currently Paul is CEO and Co-Founder of Optimus Marine, and is keen to make boat ownership an affordable pastime with his use of modern technology and full cycle manufacturing techniques.

Suresh Bhat

Mr. Suresh bhat is a Business Head at Arvind PD composites, where he is leading the strategic initiatives that drive growth and enhance business performance. With over 35+ of experience in the Composites industry, Suresh has developed a remarkable acumen in fostering partnerships and optimizing operations to achieve corporate objectives.

Suresh is an Industrial Engineer with many certifications. Passionate about innovation and leadership, Suresh continuously seeks to inspire teams through collaborative efforts and forward-thinking strategies.

In addition to his professional pursuits, Suresh is an advocate for developing World Class Infrastructures keeping environment and carbon footprints at the core; he enjoys sharing insights on business development trends at various conferences and seminars.

Sumit Datta

Mr Sumit Datta has started his journey in Fibro PlastiChem since the year called “Y2K” & immersed in understanding the production ,quality and other aspects of the FRP business by working hands on from the shop floor level; mastering the techno-commercial knowledge. He was inducted in Board of Directors from 2010 & subsequently taking the responsibility of Managing Director since 2014. He had earlier successfully graduated from University of Calcutta with B.Sc ( Honours in Chemistry) & B.Tech in Fiber Technology. Equipped with hands on in depth knowledge on various raw materials, production technology and the composite industry ; he has been leading the organization to higher altitude with continuous learning & development.

Tirthankar Mukherjee

Mr Tirthankar Mukherjee, a business leader with nearly three decades of experience in leading business in India & across geographies with various reputed companies in the field of Textiles, Advanced Textiles & Nonwovens , Textile Fibers & Composites; PET Resin industry, spandex etc. His mastered his skill in Sales Marketing & Business development alongwith successful market creation of Greenfield & Brownfield projects while working in Aditya Birla Group, Reliance Industries Ltd, PT Indorama Group & Invista ( KOCH Group). In Fibroplastichem he is leading the Business Development/Sales/Marketing, along with Manufacturing Operations in Western India. He had earlier successfully graduated from University of Calcutta with B.Sc ( Honours in Chemistry); B.Tech in Fiber Technology & also PGDM from IISW& BM, Kolkata.

Harshad Naik

• Business management experience in India of multi products to multi industry customer base.
• Experience in setting up green field operations.
• 28 years plus experience in Engineered products industry; with exposure to customers in automotive, bio-pharma, medical, construction and general engineering.

Mourad Mountassir

Experienced and goal-focused business director with strong interpersonal and organizational skills, passionate about new technologies and implementing innovative composite materials for 3d printing solutions

Pushkaraj Damle

Pushkaraj Damle is a seasoned Business Marketing Consultant working closely with the Composites Industry in India for more than two decades. He specializes in developing and executing comprehensive marketing strategies that drive growth, increase brand visibility, and maximize profitability for clients. With a deep understanding of market trends, consumer behaviour, and digital technologies, he brings out a results-oriented approach to every project.

He has successfully collaborated with diverse clients, ranging from MNCs, Medium Scale Enterprises and startups, helping them achieve their business goals.

Pushkaraj continuously stays updated with the latest industry trends and emerging technologies to offer innovative solutions to his clients.