Safety & Risk Conference 2026

“ Safe & Responsible AI: Innovation with Integration ”

29th MKO Process Safety Symposium | 81st Instrumentation & Automation Symposium 

5th Ocean Energy Safety Symposium

October 20-22, 2026 at Sonesta Hotel Houston IAH Airport

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Sponsorship Details

Guest Speakers

  • Ghassan G. Abulfaraj holds both a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering, with a specialization in Safety Engineering, from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. He has also completed the Saudi Aramco Management Development Program in Washington, D.C., as well as the Senior Executive Program at the London Business School. Throughout his career, he has attained numerous professional training qualifications and certifications.

    Career history

    Ghassan has 35 years of experience encompassing fields of technical support, safety and risk management, and fire and emergency management.

    He began his career with Saudi Aramco in 1984 in Downstream Operations (Refining) followed by several assignments with Maintenance and Engineering, and subsequently ancillary support operations including Marine, Distribution, and Terminal Operations. Upon gaining his graduate degree, Ghassan returned to Corporate Engineering before joining the Loss Prevention Department in 1993 to head the Loss Prevention area divisions in Abqaiq, Udhailiyah, and later the Central and Western Areas.

    He then went on to assume leadership roles in key departments, beginning with Industrial Security Operations in 2012, followed by the Fire Protection Department in 2015, and later the Loss Prevention Department in 2019.

    Ghassan was recognized by the International Association of Fire Chiefs for his role in promoting the profession of fire protection and rescue, and was appointed as a chair for the Gulf Council. He was also honored with the title of "Fire Chief of the Year" in 2018, marking the first time this distinction was awarded outside of the United States.

    Named Vice President and Chief Loss Prevention Engineer in 2021, Ghassan has since served as the company authority on safety and fire prevention strategies, policies, management system and engineering matters. He provides technical support and counsel, monitor and assure compliance with safety requirements and short and long-term business needs, and coordinates internally and externally on safety matters. He develops strategies and sets direction to support the company’s operations and expansion in oil and gas, ancillary support, unconventional gas, chemicals, and potential joint ventures. Ghassan also oversees global safety assessments, corporate safety programs, and alignment efforts, while also providing loss prevention support and oversight to all Saudi Aramco affiliates.

  • Shakeel came to CCPS in January 2015 as their Executive Director. CCPS is an Industrial Technology Alliance of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers [AIChE]. In nearly 8 years at CCPS, Shakeel has been expanding CCPS globally and driving the CCPS Mission to help minimize significant process safety incidents globally.

  • Dr Michael G. Hamblin holds a BEng (mechanical) with 1st class honours and PhD from the University of Western Australia.

    Early in his working life he was involved in farming, open cut gold mining and then consulting on risk-based inspection and mechanical integrity to the Oil and Gas industry.

    Since joining Woodside as staff in 1997 he has held many roles including engineering, maintenance and production technical and management positions across LNG plants, offshore platforms and dis-connectable FPSOs as well as leading the Operations division risk management, compliance and process safety assurance activities.

    He was also previously General Manager Quality responsible for Quality Management support across all Projects and Operations at Woodside and subsequently Head of HSE Investigations.

    Currently Head of Process Safety Michael oversees Process Safety Management across Woodside globally.

    See LinkedIn (93) Dr Michael Hamblin | LinkedIn

  • Dr. Abdulrehman Aldeeb brings 25 years of extensive experience in the oil, gas, and chemical industries. His expertise encompasses process safety and risk management, process decarbonization, chemical reactivity hazards, asset integrity management, process digitalization, software product development, as well as business and people leadership.

    Since joining Siemens Energy as a Process Safety Consultant in 2004, Dr. Aldeeb has held various leadership roles, including project and engineering management, global Chief Engineer, business lead, and manager of the process safety digital and consulting portfolio.

    Dr. Aldeeb holds industry leadership position within the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS), serving on both the Planning Board and the Technical Steering Committee. He has contributed as a member and co-chair for several CCPS global conferences, including the Global Conference on Process Safety and Big Data, the Middle East Process Safety Conference, and the Global Summit on Process Safety.

    In addition, he is an active member of the API subcommittee on Pressure Relief Systems. Dr. Aldeeb has authored over 25 papers in journals and conference proceedings and has delivered 60 conference presentations.

    He earned his PhD in Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M University and an MS degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington. Additionally, Dr. Aldeeb has been recognized as a Fellow of the AIChE and CCPS.

  • Narayan Ramesh is the Senior R&D Director for Global Analytical Sciences at Core R&D. In this role, Narayan oversees the Global Environmental Health & Safety (EHS), Information Research (IR), and Analytical Sciences R&D organizations, ensuring that business needs are met while advancing these groups in line with Dow’s R&D strategy.

     

    Before this, Narayan served as the R&D Director for Engineering & Process Sciences, where he developed Process Technology for various Dow businesses. He collaborated with Manufacturing & Engineering, Supply Chain, and other functions to create new capabilities that support business needs. Under his leadership, the team grew and expanded its influence.

     

    Narayan has held several key R&D roles at Dow, including leading the Characterization and Testing group globally in the Packaging and Specialty Plastics business, Dow's largest division. He supported Manufacturing Process analytical efforts for P&SP and Hydrocarbons, and developed a Knowledge and Testing Strategy to create innovative Knowledge and Lab Automation tools.

     

    He has led teams that developed award-winning products such as AGILITY™ LDPE and the Dow Powerhouse Shingle. AGILITY™ LDPE won the R&D 100 award in the market disruptor category, while the Powerhouse Shingle received wide acclaim in the solar industry, earning numerous awards including:

    • 2009 Time Magazine Best 50 Inventions

    • 2010 Globe Award

    • 2010 Environmental Excellence In Emerging Technology

    • 2012 Edison Award for Global Best New Product

    • 2012 Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Award

     

    Prior to joining Dow Solar Solutions R&D, Narayan worked at Sabic Innovative Plastics (formerly GE Plastics), where he led a team to successfully commercialize the Extem™ family of polymers. He also pioneered the scale-up and commercialization of a novel devolatilization extrusion technology.

     

    Narayan holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Osmania University in India, a master’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Rhode Island, and a PhD in chemical engineering from Penn State University, where his research focused on Diffusion in Polymers. He is the author or co-author of 34 patents and patent applications, 72 presentations, 9 conference proceedings, and 13 refereed journal publications.

     

    Narayan is a certified Six Sigma Green Belt and has received numerous awards, including:

    • American Institute of Chemical Engineers Industrial Progress Award

    • Penn State Alumni Early Career Recognition Award

    • Diamond Award for the Dow Powerhouse Shingle Development

    • Gold Team Award for the launch of the EXTEM portfolio of polymers

    • Materials Research Institute Student Research Award for Research Accomplishment at Penn State

  • Scott Tessier has served as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Energy Regulator (C-NLOER) since 2013, and was also Board Chair from 2013-2019.

     

    Scott was born and raised in St. John’s and holds an Engineering degree from Memorial University. Before joining the C-NLOER, he was an advisor in the petroleum industry on legislative and regulatory matters in Alberta. Prior to that, Scott served in senior positions with regulatory mandates during a public service career that spanned twelve years at Fisheries and Oceans Canada and three years in the Health and Northern Economic Development portfolios. Earlier in his career, Scott worked with the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment and he started his career with the St. John’s Harbour Atlantic Coastal Action Program.

     

    Scott is an observer on the Board of One Ocean and he is the past Chair of the International Regulators Forum. From 2019 to 2023, Scott served on Eastern Health’s Board of Trustees and Quality Assurance, Improvement and Safety Committee. He also served two terms on the Board of the Marine Environmental Observation, Prediction and Response (MEOPAR) Network from 2014 to 2020.

     

    Scott has coached youth basketball and minor hockey. He and his wife have three children and an unusually large number of pets.

  • Mike is a legally-trained global business leader with 25+ years of experience providing strategic, business, financial/operating leadership to businesses, achieving successful turnarounds, operational excellence & business growth. His expertise in mega-project management in complex and difficult environments, power plant operations/maintenance, Six Sigma, and legal matters informs all his work. As SVP at the AES Corp., he directed projects from $2Bn (hydro, thermal) to $50M (wind). He successfully completed over $8Bn+ of investment and 9.5 GW of renewable, thermal, natural gas and hydro power, LNG, and environmental upgrades for a Fortune 200 company operating in 18 countries. At GE, he was responsible for Operations of over 7 GW of facilities in Pakistan, India, Korea, Thailand, Taiwan and Australia, and maintained 140+ turbines under long-term service agreements across Asia. Management & Leadership Qualifications include: Profitable Growth: Strategy & Capital Allocation | Business Dev. | Operating Margins & EBIT improvements | Acquisition integrations | Extracting Value: Profit / Loss Management | Org. Design & Development | Sustainability | Quality, Efficiency & Performance Improvements through Six Sigma and Lean | Complex Infrastructure Projects: Renewables, LNG, CCGT, Hydro, Thermal | Design, Construction & Startup | Power Plant Operations & Services | Hazardous & Highly Regulated Operations, Nuclear Operations Commercial Acumen: Contract Negotiations | Claims, Disputes, Arbitrations | Project Financing & Dev. | Stakeholder Mgt. | Industry experience includes: Power Plant Operations & Maintenance | Chemical Plant Ops | Design/Construction/Startup of Renewable, Power and Chemical Plants | Uranium Processing | Nuclear Fuel | Electronic Design & Assembly | Water Treatment & Purification | Oil & Gas | Distributed Control System | Certified Six Sigma Leader & Master Black Belt | Logistics and Supply Chain |

  • Dr. Joe Elabd is the Vice Chancellor for Research at The Texas A&M University System; a system of 12 universities and 8 state agencies with externally funded research expenditures of $1.5 billion annually. As the leader of the A&M System Office of Research, Dr. Elabd is responsible for providing research leadership and services to support all 20 system members and oversees numerous offices and initiatives, including Texas A&M Innovation, Bush Combat Development Complex, Texas A&M Semiconductor Institute, Center for Applied Communications & Networks, Research & Innovation Security & Competitiveness Institute, Research Security Office, Research Compliance Office, Research Administration Office, and the Research Development Office.

    Prior to these roles, Dr. Elabd has served in several administrative roles at Texas A&M University, including the Interim Vice Chancellor and Dean of Engineering, Interim Director of the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station, Associate Dean for Research of Engineering, and Associate Department Head of Chemical Engineering.

    Dr. Elabd is also currently a Professor and the Axalta Coating Systems Chair II in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and served as a Senior Fellow at the Instituto di Studi Avanzati, Università di Bologna and a Scholar in Residence at the Food & Drug Administration. He has received numerous research awards including the NSF CAREER Award, the ARO Young Investigator Award, and the DuPont Science and Engineering Award. His research focuses on electrochemical energy (batteries, capacitors, fuel cells) and materials and polymer science. Dr. Elabd has taught chemical engineering courses at all levels (freshmen, sophomore, junior, senior, and graduate).

    Dr. Elabd received his Ph.D. and B.S. both in chemical engineering from Johns Hopkins University and University of Maryland, Baltimore County, respectively, and was a National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory.

  • Frank Gardner is a senior consultant with High Reliability Group LLC. He specializes in assisting clients with the technical, operational, and organizational improvements necessary to drive change in processes, performance, and reliability. For the last eight years, Frank has consulted in all phases of oil and gas production from coaching in the field upstream, evaluating performance in midstream pipeline integrity programs, and driving improvements in refinery process safety. Frank’s consulting produced improvements in operational consistency, process safety, maintenance planning and execution, and leadership effectiveness. Specifically for one client, a 50 percent reduction in tier 1 and 2 process safety incidents and a 25% reduction in maintenance costs through more robust planning and root cause analysis processes.

    Frank is 33 year Navy veteran serving on three fast attack submarines and two ballistic missile submarines. His other tours of duty include two nuclear instructor tours, two tours on the staff of the Submarine Force commander, and as a shipyard Zone Manager for three submarine refueling overhauls. Frank rose through the ranks from young nuclear systems pipefitter, millwright, and nuclear power plant operator to the senior most nuclear trained enlisted Sailor in the Navy.

    Frank led the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program (NNPP) for 5 years as the Naval Reactors Command Master Chief. As the personal advisor to the 2 Directors of NNPP on all matters pertaining to enlisted personnel and leadership. He directed all human resources initiatives and career processes from recruitment to retirement for the 17k+ personnel who supervise, operate, and maintain nuclear propulsion plants. He set and maintained the standards for qualification, continued certification and removal of certification of nuclear propulsion plant operators and supervisors. As a regulator, assessor, and auditor he conducted dozens of operational, organizational culture, and program assessments in a variety of industrial and operational settings.

    Frank has co-authored several papers on operational excellence and process safety, including Making Zero a Reality: Selecting and Measuring the “Right” Zero published in Process Safety Progress and presented at the 17th Global Congress on Process Safety, Improving Safety Performance: Compliance versus Competence presented by co-author in 2024, and How to Create & Sustain a ZERO Incident Culture presented at Hazards Asia Pacific 2019.

  • Anne O’Neal is Manager of Process Safety Culture and Competency at Chevron and an AIChE Board Member and Fellow. Her 42-year career includes several other senior positions in process safety and health, environment and safety. She also founded Chevron’s early technical career development program after assignments in process engineering, operations, maintenance, strategic planning, and creating Chevron’s first management system approach to process safety.

    She earned her BS in chemical engineering from the Univ. of California, Davis, and was a founding member of their Center for Women in Engineering and a ChE Departmental Advisory Board member.

    An early participant in AIChE’s Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS), and a CCPS Advisory Board member since 2005, she and colleagues pioneered Process Safety Faculty Workshops which have reached 500+ globally. She also co-led the 2005 API/IPECA sustainability reporting guidelines development.

  • Dr. Judy Jeevarajan is Vice President and Executive Director of the Electrochemical Safety Research Institute at UL Research Institutes. With nearly three decades of experience in battery technology, specializing in lithium-ion chemistry, she contributes to global safety standards through organizations including UL, IEC, SAE, AIAA, and the United Nations. Prior to ULRI, she spent over 17 years supporting battery safety and innovation at NASA’s Johnson Space Center and with Lockheed Martin. She holds advanced degrees in chemistry and has received multiple honors, including the NASA Exceptional Service Medal.