The GPCA Youth Council has launched Youth Talk, a new platform designed to connect young professionals with industry leaders and experts and create opportunities to gain practical knowledge, career experiences and forward-looking perspectives.
The inaugural session was moderated by Jowaher Al-Shiba, Process Safety Specialist, QChem, and Member, GPCA Youth Council, Capability Building Youth Council, and featured Eng. Mater Aldhafeeri, Secretary General, GPCA, as its guest.
The discussion explored a broad range of topics, beginning with Mater’s own career journey and the experiences that shaped his professional path. One of the key messages was that leadership begins long before someone receives a formal leadership title. Young professionals should build credibility through consistently delivering on commitments, taking ownership, and seeking opportunities to work across functions.
The qualities that will become increasingly important for the next generation of industry leaders are curiosity, adaptability and commercial awareness, attendees heard. As the industry continues to evolve, professionals will need to connect technical knowledge with customer needs, technology, global markets and the wider external environment.
The conversation then turned to the trends expected to shape the chemical and petrochemical industry over the coming decade. With new capacity, particularly in Asia, intensifying competition, and trade flows continuing to shift, competitiveness will increasingly extend beyond traditional advantages. Future competitiveness will depend on creating greater value through differentiated and higher-value products, while improving carbon and resource efficiency.
Technology emerged as another major theme. The session highlighted the growing role of AI, digitalization and advanced analytics across operations, maintenance, supply chains, R&D and commercial decision-making. For young professionals, this means developing an understanding not only of emerging technologies, but also of how they can be deployed effectively and responsibly at scale. An especially relevant part of the discussion focused on how companies can encourage innovation while maintaining safety and reliability.
The first GPCA Youth Talk concluded with an interactive Q&A, giving participants the opportunity to engage directly with the guest and explore topics raised during the discussion. The launch of GPCA Youth Talks represents another step toward strengthening capability building within the industry, creating a space where knowledge and experience can be shared and young professionals can gain valuable leadership perspectives.