2024 Speakers

Mr. Andrews is co-owner and principal formulation chemist with Innovative Fluid Design, LLC. Gary and an industry colleague began the company in March of 2021 with the expressed intent to develop and deliver the highest technology metalworking fluids available. He also works as a consultant in the metalworking industry, primarily with raw material manufacturers and distributors.

Prior to that, Gary was the Technical Director of QualiChem, Inc. from September of 2004 until August of 2020. His responsibility while there was to develop their metalworking product portfolio.

From April 2000 until October 2023, Gary served as a Senior Formulation Chemist in the metalworking division of Nalco Chemical Co.

Mr. Andrews began his career in the industry in February of 1987 at Van Straaten Chemical company, which was subsequently purchased by Castrol. He worked there for 13 years, ending his time there as the R&D Manager, Cutting and Grinding Fluids.

Senior manager with more than 25 years of experience managing sales, marketing, operations and personnel for established and well-established companies in the chemical distribution and manufacturing industry. 

Vincenzo has held several positions, from operation manager to R&D and scale up manager for the technical side, instead for the commercial side from Sales Technical Manager to International Product Manager to Marketing & Sales Director at a leading oleochemical company. All these positions had a horizontal focus on the entire industrial chemical sector.  

He has devoted much of his working life to the study of esters, focusing on mechanical lubrication.  

David A. Barned brings more than 30 years of industry experience in metalworking fluids with Master Fluid Solutions (formerly Master Chemical Corporation). Over his career, he has held global roles in Marketing, Operations, and Supply Chain.  Currently, as SVP & General Manager, David leads Master Fluid Solutions’ North American Business Unit.

David earned a BS at the State University of New York at Geneseo and completed his MBA at Southern Methodist University’s Cox School of Business in Dallas, Texas.  He is active in advancing the metalworking industry, serving on the 2024 Advisory Board for Lubricant Expo North America, having served as Vice-Chairman of the Asian Lubricants Industry Association (ALIA), and is an active participant on the Economics & Statistics committee at the Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT).

Michael Tekletsion Berhan is the Powertrain Gear and Bearing Technical Expert at Ford Research with over 27 years in the design and integration of gears, bearings, shafts, chains, and electric motors.  He is Ford Transmission/Driveline Patent Committee Chair and teaches geartrain systems and CAE. 

 Mr. Berhan’s been a member of the SAE Automatic Transmission Technical Committee for 21 years, sponsoring multiple standards, was SAE’s AE-29 Design Practices book’s Gear, Splines, and Chains Editor and revision author, and was geartrain lead for the SAE/Timken-Howard Simpson Transmission Innovation Award given to Ford’s 10-Speed RWD transmissions.  He’s also on the AGMA Electric Drive Committee, teaches AGMA/ABMA’s Integration and Trade-Offs in Gear and Bearing Systems class, and taught STLE’s EV Transmission System, Electric Machine, and Geartrain class. 

 He received his mechanical engineering MS from MIT, with the thesis “Implementation of a Halbach Array in a Tubular Linear Motor”, and his mechanical engineering BE from Stevens Institute, with minors in material engineering and science, technology, and society. 

Mark has led downstream, specialty products, and environmental industry-focused companies for over 30 years. Specifically, his senior leadership roles have accounted for annual revenues exceeding $500MM with industrial stalwarts such as Shell, SK Environmental, and GFL. He has consistently focused on technical, sales, and operations functions while continually exploring opportunities to grow the business through targeted and transformational acquisitions. Mark earned a master’s in chemical engineering from the Technical University of Braunschweig, Germany, and a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Hamburg, Germany. He is fluent in German and English.

Rafe Britton is a Lubrication Engineer with 14 years of oil industry experience, split evenly between drilling operations and maintenance and downstream lubricants engineering. During his 12 years at ExxonMobil, Rafe worked across some of the largest, most complex capex projects in the ExxonMobil portfolio, including PNG-LNG and Gorgon-Jansz. He then transitioned into the finished lubricants business, helping industrial customers across the APAC region improve machine reliability.

In 2020 Rafe started the Lubrication Explained YouTube channel, seeking to accomplish the following objectives:

• Help provide freely available, high-quality information about lubricants technology
• Create a community of learning for the lubricants industry
• Connect a wide array of experts with each other

The channel has since expanded into a podcast (Lubrication Experts), an online training business (Lubrication Explained Pro) and led to multiple speaking engagements at industry events.

Rafe now works as an independent consultant across all parts of the lubricants value chain. This includes working with base oil and additive suppliers, lubricants blenders, marketers & distributors, as well as end-users. With connections throughout the industry, if Rafe doesn’t hold the answer to your specific problem, he likely knows someone who does.

Dr. Jason R. Brown is the General Manager Industry and Transport Lubricants Technology for Shell. Previously, Dr. Brown worked as the Shell Global Technology Manager for diesel engine oils and managed the Research and Development program for heavy duty engine oils at Shell lubricants.

With over 20 years’ experience in the lubricants industry, Dr. Brown lead the development of all Shell heavy and light duty diesel engine oil formulations globally. His background in the lubricants business covers additive development, supply chain delivery, formulation development and technology portfolio strategy.

Together with experts at Shell R&D centers around the world, Dr. Brown works closely with engine manufacturers and customers to understand their technical challenges and develop fluid solutions that lower total cost of ownership and improve efficiency.

Wes Cash is the Vice President of Services for Noria Corporation. He serves as a senior technical consultant for Lubrication Program Development projects and as a senior instructor for Noria’s Oil Analysis I and II as well as the Machinery Lubrication I and II training courses. Wes is an enthusiastic, relatable speaker who connects effortlessly with his audience. His style and easy-to-understand approach to the curriculum create an interactive learning forum.

With his background as a former construction worker and heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC-R) technician, Wes brings practical knowledge to which students can relate. With Noria, he has helped numerous companies transform their current lubrication practices into world-class programs. Wes is also a regular contributor of technical articles for Machinery Lubrication magazine. He holds Machine Lubricant Analyst (MLA) Level III, Machine Lubrication Technician (MLT) Level II, and Machinery Lubrication Engineer (MLE) certifications through the International Council for Machinery Lubrication (ICML), and is a Certified Lubrication Specialist through the Society for Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE).

Christopher Cleveland is R&D technical director at Afton Chemical Corporation, where he has worked for 15 years in transmission fluid research and development. Currently, he works with a global team of chemists and engineers, which is responsible for the development of performance additives for the next-generation transmission fluids, AT, DCT, CVT, and EV, in collaboration with key customers and OEM partners.

Director of International R&D at Valvoline Global Operations.  Jesse manages scientists and engineers across the world covering six technical centers and eight countries.  At Valvoline he has held various roles including Technical Director for Valvoline China, based in Shanghai, Director of R&D Innovations for Valvoline Instant Oil Change, and leading a group of chemists in India designing new molecular entities.

Prior to joining Valvoline, he worked at Infineum, synthesizing novel lubricant additives and formulating additive packages.  He completed two postdoctoral research positions at The Burnham Institute and The Scripps Research Institute in medicinal chemistry and drug discovery.

Jesse earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry at the University of Oregon.  He earned his master’s degree in Organic Chemistry from San Diego State University and then earned his doctorate in Organic Chemistry from the University of California, San Diego.  He also has an MBA from the University of Kentucky.

John Dietrich is the Associate Editor for the Americas base oil regions for Argus Media. He has covered and reported on the US base oil market for three years at Argus. He previously has covered petrochemical and other oil and gas markets for 13 years. John is based in Houston, Texas and is a product of the University of Missouri’s journalism school.

Gavin Duckworth has been in the petroleum industry since 1986 and worked in the lubricant additive market for 24 years.   Gavin has an Environmental Engineering background and is currently the Executive President and Co-Founder of Novel Reliable Technologies.  Gavin shares a US Patent holder – “Process for preparing low sulfur dispersant polymers”.  Novel Reliable Technologies (NRTech USA) is a specialty additive manufacturer which is proficient in additive and component chemistry in the lubricant market involving automotive and industrial segments and grease markets.  NRTech USA produces engine oil packages, ATF packages, TO-4, small engine, and component chemistry include ZDDP, PMAs (poly(methacrylates), dispersants, tackifiers, PPD (pour point depressants) and additional chemistry for the lubricant and grease blending.

Garrett holds a certificate and diploma from Munster Technological University both with distinction and a 1st class hons bachelor’s degree from University of Limerick, Ireland. He has over twenty years of post-graduation experience in the Pharma and BioPharma sector working in areas such as projects, maintenance & reliability, new product introduction and process support. These roles have been predominately based in Ireland, but he has also worked internationally. For the last five and a half years Garrett has been working as a Principal Engineer – Maintenance & Reliability at the Eli Lilly and Company facility in Kinsale, Ireland. Here he is part of a team responsible for over fifty thousand assets across a range of business units. Garrett has been a member of ICML for over 7 years. 

After taking a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry at Auburn University and a PhD in organic chemistry at the University of Illinois, he joined Mobil in their Corporate Research in Princeton, NJ, where he spent 19 years in lubricants research until Exxon purchased Mobil. After 4 years with ExxonMobil in lubricants research, he joined Ashland in Lexington, KY, in the Valvoline Division as Chief Scientist. After 8 years with Valvoline, he assumed his current position for 13+ years as President and CTO of Santolubes in Spartanburg, SC. 

He is inventor on 35 US patents and author on 13 scientific publications. His work over his 43-year career has focused mainly on improved processes for base oil production and the production of synthetic base oils and formulated products. His extensive research on the structure/composition influence on property and performance relationships in lubricant base oils has resulted in numerous valuable discoveries and patents. 

Blair Fraser, Vice President at UE Systems, is a market leader in ultrasonic solutions. Joining the company in 2020 as Director of IIoT and rising to Vice President by 2022, he has over 25 years of experience in automation engineering and manufacturing. Mr. Fraser has significantly enhanced UE Systems’ offerings, especially in connected ultrasonic tools and IIoT software for predictive maintenance. He holds numerous patents and is a respected speaker in the industry. Prior to UE Systems, he co-founded Quartic.AI and held key roles in the industrial equipment sector. 

Ulf Gardenier is 54 years old and lives with his wife in Duesseldorf, Germany. 

In the 1990s he studied physics and business administration at the University of Aachen, completing his two courses with diploma theses on laser-optics and maintenance processes on freight-cars.  

Meanwhile, Ulf looks back on a 25-year journey in the consultancy area. He started his career at SIEMENS as an SAP consultant in the growing tide of business process-driven projects of large industrial companies motivated by the year 2000. Later, as a key account manager, he was responsible for his company’s business with several global customers. 

In early 2022, Ulf decided to completely change his previous career path and joined KAJO, a German manufacturer of lubricating greases and oils. The challenge of entering the North American market with new innovative products was the main motivation for this move. He now heads KAJO’s North American division as managing director. 

Susan Gardner is the R&D Manager for the grease development group at Klüber Lubrication North America. She holds a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Michigan State University where her research was focused in the field of electrically conductive polymers.  Susan has been working in the lubricant industry for over 20 years and has spent the last 10 years developing expertise in the formulation of Environmentally Acceptable Lubricants (EALs) to improve the sustainability profile of lubrication in a variety of industries.  

Katherine Glasgow completed her B.S. in Chemistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, followed by her Ph.D. in Chemistry at Indiana University. In her first industrial position at GE Plastics, she was responsible for process and product development for new grades of polycarbonate for applications in food contact, medical devices, automotive lighting, and aircraft interiors. After 7 years at GE, Katherine moved to Nomacorc, a food packaging company wherein she used extrusion processes and raw material optimization to tune barrier and surface release properties. Katherine has been with Aurorium for 4 years, and is the Technical Director for the Performance Materials business unit. Her team, located in the US and the UK, develops new products for applications such as Fuel and Lubricants, Paper and Packaging, Coatings, and Specialty Additives. Her publications include 21 patents, 7 journal articles, and 1 book chapter.

As Executive Vice President at FEV North America, Dr Kiran Govindswamy is responsible for leading the engineering and development activities for drivetrain, e-mobility, and vehicle engineering in North America.
 

During Kiran’s more than 23-year career at FEV, he has held several positions in NVH, component engineering, and vehicle integration. He has been instrumental in expanding the company’s technical capabilities and expertise in the areas of vehicle and powertrain NVH, transmission, and electric drive system development.
 

Kiran earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the College of Engineering Pune, India and a master’s degree and doctorate in engineering from the Pennsylvania State University. Kiran serves on the technical advisory group (TAG) of the SAE WCX conference. He is also a member of the advisory board for the CTI USA Symposium. 

Dr. Aaron Greco is a Principal Materials Scientist and Group Leader of the Interfacial Mechanics and Materials Group at Argonne National Laboratory. He leads multiple DOE and industrial funded research programs on topics related to materials development for improved mechanical reliability, including a program to investigate material failures of wind turbine drivetrain components. Aaron’s technical background is in tribology, surface engineering, advanced manufacturing, and bearing reliability. He has published over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles and holds several patents. Dr. Greco received his BS from Iowa State University and PhD from Northwestern University, both degrees in Mechanical Engineering.

22-year Navy Boiler Technician/Machinist Mate. Qualified Oil King on an aircraft carrier and oiler, performing boiler water chemistry and shipboard oil analysis. After retiring from the Navy in 2008 went to work as the grease plant manager for Royal Manufacturing in Tulsa (now Axel Royal). Afterward, I worked as a field service pump mechanic for about a year. Then went to work for Noria and became one of their Senior Technical Consultants, building and improving client lubrication programs and their Lead Trainer, building courses, and conducting training for ICML certifications. Most recently, I was the Machinery Lubrication Engineer for Industrial Oils Unlimited, building and improving customer lubrication programs and ensuring proper lubricant selection. I am continuing that work with Descase, conducting ICML certification training and helping customers develop and improve their lubrication programs.

Mark has dedicated over 45 years to A.W. Chesterton Company, with a strong emphasis on gaining practical insights into equipment failure and developing effective corrective action plans. Throughout his tenure at Chesterton, he has taken on various roles, including Chemist, Technical Service/Application Engineering, Research and Development Manager, and Educator. Mr. Guenther is certified with MLT II   and has conducted Lubrication Training Seminars across more than 35 countries and seven different languages. His seminars, centered around Operational Efficiency and Optimum Reference State of Performance, focusing on fundamental causes of day‐to‐day equipment lubrication issues. Mark’s guiding philosophy is centered on the belief that “providing value to our customer is the single most important contribution we can make.”

Mike joined the Blumenthal family of businesses in 2008 and currently serves as President and CEO of its portfolio company,  RSC BIO Solutions. Mike initiated the company’s move into industrial biotechnology with a 2012 investment in Terresolve Technologies, an entrepreneurial green tech company with a record of lubricant accomplishment dating back to the 1980’s. The RSC Bio Solutions platform has developed into a global leader in performance environmental lubricants and cleaners branded as FUTERRA and ENVIROLOGIC with a unique focus on marine applications.

Prior to joining Blumenthal Holdings, Guggenheimer was an operating partner for Blackstreet Capital Management, a private equity group that focused on control buyouts of under-performing corporate orphans. He also held a variety of general management positions for Milliken & Company, from manufacturing management to strategic business development.

Guggenheimer holds a B.A. in psychology from Davidson College and an M.B.A. from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia.

Jeff Harmening has been with the American Petroleum Institute (API) since 2010 supporting the Engine Oil Licensing Certification System (EOLCS) and Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) Certification Programs.  He also supports the Aftermarket Audit Program (AMAP) which purchases and test thousands of engine oil and DEF samples globally to ensure conformance with required specifications.  Currently, Jeff is the API staff member working with a committee of member company SMEs, whose efforts resulted in the publication API Technical Report TR 1533 – Lubricants Life Cycle Assessment and Carbon Footprinting—Methodology and Best Practice, available free-of-charge at https://www.api.org/products-and-services/engine-oil/sustainability-of-lubricants. 

Dr. Kathleen Havelka is the Senior VP of Global Research, Development, and Applications at Advancion. Kathleen leads alignment of business and innovation strategies to increase the speed and impact from technical investments at Advancion. She has a successful track record developing innovations that contribute to business growth. 

Prior to joining Advancion, Kathleen served as Sr. Director of R&D and QC at Fuchs. In this role she was responsible for accelerating new product introductions of novel fluids and greases and upgrading to IATF 16949 QMS. 

Kathleen’s previous experience includes 18 years at Lubrizol leading global, multidisciplinary, cross-functional teams in developing and commercializing  field-responsive fluids, sensors, lubricants, fuel additives, bio-based additives, and aftermarket products.  

Kathleen holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Elmhurst University and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Northern Illinois University. She has 8 patents, is an ACS Fellow, and is on the Science Advisory Board of Florida Food Products. 

Elaine Hepley certified in Women in Leadership by Cornell University, 15 years Industry experience in condition monitoring, data statistics, custom flagging and an emphasis in Varnish Analysis. Elaine is the Sales Manager and Technical Services Representative for Delta-Xero overseeing the Americas, Lubrication Expert with Rafe Britton and has her own Consulting Business for Varnish Analysis. Has developed new testing techniques that study the formation of varnish and correlations between MPC values and L*a*b* values. Currently CLS, OMA Certified and serves on the Board of Directors for STLE and is the current Chair of the following – OMA, DEI and Education and Certification Committees. In the process of studying to take the VIM and VPR Badges with ICML. Bilingual in both English and Spanish her mission in life is to help others by sharing knowledge and helping customers one filter at a time.

With 20+ years in the business of bringing order out of chaos, Paul oversees marketing initiatives for ICML, which has certified and supported thousands of lubrication and oil analysis practitioners worldwide since 2001. In addition to promotion of certification exams and ICML 55® Standards, his ongoing strategy seeks to improve the ICML user experience through greater exposure of satisfied clients, higher engagement for training partners & certified practitioners, and expansion of membership value. Before joining ICML, he was the U.S. product marketing programs manager for the Statistica predictive analytics platform, first with its parent company, StatSoft, and then with Dell and Quest Software, where he handled a broad range of content marketing activities including case study development, trade show presence, and more. In an earlier life he operated as a freelance graphic designer, photographer, and copywriter. Hiller is a graduate of Regis College at Regis University in Denver, CO, USA. 

Annie is Director of Global Business Development for Kline’s Energy Management Consulting Business, based out of Kline’s London office. Her focus is working with clients involved in the lubricants value chain and associated industries. She also is a key member of Kline’s lubricant value chain advisory and due diligence team.

Prior to joining Kline, Annie ran a global lubricants and greases performance benchmarking and analysis project. This saw her work with numerous global, national and independent lubricant companies advising on operational improvement and cost reduction through advanced data analytics.

Earlier in her career Annie worked as a process engineer primarily working to optimize biogas and energy production from wastewater treatment facilities.

Annie has a BEng (honors) in Chemical and Process Engineering, and a B.Sc (Chemistry), both from the University of Canterbury, New Zealand.

With focus on the “how,” emphasis on the “why,” and explicit clarity on the “what” Megan has a storied 18-year career spanning multiple fields and industries. For the past 13 years, Megan has served General Mills’ Supply Chain in various leadership capacities. She joined the organization into the Sourcing function where she managed various $100MM+ categories. After several business facing roles, Megan served the Australian and European markets in a role based in Melbourne, Australia. Upon returning to the United States, Megan traded Commodities before relocating across country to serve in three different Plant Management roles. It was during her Plant experiences that Megan developed a love of the Arena and the unwavering belief in the importance of putting people at the heart of all we do. Megan currently serves as the Senior Manufacturing Director for the Pet Segment. She is a proud mom of two spirited boys and one rowdy Frenchie. Megan has been happily married to her supportive and fabulous husband for 12 years.

Kevin has worked in the Industrial setting for 39 years in various roles from assembly line worker to shipping clerk. He started with Blue Buffalo in July of 2018 as an extruder operator. One year later, in October of 2019 he was promoted to the Lubrication Department. In four years he has been an integral part of applying for, and receiving the 2020 Battle award and the 2022 Gill award from the International Council for Machinery Lubrication. As one of only 2 companies worldwide that have earned both awards, this cemented Blue Buffalo as having a world class lubrication system. He have 5 different certifications from the ICML including MLT1 & 2 MLA 1 & 2 and MLE 

Meet Anthony, a distinguished Mechatronics Engineer from the University of Waterloo with an MBA specializing in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. A thought leader in the field of lubrication aeration, Anthony brings a wealth of knowledge and a passion for enhancing the safety and efficiency of various modes of transportation. 

 With a career underpinned by a robust engineering background and sharpened by business acumen, Anthony has dedicated his efforts to the intersection of technology and practical application. His comprehensive understanding of mechanical systems is not just academic but also fueled by a hands-on, adrenaline-rich experience as a licensed boat captain, motorcyclist, and pilot. 

 Anthony’s keynote will not only delve into the technicalities of aeration in lubrication but will also navigate the broader implications of these systems in transportation safety and performance. Attendees can expect a session that couples technical depth with an innovative perspective on efficiency and sustainability. 

 When not engineering solutions or sharing insights on the speaker circuit, Anthony is an outdoor enthusiast who values quality time with family, advocating for a work-life balance that energizes and inspires. 

 Join us in welcoming Anthony Khoraych to the Lubrication and Bearing Expo, where he will propel our understanding of aeration in lubrication to new heights. 

Ryan is an Expert Technologist, Product Development at Castrol and brings over 12 years of experience in the lubricants Industry. He develops new automotive engine oil formulations that are used in Castrol’s global portfolio meeting a wide variety of Industry and OEM specifications. His previous role at Castrol was Senior Technologist, OEM where he was Castrol’s technical liaison to Passenger Car, Heavy Duty, and Driveline OEMs in North America. Ryan earned a B.Eng. in Chemical Engineering and an M.Eng. in Chemical Engineering, both from Stevens Institute of Technology. He currently represents Castrol in the API BOI/VGRA Task Force and has previously represented Castrol in ASTM and SAE working groups.

Dr. Anant Kolekar is a Chief Scientist & Tribology who leads the Global EV Drive System Fluid Development at Valvoline Global Operations. He earned his PhD in Tribology from Imperial College London. He has multiple patents and publications on drive system fluids and hardware designs. He has a unique 17-year professional background in Automotive and Aerospace product developments using Tribology, Fluid Mechanics, Thermodynamics and Computational Mathematics.

Dr. Kolekar has received multiple awards in professional work and sports. He has been actively involved at regional, national, and international levels promoting nature conservation and animal protection.

Matt Kriech is the President of Biosynthetic Technologies. Dr. Kriech also supports Heritage Research Group and The Heritage Group in the evaluation of potential new projects and investments.

Prior to his current role, he led the transition team for The Heritage Group and worked for Asphalt Materials Inc. in developing predictive economic models. He has also served as General Manager of PIZO and Supply Chain Manager, Tolling Manager, and Business Excellence leader for Monument Chemical. Matt received his B.A. from Wabash College in 2000 and his Ph.D. from the University of Utah in 2005, where he studied protein-lipid interactions using non-linear optical spectroscopy. Prior to returning to Indiana, he worked for ATK as a “Rocket Scientist” in Utah, helping to test and develop state-of-the-art rocket propellants.

Amy Lachman began her career at PhyMet, Inc. as a chemist and is now the President of PhyMet. She obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from Muskingum University, where she did her Senior Thesis on MicroPorous Polymeric Lubrication, and a Master’s of Business Administration from Bowling Green State University.

Throughout her career Amy has been a supporter of women in manufacturing, and was profiled in April of 2021 by Iron and Steel Technology as part of their Women in Steel series.

After working as a qualified motor vehicle technician for a number of years, Peter attended the University of Leeds, UK where he obtained a Bachelor’s in Automotive Engineering followed by a Doctorate in Engine Tribology. Peter was subsequently awarded a 5-year Royal Academy of Engineering Research Followship to continue his Engine Tribology research where he collaborated with many oil and additive companies and OEMs. Towards the end of this 5 years, he was approached by Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas to establish tribology research labs at the Institute. Peter moved from the UK to Texas with his family in 2011 and has since established a world recognized Tribology Research and Evaluations group which solves real world tribological issues for a range of clients from deep sea to deep space and everything in between. Most recently he has established the labs as a leader in EV tribology research. 

I am Darren Lesinski, the Technical Director for TotalEnergies Marketing & Services U.S. located in Linden, NJ. I oversee the complete automotive and industrial product lines at their Linden, NJ and Rockingham, NC facilities.

I have been with TotalEnergies for 14 years and I have been in the lubricants industry for over 35 years. I began my career as QA/QC Manager in 1983 with CASTROL US and later moved to ANDEROL Specialty Lubricants as a Technical Service manager and Global OEM Manager for over 23 years.

I have authored many papers regarding esters and glycols as well as their uses in air and gas compression applications. I am also a contributing author in “Synthetics, Mineral Oils, and Bio-based Lubricants” – Leslie R. Rudnick/CRC Press, Dec 22, 2005.

My work in ester chemistry has led me to work in advancement of those technologies in biodegradable applications contributing to patent work in aviation jet turbines and air compression technologies.

I have been in a member of STLE for over 35 years and served as NY Section Chair from 2005 – 2008. In 2004 I was also appointed the position of Synthetic Lubricant Chair for STLE in 2004. I am currently serving as the TotalEnergies representative in both STLE & ILMA. I am an active member of other organizations such as ASM, AIST, NLGI, and SPE.

Greg Livingstone is Chief Innovation Officer for Fluitec. He has three decades of industrial lubrication experience focused on how lubricants degrade and how to mitigate the risks associated with oil failure. He’s developed oil analysis tests, filtration technologies, solubility enhancers and other technologies used to increase the life and performance of industrial lubricants. He has volunteered in multiple industry organizations, such as STLE, ICML, and ASTM. Along his journey, he’s published almost 100 papers on these subjects and has helped hundreds of clients in over 50 countries. He recently published a book called “Turbomachinery Cholesterol: The Story of Varnish”. 

Vittoria Lopopolo is the Global Director of Technology at Petro-Canada Lubricants, a subsidiary of HF Sinclair.  In her role, she provides leadership to a team of individuals responsible for the formulation designs, product development, testing and technical support of various Lubricants and Specialty products;  including both Regulatory and Quality Control functions.

She started as a co-op student in 1997 and 1999 and officially joined the company in 2002 as a Product Specialist responsible for heavy-duty diesel engine oils. She transitioned to numerous other product portfolios including turbine, heat transfer, metalworking, fire resistant hydraulic and automatic transmission fluids, as well as automotive gear oils and greases. Vittoria has over 23 years of experience in the field of Lubricants & Specialties, including time spent in basestock refinery operations.

Vittoria graduated in June 2000 with a B.Eng. in Chemical Engineering from Ryerson Polytechnic University, and is a licensed Professional Engineer.

Constantin Madius, a BSc Chemical Engineering graduate of the University of Borås, Sweden, has worked at Axel Christiernsson since 1998, first as a Technical Service and Product Engineer, then as Key Account Manager and as Group Product Manager for Axel Christiernsson International. 2013 he moved to the US taking up the position as Commercial Product Manager for AXEL Americas LLC. Constantin has also been responsible for customer training courses and lubrication seminars resulting in the exclusive “Grease Genius” program offered to AXEL’s customers. He has lectured on these topics at universities and postgraduate education institutes within the Nordic countries and is the co-author of the book Grease Fundamentals. Constantin also holds the position as Technical coordinator for the European Lubricating Grease Institute (ELGI) as well as co-chairs the Hands-On Grease training course for NLGI.

Sanya is the Founder of Strategic Reliability Solutions Ltd based in Trinidad & Tobago and operates in the capacity of Managing Director and Senior Consultant. She works with global affiliates in the areas of Reliability and Asset Management to bring these specialty niches to her clients. She holds her BSc in Electrical and Computer Engineering, MSc in Engineering Asset Management and is an ICML certified MLE (Machinery Lubrication Engineer) – the first female in the Caribbean. Sanya was also the first female in the world to achieve the ICML Varnish badges (VIM & VPR).

She sits on the Editorial board for Precision Lubrication Magazine and is a digital editor for STLE’s TLT Magazine for 2024. Sanya is also a bi-monthly columnist for Equipment Today Magazine.

She is the author and co-author of five books; Lubrication Degradation Mechanisms, A Complete Guide, Lubrication Degradation – Getting into the Root Causes, Machinery Lubrication Technician (MLT) I & II Certification Exam Guide and “Preventing Turbomachinery ‘Cholesterol’ – The Story of Varnish.” She has also been assigned the Series Editor of the book series, “Empowering women in STEM with the first book being launched in Dec 2022, Empowering Women in STEM – Personal Stories and Career Journeys from Around the World. When not writing or managing the business, you can find her supporting projects to advocate for women in STEM.

Patrick McDougall is currently the Technology and Lower Carbon Strategy Manager for Chevron Oronite, a newly created position focused on developing lower carbon strategies across the Chevron Chemicals business.

Patrick joined Chevron Oronite in 2008 as a Chemist working to develop new lubricant additive technology. Following this assignment, he held several leadership positions with increasing responsibly for business and technology development. Patrick has a long-standing interest in environmental sustainability and lower carbon strategy that has continued to grow throughout his career.

Patrick joined Chevron after completing his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of North Carolina and Postdoctoral studies at Stanford University.

Victor F. Medina is an environmental professional with over 30 years of experience addressing challenging issues in water and wastewater treatment, and environmental cleanup. Medina has over 130 technical presentations, including more than 30 journal articles and five patents. As part of his work at the Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Medina conducted evaluations of Environmentally Acceptable Lubricants for dams and navigation structures. After a career working for Federal Research Laboratories and nationally recognized environmental service firms, Medina has founded Medina Environmental Consulting & Solutions (MECS), a minority-owned small business focused on providing high quality environmental services to Federal and State entities and industrial and commercial clients.

Anuj Mistry (BSc Applied Chemistry) is an application engineer and joined FUCHS Lubricants Co. in 2010. He is responsible for providing technical support and sustainable performance grease solutions for automotive OEM and aftermarket segments. He began his career in the UK at the Royal Arsenal Ministry of Defense in 1986 and as a senior scientist led multiple grease projects to support UK MoD and NATO equipment operations. As an SAE AMS-M Aviation Grease Committee member he successfully helped with the development and publication of grease specifications for the aviation industry. Anuj has also supported grease projects pertaining to Industrial, Primary Metals, Mining and Food Grade machinery uptime and value-add performance. He has been active at NLGI and ELGI for many years through technical working groups, advanced & basic grease education classes and as a contributing member of NLGI HPM grease specification development committee.  Anuj is a Certified Grease Lubricating Specialist, has presented many technical papers and is a recipient of NLGI best paper award on Grease Compatibility. 

James Moorhouse is the director and founder of ABN Resource, a global executive search firm that supports lubricants, additives, and base oil companies across the world. Focused on executive leadership, sales and technical hires. A strong global industry network, a USA-based recruitment team, an award-winning candidate assessment process and in-depth lubes industry knowledge. ABN delivers successful recruitment for all parties. 

Troy received his B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Michigan and his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Wayne State University. He has over 17 years in the automotive industry and has held various roles in Materials Engineering, Process Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Analytical Chemistry, Quality, and Laboratory Management. Troy’s technical expertise is focused on lubricants, surface treatments, and coatings with most of his career being centered around research, development, testing, troubleshooting, and product launches of organic materials used in driveline applications. He currently serves as the Chairmen and ASTM D7452 (L-42) reviewer for the Lubricant Review Institute (LRI) for all SAE J2360 gear oil approvals, and an active member of ASTM, SAE, API, and STLE organizations.

Kalyan Mutyala, a Research Scientist at Ford’s Energy, Propulsion, and Sustainability division, specializes in Power Unit Tribology. His innovative work focuses on enhancing electric vehicle (EV) range efficiency through reduction of power unit frictional losses and durability improvements. He implements novel material surface modification and lubrication techniques. An active member and former Detroit section Chair of the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE) for ten years, Dr. Mutyala is committed to advancing sustainable lubrication technologies, underscoring his dedication to environmental sustainability and automotive industry innovation. He received his PhD in Mechanical Engineering (Tribology) from The University of Akron, Akron, OH.

Ryan Ossmann is the General Manager at Wheeler Bearing Company, Powered by Jenkins. As a trained machinist with more than 26 years of experience in the motor repair and machining industries. Ryan leads the manufacturing operations at Wheeler to ensure the highest level of quality both in the shop and on-site when visits are required to ensure customers get back up and running.

Manish Patel is the Global Marketing Advisor for ExxonMobil Synthetics base stocks, ExxonMobil Product Solutions Company (A division of ExxonMobil Corporation).  In his capacity as team leader, Manish steers market development for the PCMO and HDMO applications for the Group IV (Low viscosity & Low viscosity, Low volotility Polyalphaolefins) and Group V (Esters & Alkalyated Naphthalenes]) product portfolio’s.

In his 30+ year career in lubricants, Manish has contributed as an R&D application scientist and in marketing. He holds an MBA in Marketing from Rutgers Business School, and B.Sc., Masters, and Doctorate degrees in Chemistry from Sardar Patel University, in India. He has been awarded an NSF grant for External GOALI with Dr. Pradeep Menezes research project on ionic fluids with the University of Nevada, Reno in 2020 and has served as  Section chair for the STLE Wind Turbine Committee since 2018.

Prior to joining ExxonMobil, Manish served as Senior Research Scientist for Cargill, Lead application scientist for Sasol Performance chemicals, and as Lube Technical Advisor for Cummins Fleetguard, Bp Castrol and Royal lubricants. His areas of expertise are PCMO, HDMO, GrpV, Grp IV, RRBO, aviation, and lubricant tribology.

B.S., Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley  

B.S., Business&Management, NY University School of Commerce 

Jack has 6 decades of experience in Fluid Analysis, beginning with Analysts, Inc (VP), 1961. He founded Lubricon Oil Analysis Labs in 1975, which was later acquired by Cummins Engine Co. and where he continued as CEO. He designed and developed first AI-based software for Fluid Analysis data evaluation in 1979-1980. He founded, designed and developed STLE Condition Monitoring Education Program; founded CMI (Condition Monitoring International) and is currently holding a leadership role in establishing STLE chapters in Mexico and Trinidad. He is an STLE Fellow, author of the book Practical Fluid Analysis in the 21st Century, 2019, and identified 8 paradigm shifts in Fluid Analysis. He is an advocate for Holistic Condition Monitoring, amalgamating Fluid Analysis with Vibration and other CM data, to create in-depth synergy for AI data analysis and accurate, in-depth maintenance advisories 

Bill Quesnel is the President and a founding partner of CINRG Systems Inc.  He has a wealth of laboratory experience in the oil analysis industry, as a director, laboratory manager, and chemist of an oil analysis laboratory for over thirty years. Bill has given more than a 100 technical papers and presentations around the globe. Bill is a member of the STLE OMA Committee, and chairman of the STLE Condition Monitoring Committee. Bill is STLE CLS, OMA I and OMA II certified, and ICML MLA I, MLA II, MLA III, MLT I, MLT II and LLA I certified.

Anastazi has spent the last 8 years of his professional career as a Business Development Manager and Bearing specialist for Klüber North America and handles all technical aspects of lubricant selection and grease life analysis for bearing applications throughout North America. Anastazi also travels to Munich 3 times per year to conduct Basic and Advanced bearing lubrication training as the global lecturer at Klüber Lubrication. 

Todd, a former Global VP of Value Advisory and Commercial Excellence with over 20 years of experience is the Founding Partner of Experts in Value, a Global Advisory specializing in comprehensive value strategies. Acknowledged as a leading subject matter expert, Todd’s profound insights into value encompass understanding, calculating, selling, negotiating, pricing, and procurement. His influence extends across diverse industries, including Industrial, Capital Equipment, FinTech, Healthcare, Pharma, and Software. Renowned for successful partnerships with Global Fortune 1000 companies, Todd excels in crafting innovative value offerings around; New Business, Performance-Based, Servitization, and Digitization offerings. His work, featured in prestigious publications such as Harvard and MIT Sloan, revolves around effective selling, pricing, and procurement strategies. As a sought-after speaker, Todd conducts value sessions at top international institutions. He is also the bestselling author of ‘Value First Then Price,’ with the 2nd edition launched in 2022 and a Chinese version expected by 2024.

Tim joined Lubes’n’Greases in 2001. He has worked on a number of the company’s publications and products and now has editorial oversight of publications, responsible for working with our editors and staff writers to maintain the high quality and relevance of these offerings. He is also a member of the company planning team. Before joining Lubes’n’Greases he was a reporter for community newspapers. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Hope College in Holland, Michigan. For fun he enjoys kayaking and hiking and fishing with his children and grandchildren.

Dr. Steven Tang is the business manager for Industrial lubricants, oilfield chemicals, CASE and emulsion polymerization at Colonial Chemical, Inc. He received his BSc. and M.S. in polymer chemistry from Sichuan University and Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Arizona. Before joining Colonial in 2019, Dr. Tang held related positions at Adesis, DSM, and Lubrizol. At Colonial Chemical, he is responsible for product management and new product development.

Corey Trobaugh has a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the Purdue University and a B.S. in Chemistry from the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. He has over 15 years of research specifically related to the synthesis and characterization of specialty chemicals. His primary responsibility within Cummins include managing a team of scientist and researchers in the field of Metallugy, Chemistry, Tribology, Polymer Science, Applied Mechanics and NVH.  His teams have developed and patented novel engine materials for various components as well as battery coolants.  They own and operate the Cummins OilGuard® program and the FluidWatch® fluid analysis services for Cummins 2.8L to 95L customers.

Based in our Parsippany, New Jersey, headquarters, David has been a manager in Kline’s Energy Practice since 2016.

He has contributed to Kline’s continuing syndicated studies, including Global Lubricant Additives, Global Synthetic Lubricants, and Franchised Workshop Channel, which include volumetrics and analysis of the consumer, commercial, and industrial end-use segments of the global lubricants industry.

Prior to joining Kline in 2016, David worked for 11 years with BP, and held a lubricant development technologist and plant chemist positions, working with marketing and supply chain in New Jersey, Pangbourne, and Shanghai.

David holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry as well as an MBA degree in Supply Chain Management from Rutgers University in New Jersey, and is cited in leading industry publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Lubes’n’Greases, and TLT.

Tom Ukai is Technical Center Chief of Daido Metal USA North American Technical Center based in Farmington Hills, Michigan. Tom has 18 years’ experience with Daido Metal. Tom worked as an application engineer in the automotive and non-automotive fields. Daido metal produces the parts for automotive, marine, generator, industrial, energy use and others. Daido Metal products are used in a wide range of moving areas where tribology is required, from cars to buildings. 

Rebecca Warden is a Senior Research Engineer at Chevron Oronite, functioning as a test engineer and OEM liaison for driveline and hydraulics, with a focus on lubricant development for next generation electric vehicles. Prior to Chevron Oronite, Rebecca was the manager of Advanced Drivetrain Lubricants at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), focusing on lubricant evaluations for electrified vehicles, automatic transmissions, axles, tractor hydraulic systems, and gear/hydraulic systems in industrial applications. Rebecca has been active for nearly 14 years in the lubricants industry with over a decade of experience in driveline testing.

As Chief Engineer – Drivetrain Systems, Thomas manages electric drive unit (EDU) system topics. Interfacing with specialists from geartrain, electric motors, and power electronics for system optimization, including lubrication and cooling aspects of the EDU system, are essential part of his role.

Further, Thomas is responsible for battery electric vehicle calibration topics, including vehicle thermal management and range optimization. Other responsibilities are coordination of activities in vehicle and component benchmarks at FEV North America.

During Thomas’ more than 24-year career at FEV, he has held several positions in NVH, component engineering, and vehicle integration. He has been instrumental in expanding the company’s technical capabilities and expertise in the areas of NVH, transmissions, e-axle development and vehicle integration.

Ali Westwood is the Global Marketing Manager for ExxonMobil’s Synthetics Global Business Unit, based out of Houston, Texas.  In this role Ali is responsible for Product Management, Marketing and Planning for the business’s Group IV (LoVis & HiVis Polyalphaolefins) and Group V (Esters & Alkalyated Naphthalenes]) product portfolio’s.  During his 22+ year career at ExxonMobil Ali has held a variety of technical, marketing and planning roles.  He was responsible for the launch, last year, of the next generation low viscosity, low volatility SpectraSyn^TM MaX 3.5 PAO off of their new technology platform.  He holds B.Sc., Masters and Doctorate degrees in Materials Science & Engineering from University of Manchester in the UK and Lehigh University in the US.  Prior to joining ExxonMobil he worked at IBM T.J. Watson Research Center and Union Carbide Corporation.

Based in London, Yana Wilkinson is the global leader of Kline’s Energy practice. With over 15 years of experience in management consulting, her practice focuses on downstream energy specialties, namely the whole lubricants value chain and adjacencies, including a broad range of automotive and industrial end-use applications. Engagements led by her team include strategy support and market intelligence. Examples of projects include market insight and intelligence, facilitating strategy review and development, business growth and market entry, opportunity identification, M&A, and more.

Yana’s self-described ambition is to leave our clients better equipped to handle challenges and capture opportunities by separating the insight from the noise, especially important when converting mega themes like Sustainability, Mobility, and Digital into clear implications for the daily business of our clients.

Lisa is a results-focused solution provider working in reliability engineering and tribology for over 15 years. Currently she serves as Ametek Spectro Scientific’s Digital Product Manager of TruVu360 Fluid Intelligence Software. Lisa is certified by the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE) as a Certified Lubrication Specialist® and certified by the International Council of Machinery Lubrication as a Machinery Lubrication Analyst (MLA I) and Laboratory Lubricant Analyst (LLA II).

Lisa serves as Chair of the in-service lubricant testing committee at American Standards of Testing and Materials (ASTM D02 CS96) and served as the technical lead on several ASTM Standards related to grease and oil analysis.  She has published over 25 journal articles and technical papers related to developing and executing effective condition monitoring programs.  Lisa holds a BS in Chemistry and Masters in Business Administration.

With 40 years of field experience and a doctorate in Organization, Development and Leadership Style, Nathan has a proven record of transforming organizations into revenue-producing powerhouses. He also helps corporate leaders develop their teams into top-caliber professionals, capable of effectively navigating and utilizing the tools available to them. Nathan’s proprietary coaching approach helps organizations achieve peak performance through leadership development, people development, maintenance and reliability, executive coaching, and strategic planning. The Wright Leadership® Program is a measurable leadership development approach based on real-world experience that increases productivity and reduces turnover and absenteeism.

Dr. Z. George Zhang is Vice President of R&D of Valvoline Global Operations (a wholly owned subsidiary of Saudi Aramco) based in Lexington, Kentucky, where he leads corporate R&D, long-term strategy development, and product innovations. Dr. Zhang joined Valvoline in 1999 and held various roles within R&D with increasing responsibilities. In 2019-2020, he served an expat assignment as Managing Director of Valvoline China.

Dr. Zhang holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Nanjing University (Nanjing, China), a PhD degree in chemistry from Clarkson University (Potsdam, NY), and an MBA from University of Kentucky (Lexington, KY). He is a STLE certified lubrication specialist (CLS) and certified oil monitoring analyst (OMA I), and a certified Six-Sigma Green Belt.  He is the inventor/co-inventor of 8 US patents, and the author/co-author of 49 peer-reviewed technical publications.