Suneel Gupta is a bestselling author, Harvard Medical School visiting scholar, and a leading voice on the connection between well-being and high performance. Named "The New Face of Innovation" by the New York Stock Exchange, he is the founding CEO of RISE, the breakthrough wellness company acquired by Amazon, and the author of the international bestseller Backable and his latest book, Everyday Dharma.​​ Suneel currently hosts Business Class, an American Express docuseries featuring guests like Tom Colicchio, Jay Shetty, and Martha Stewart. He has personally backed companies including Impossible Foods, Airbnb, 23andMe, SpaceX, and Calm, and serves as the United States emissary for Gross National Happiness with the Kingdom of Bhutan.​ Through his research, writing, and speaking, Suneel helps leaders and teams build the resilience, momentum, and habits needed to thrive amid constant change,  without burning out.

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💬   The Game of Now: Leading, Deciding, and Taking Action in an Uncertain World​

🗓️   Mon, Oct 19, 9:15 am – 10:45 am

Raymond Burns, Ph.D., is director of research & development at Lucas Oil Products, where he leads innovation, product development and technical strategy across a diverse portfolio of lubricant and performance products. He oversees multidisciplinary teams responsible for formulation development, product lifecycle management, regulatory compliance and laboratory operations, while helping position the organization to respond to evolving market demands and supply chain challenges. Burns brings deep expertise in lubrication technology, materials science, product innovation, and technology commercialization. Throughout his career, he has led major R&D and formulation initiatives, contributed to patented technologies and helped bring advanced products to market. His experience balancing technical performance, raw material availability, cost management and customer requirements provide a unique perspective on how lubricant manufacturers can build more resilient supply chains, adapt to market volatility and maintain strong customer partnerships in a rapidly changing global environment.

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💬   LubeTrends Live! Competing in a Volatile Global Market: Smarter Supply Chains for Lubricant Manufacturers

🗓️   Tues, Oct 20​ , 9:15 am – 10:30 am

Jim Carroll has been with Schaeffer Manufacturing since 1998 and currently serves as Executive Vice President of Operations, overseeing internal and external lab services, field support for over 500 sales associates, quality control, R&D, customer incidents, logistics, engineering, and plant operations. He holds a Certified Lubrication Specialist certificate from the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers. Carroll is a retired colonel with 30 years of service in the U.S. Army and Army Reserve. He also serves as ILMA's current president and is chair of ILMA's Engine & Transmission Committee.

 

💬   [General Session] The Game of Now: Leading, Deciding, and Taking Action in an Uncertain World​

🗓️   Mon, Oct 19, 9:15 am – 10:45 am

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💬   ILMA President's Dinner

🗓️   Tues, Oct 20​ , 7:30 pm

Dean Froney is the President and CEO of Master Fluid Solutions. He also sits on the Board of Directors of the company. Prior to joining Master Fluid Solutions, Froney was president of automotive supplier Novares' North American business unit and served four years as president of mold-based supplier DME. He has spent his career in increasing levels of responsibility in both automotive and metalworking industries while leading strategy, operations, sales and market for North America, Europe and China-based companies. Froney holds a bachelor of science in biochemistry from Michigan State University and a masters of business administration with a concentration in finance from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan.

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💬   LubeTrends Live! Competing in a Volatile Global Market: Smarter Supply Chains for Lubricant Manufacturers

🗓️   Tues, Oct 20​ , 9:15 am – 10:30 am

Caitlin Jacobs is deputy CEO of ILMA, where she helps guide the Association's strategy, communications and member engagement. Her work focuses on strengthening ILMA's voice, elevating member stories and ensuring independent lubricant manufacturers have access to the information, advocacy and connections they need to thrive. Jacobs joined ILMA after serving as managing editor of Lubes’n’Greases magazine, where she covered the global lubricants industry and developed a deep understanding of the companies, people and issues shaping the market. She brings a journalist’s curiosity and a strategic communications perspective to her work supporting ILMA members and the future of the industry.​

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💬   What’s Next in Lubricant Manufacturing: Emerging Technologies and Market Shifts

🗓️   Tues, Oct 20, 10:40 am – 11:40 am

Annie Jarquin is Vice President at Kline + Company and co-leads the firm's global Energy Practice. She specializes in the base oil, lubricants, and grease markets, helping companies identify growth opportunities, develop market strategies, and gain insights across the lubricant value chain. Prior to joining Kline, Annie led the global lubricants and greases benchmarking program at Malik PIMS, advising companies on operational improvements, cost reduction, and M&A integration. She began her career as a process engineer and holds degrees in Chemical and Process Engineering and Chemistry from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand.

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💬   LubeTrends Live! Competing in a Volatile Global Market: Smarter Supply Chains for Lubricant Manufacturers

🗓️   Tues, Oct 20​ , 9:15 am – 10:30 am

Greg Julian, president and CEO of Advanced Lubrication Specialties (ALS), has been in the industry for over 25 years. Prior to joining ALS, Julian worked at Rohm and Haas while he earned a mechanical engineering degree from Drexel University. He is responsible for handling the day-to-day operations of the company and its subsidiaries. Julian was president of ILMA from 2006-2007 and has served on the Board of Directors since 2002. He is chair of the ILMA Ethics Committee and the Automotive Task Force on Obsolete motor oils and tractor hydraulic fluids.

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💬   LubeTrends Live! Competing in a Volatile Global Market: Smarter Supply Chains for Lubricant Manufacturers

🗓️   Tues, Oct 20​ , 9:15 am – 10:30 am

Simon Reese joined ExxonMobil in 1998 as a lubricant field sales engineer in the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, lubricants blending plant. He progressed through field engineering, distribution and commercial roles during his first five years before moving to the ExxonMobil downstream headquarters in Fairfax, Virginia, where he spent the next decade in a variety of leadership roles spanning pricing, marketing, supply, manufacturing and global revenue management.​ In 2014, Reese relocated to Seoul, South Korea, serving as president of Mobil Korea Lubricants, ExxonMobil’s Korean joint venture, and leading North Asia Pacific lubricants sales. He returned to the U.S. in 2017, continuing in multiple leadership roles across sales and strategy in the lubricants value chain. ​ In 2026, he assumed the position of Americas Sales Director for ExxonMobil Basestocks.

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💬   Plated Lunch Session: Market Trends

🗓️   Mon, Oct 19​ , 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm

Erik Willett is president of Functional Products, where he leads the commercialization of specialty additives for industrial lubricants, metalworking fluids and grease applications. He earned a Ph.D. in polymer science from the University of Akron and holds both STLE's Certified Lubrication Specialist (CLS) and NLGI's Certified Lubricating Grease Specialist (CLGS) certifications. His work focuses on emerging lubricant technologies, formulation strategy and helping manufacturers navigate evolving technical and regulatory challenges.

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💬   What’s Next in Lubricant Manufacturing: Emerging Technologies and Market Shifts

🗓️   Tues, Oct 20​ , 10:40 am - 11:40 am

David Richards is Chief Operating Officer of RichardsApex, Inc. and the incoming president of ILMA’s board of directors. He started his career in the lubricant industry shortly after graduating from Gettysburg College in 1987. He began as a sales engineer for G. Whitfield Richards Co., then moved to purchasing and transportation management and soon became the vice president of international administration and materials management. G. Whitfield Richards Co. merged with Apex Alkali in 1997 to form RichardsApex, Inc.  Richards and his brother Drew Richards maintain the family ownership. Richards has been active in ILMA since 2010 and has participated in many committees.  He joined the board of directors in 2018 and was elected to the executive committee in 2023. In addition to his degree in business management from Gettysburg College, Richards holds a Master of Management from The Pennsylvania State University.

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💬   ILMA President's Dinner

🗓️   Tues, Oct 20​ , 7:30 pm

Holly Alfano joined ILMA as CEO in 2015, bringing over 25 years of experience working with associations representing the petroleum industry. Before coming to ILMA, she served as vice president of government affairs for NATSO, an association representing truck stops and travel plazas. Prior to that, she was vice president of the PMAA, which represents fuel retailers and wholesale distributors of petroleum. Alfano has extensive experience dealing with regulatory agencies and Congress on a wide range of environmental, transportation and workplace issues.

 

💬   [General Session] The Game of Now: Leading, Deciding, and Taking Action in an Uncertain World​

🗓️   Mon, Oct 19, 9:15 am – 10:45 am

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💬   CEO Meet & Greet

🗓️   Mon, Oct 19​ , 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

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💬   Manufacturing Member Business Meeting & Breakfast

🗓️   Tues, Oct 20​ , 8:00 am – 9:00 am

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💬   LubeTrends Live! Competing in a Volatile Global Market: Smarter Supply Chains for Lubricant Manufacturers

🗓️   Tues, Oct 20​ , 9:15 am – 10:30 am

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💬   ILMA President's Dinner

🗓️   Tues, Oct 20​ , 7:30 pm