Indian Chemical Council Conference Addresses Geopolitical Shifts and India's Chemical Industry Future
The Indian Chemical Council's 19th Annual Conference gathered global leaders to discuss geopolitics, competitiveness, and the future of the chemical industry. Experts like Marco Mensink and Sven Smit addressed disruptions, trade agreements, and opportunities for India amidst macroeconomic headwinds. The event highlighted India's potential as a manufacturing hub, featuring a CEO roundtable with Maharashtra's CM Devendra Fadnavis outlining a vision for the state's chemical sector. McKinsey & Company also launched a whitepaper on navigating global challenges, emphasizing innovation and resilience for India's chemical industry.
The Indian Chemical Council (ICC) hosted its 19th Annual India Chemical Industry Outlook Conference, bringing together global industry captains, policymakers, and thought leaders on March 11th and 12th, 2026. The conference, themed “Shaping a Competitive and Resilient Chemical Industry for India,” focused on critical issues such as geopolitical disruptions, global competitiveness, and future strategies for the sector. Marco Mensink of ECIC highlighted the impact of geopolitical events on energy and trade, while Dr. Claus Rettig of Evonik discussed multinational corporations' response to shifts and the importance of free trade agreements like the EU–India FTA. Sven Smit of McKinsey & Company examined macroeconomic headwinds, supply-chain reconfigurations, and opportunities for emerging economies like India.Key discussions also revolved around digitalization, artificial intelligence (AI), and global collaboration, as presented by Christian Guckel of Siemens. Haryono Lim of BASF shared insights on large-scale project development in Asia. A significant highlight was the CEO Roundtable with Shri Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister of Maharashtra, who shared his vision for positioning Maharashtra as a global chemical hub and reiterated government commitment to strengthening the sector. McKinsey & Company, the knowledge partners, launched a whitepaper titled “From challenges to possibilities: Leading India’s chemicals industry through global headwinds.” The conference underscored India's potential to leverage global supply chain realignments and become a key player in manufacturing and innovation, emphasizing talent development, diversity, and industry-academia partnerships for a future-ready chemical industry.
