12:00 PM - 09:30 PM

REGISTRATION DESK OPENS
Event Centre, InterContinental Dubai Festival City

07:30 AM - 09:00 AM

REGISTRATION DESK REOPENS / MORNING COFFEE
Event Centre, InterContinental Dubai Festival City
Sponsored by Sucden Financial

09:05 AM - 09:15 AM

WELCOME ADDRESS

Jamal Al Ghurair, Managing Director, Al Khaleej Sugar
Speaker

09:30 AM - 10:00 AM

KEYNOTE ADDRESS | SEIZE THE MOMENT

We are honoured that Geovane Consul, Chief Executive Officer of BP Bunge Bioenergia, will be the Keynote Speaker at the Conference this year. BP Bunge Bioenergia is one of the leaders in the ethanol, bioelectricity and sugar sectors of Brazil. In keeping with the theme of this year’s Conference ‘A time for sugar. A moment to be seized.’, he will explore how a confluence of circumstances provides tremendous opportunities for the industry – from product diversification to addressing and generating value from the challenges of climate change and more. His vast experience in the industry, along with BP Bunge Bioenergia’s strong focus on sustainability will enhance our understanding of how best to seize this unique moment.

Geovane Consul, Chief Executive Officer, BP Bunge Bioenergia
Speaker

10:15 AM - 11:15 AM

SESSION 1 | THE VIEW FROM PRIDE ROCK – WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR SUGAR?

In this unique platform, the global sugar majors – Alvean, COFCO, Louis Dreyfus, Raízen and Sucden – come together to view the world of sugar from the vantage point of Pride Rock (the allusion will be self-evident soon enough) and to discuss and debate the issues facing sugar. They will look into what the future holds in the midst of a volatile mix – one where Brazil has been able to balance the supply constraints of climate impacted sugar origins, where geopolitics is creating a host of uncertainties and where policy can throw unexpected spanners into the works. With the world likely to slip into a deficit in 2024/25, the size of the gap is up for debate. What might change this dynamic? To what extent could Brazil’s sugar mix come to the rescue as the El Niño weather patterns subside and La Niña returns? What of the next Indian crop? When can we expect to see India exporting sugar again and what will be its policy towards ethanol? What are the prospects for a recovery in Thailand given its climatic headwinds coupled with expanding acreage? What can we expect from the EU plus UK? How will the specs behave given the diverse scenarios that can be viewed from Pride Rock? 

Jonathan Drake, Technical Adviser, Sugar, Golden Agri-Resources
Moderator
Dr Claudiu Covrig, Founder and Lead Agriculture Analyst, CovrigAnalytics
Speaker
Mauro S J Angelo, Chief Executive Officer, Alvean
Panellist
Enrico Biancheri, Global Head of Sugar Platform, Louis Dreyfus Company
Panellist
Jose Eduardo Toledo, Head Trader – Sugar, COFCO International
Panellist
Bruno Trombelli, Commercial Director, Raízen
Panellist
Dimitri Varsano, Co-Global Head of Sugar Trading, Sucden
Panellist

11:30 AM - 12:00 PM

SESSION 2 | MARKET CONSENSUS ACTIVITY

Tracey Allen
Senior Commodities Strategist, J P Morgan
Jeff Bauml
Managing Director, J Bauml & Co

12:45 PM - 01:30 PM

SESSION 4 | THE MORNING REPORT – SUGAR IN A VOLATILE MACROECONOMIC WORLD
Sponsored by Rabobank

With the future being as unclear as ever, we’ll hear Jan Lambregts relay his version of ‘The Morning Report’ embodying the inimitable wisdom of Zazu the African red-billed hornbill, but Hollywood style… no more spoilers permitted! If you want to understand how sugar will be impacted by macroeconomics, this is one movie you will not want to miss. 

Kona Haque
Group Head of Research, ED&F Man
Moderator
Jan Lambregts
Head of RaboResearch Global Economics & Markets, Rabobank
Speaker
Luiz Fernandes
Global Head of Hedges, Louis Dreyfus Company
Panellist

03:00 PM - 03:30 PM

WORKSHOP 1 | BUILDING THE BIOECONOMY TOGETHER
Al Ras Ballroom
Sponsored by Planetary Group

Turning sugar into high-value proteins.

David Brandes
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Planetary Group
Speaker

03:45 PM - 04:15 PM

WORKSHOP 2 | SUSTAINABILITY AND IMPACT
Al Ras Ballroom
Sponsored by Control Union

Enabling companies to deliver on their sustainability goals.

Francisco Duret
General Manager, Control Union Brasil
Speaker
Kevin Edmunds
Regional Manager – Asia, Peterson Projects & Solutions
Speaker

06:30 AM - 08:30 AM

LOUIS DREYFUS COMPANY BREAKFAST
Vista Lounge & Terrace, InterContinental Dubai Festival City

09:00 AM - 09:45 AM

SESSION 5 | THE LION SLEEPS TONIGHT: INDIA – POLICY FOR PAUCITY?
Al Ras Ballroom
Sponsored by Balrampur Chini

India holds the key to much of how things could evolve on the global sugar stage. To understand this better, we first need to hear from those who best know the Indian sugar and ethanol sectors. We are honoured to have Sanjeev Chopra, Secretary, Food & Public Distribution of the Government of India, who will share some of his views. The new President of ISMA will provide the perspective on how the current Indian crop will close and the outlook for 2024/25. AISTA will provide its outlook on ethanol in India and how policy is impacting this. The burning questions include – When will India get back to the export market and how will the policy towards ethanol evolve? Panellists from Nirani Sugars and Balrampur Chini Mills will add their voices to the discussion which will be moderated by Anup Kumar of Sucden India. ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’, but when might he awake? 

Anup Kumar
Managing Director, Sucden India
Moderator
Sanjeev Chopra
Secretary, Food & Public Distribution, Government of India
Speaker
Dr Mandava Prabhakar Rao
President, Indian Sugar & Bio-Energy Manufacturers Association (ISMA)
Speaker
Ravi Gupta
Vice Chairman, All India Sugar Trade Association (AISTA)
Speaker
Vishal Nirani
Director, Nirani Sugars
Panellist
Avantika Saraogi
Executive Director, Balrampur Chini Mills
Panellist

10:30 AM - 11:30 AM

SESSION 7 | SIMBA CONFRONTS SCAR: ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS – THE UNREAL THING: RECLAIMING THE NARRATIVE ON SUGAR & HEALTH
Sponsored by hEDGEpoint Global Markets

Are we at an inflection point for sugar to retake centre stage as a result of the recent WHO and other reports highlighting some of the health hazards of artificial sweeteners? What should the sugar industry do to create the appropriate level of consumer awareness of some of the health risks associated with the consumption of artificial sweeteners? How can the industry drive for greater transparency and accuracy in labelling of sweetener usage in food and beverage products? How can the dialogue on sugar and health be rebalanced? To explore this, Gareth Forber will cover the state of the world related to this domain, followed by a discussion moderated by Jacob Robbins that will see perspectives presented by The Sugar Association, the World Sugar Research Organization and ISMA, along with Sucden’s take on new sugar alternatives. As Simba confronts Scar, will sugar be able to retake its rightful place?

Jacob Robbins
Chief Executive Officer, Emeterra
Moderator
Gareth Forber
Director Sugar Research, GlobalData
Speaker
Bharati Balaji
Director – Legal & Compliance, Indian Sugar & Bio-Energy Manufacturers Association (ISMA)
Panellist
Annie Denny
Director General, World Sugar Research Organization
Panellist
Mike Gorrell
Chairman, The Sugar Association
Panellist
Gregory Merran
Chief Investment Officer, Sucden Ventures
Panellist

12:00 PM - 01:00 PM

INTERNATIONAL SUGAR QUIZ

Amid all the uncertainty, one thing is clear, dare we say crystal clear... it’s time for fun. It’s the International Sugar Quiz! Three Teams – Asia Pacific, Europe and South America – will go head-to-head and test their knowledge on all things sugar. Will the current holders and two-time winners Asia Pacific do it again or will past winners South America or Europe claim the trophy this year? Jeff Bauml, Managing Director of Bauml and Co, will once again don the Quiz Master’s hat and keep the
action going in his inimitable style. It’s going to be a whole lot of fun, no question.

Jeff Bauml, Managing Director, J Bauml & Co
Quiz Master

TEAM ASIA PACIFIC
Kapil Nema
Assistant Executive Director, Sales, Dalmia Bharat Sugar & Industries
Kannika Vongkusolkit
Vice President – Trading Business & Risk Management, Mitr Phol Group
Kiran Wadhwana
Director, Comdex India

TEAM EUROPE
Annie Denny
Director General, World Sugar Research Organization
Charles Funnell
Managing Director, CF Commodities
Luca Meierhofer
Global Head of Sugar Cash Trading, Louis Dreyfus Company

TEAM SOUTH AMERICA
Jeremy Austin
Director, Sucden do Brasil
Alvaro Ruiz
Chief Executive Officer, Ingenio La Unión
Dr Luciana Torrezan Soncin
Head of Research, BP Bunge Bioenergia

02:30 PM - 04:30 PM

OPEN FOR MEETINGS

05:30 PM - 09:30 PM

THE SUCDEN GALA DINNER
Sonara Camp – Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve

06:30 AM - 08:30 AM

BP BUNGE BIOENERGIA BREAKFAST
Vista Lounge & Terrace, InterContinental Dubai Festival City

09:00 AM - 09:45 AM

SESSION 8 | THE GRASSLANDS CHANT: EUROPE – WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO BE UPBEAT?
Al Ras Ballroom
Sponsored by CZ

The EU plus UK had a less than stellar end to 2023/24, but there were improvements in yields and acreage. Can we expect to see this continuing in 2024/25? Imports from Ukraine which has duty free access to the EU are slated to be kept at 2022/23 levels, but only from June. To what extent will this result in greater short-term flows of Ukrainian sugar into the EU? What about consumption, which appears to be waning? To get an insight into the big picture, Stephen Geldart will provide an overview followed by the Ukrainian perspective from Astarta. In the panel discussion moderated by Kona Haque, Olivier Leducq and Fred Zeller will add their perspectives from France and Germany. There’s certainly a new chant from the grasslands, a new beat in Europe – but is this the one that producers want to hear?

Kona Haque
Group Head of Research, ED&F Man
Moderator
Stephen Geldart
Head of Analysis, CZ
Speaker
Viacheslav Chuk
Chief Commercial Officer, Astarta
Speaker
Olivier Leducq
Chief Executive Officer, Tereos
Panellist
Dr Fred Zeller
Chief Executive Officer, SZVG
Panellist

10:30 AM - 11:15 AM

SESSION 10 | BE PREPARED: AI – FROM HYPE TO FLIGHT FOR THE SUGAR WORLD
Sponsored by ICE

There’s almost nothing more topical than the rise of Artificial Intelligence. But how much of it is hype and what will really take flight? We’ll hear from Jaspreet Bindra, the Tech Whisperer, as he walks us through the AI jungle. A discussion moderated by Jacob Robbins will follow to help arrive at the most relevant opportunities for the sugar and bioethanol world. We will hear from business leaders from the real world – Pantaleon and Sucden – who will share their views on pain points and opportunities for AI as they see it, balanced by the technical perspective of Anand Mahurkar, on what is realistically achievable and in which domains. Where does the biggest upside lie in the area of applications and how should the industry go about it capturing this? The AI storm is here and we need to ‘Be Prepared’.

Jacob Robbins
Chief Executive Officer, Emeterra
Moderator
Jaspreet Bindra
Managing Director and Founder, Tech Whisperer UK
Speaker
Anand Mahurkar
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Findability Sciences
Panellist
Guillermo Medina
Chief Financial and Strategy Officer, Pantaleon Sugar Holdings
Panellist
Thierry Songeur
Managing Director, Sucden
Panellist

11:45 AM - 12:45 PM

SESSION 11 | THE LEADERS FORUM – SEIZING THE MOMENT: TOWARDS A MANIFESTO FOR ACTION

In a first for The Dubai Sugar Conference, as we draw to a close, this session will see five global leaders from a relevant spread of regions of the world put their heads together to get the global sugar industry to focus on its biggest challenges and opportunities. In a discussion moderated by Jacob Robbins, we will hear the views of Geovane Consul from Brazil, Diego Herrera from Central America, Paul Mesters from Europe, Jamal Al Ghurair from the MENA region and Samir Somaiya from India. Subjects such as sugar and health, carbon emission reductions and artificial intelligence, discussed in some of the preceding sessions of the Conference would feed into the conversation. This is an effort to create a Manifesto for Action and a vision for how the industry should go about getting this done. We look forward to the Leaders Forum enabling the move from ideation to execution for some of the most pressing questions that the industry needs to deal with, not just for today, but for the years that lie ahead. 

Jacob Robbins
Chief Executive Officer, Emeterra
Moderator
Jamal Al Ghurair
Managing Director, Al Khaleej Sugar
Panellist
Geovane Consul
Chief Executive Officer, BP Bunge Bioenergia
Panellist
Diego Herrera
Chief Executive Officer, Pantaleon Group
Panellist
Paul Mesters
Chief Executive Officer, Cosun Beet Company
Panellist
Samir Somaiya
Chairman and Managing Director, Godavari Biorefineries
Panellist

01:15 PM - 01:30 PM

CLOSING COMMENTS

Jamal Al Ghurair, Managing Director, Al Khaleej Sugar
Speaker
Jacob Robbins, Chief Executive Officer, Emeterra
Speaker

03:45 PM - 04:00 PM

Buses leave for The Old Dubai Experience
From outside the Event Centre, InterContinental Dubai Festival City