Manuel Asali

Vice President, Training

Manuel Asali is a Vice President at NexantECA, and is located in London where he leads NexantECA Training's activities globally.  Manuel has over 25 years' experience in the petrochemical  industry, working in strategy, sales, marketing, project evaluation, and business development for companies such as PEMEX in Mexico and SABIC in Saudi Arabia.  Since joining NexantECA, Manuel has specialised in running workshops and training courses that provide an overview of different aspects related to energy, refining, and chemicals. 

Throughout his career Manuel has lived in North America, Europe, and the Middle East and currently travels all over the world, allowing him to build a truly global view of the petrochemical business.  Manuel teaches public courses on the petrochemical industry, diving into technology, economics, and markets, as well as other strategic and business aspects of the industry.  In addition, Manuel is increasingly invited by companies to run tailored strategy workshops, helping management discuss where the world is moving and understand potential challenges and areas for growth. 

Current areas of focus:

  • The relationship between energy, refining and chemicals
  • Oil and gas end uses and dynamics
  • The petrochemical building blocks and their value chains
  • Olefins and derivatives
  • Aromatics and derivatives
  • C1 chemicals and derivatives
  • Competitive landscape where chemical companies participate
  • Project feasibility and evaluation
  • Commercial & market analysis
  • Technology evaluation, tracking existing and emerging technologies
  • Megatrends that are shaping our world and what it means for the chemical industry
  • Sustainability and the circular economy