What’s the one thing you should always bring to Thanksgiving dinner? According to host Victoria Meyer, it’s a great conversation starter—especially about topics that matter in the chemical industry today. From questions about the future of plastics and the impact of AI to navigating a challenging job market and redefining leadership, Victoria lays out five key talking points to help spark smart, relevant discussions around the holiday table.

Victoria explores the uneven state of the economy, the rapid adoption of AI, the real story behind plastics and sustainability, how leaders are recalibrating during times of transition, and why talent and skills gaps are shaping the future of the industry. Her practical insights deliver both context and clarity for professionals facing today’s market challenges—making this episode a timely resource for both your Thanksgiving conversations and your business strategy.

Victoria explores the following topics:

• 1. Why the economy feels uneven and how chemicals give you unique insight.
• 2. How AI is already shaping your world—at work and at home.
• 3. What to say when tough plastics or sustainability questions arise.
• 4. How resilient leaders focus and adapt during rapid business shifts.
• 5. Why the biggest risk—and opportunity—is the people powering the chemical industry.

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The chemical industry is navigating its longest down cycle in two decades, with oversupply, weak demand, and tariff uncertainty shaping a challenging landscape for business leaders. Host Victoria Meyer unpacks the third quarter 2025 earnings reports, highlighting five key themes impacting the industry: soft demand, price and margin pressures, disciplined cost control, shifts in supply chain strategy, and the increasing impact of tariffs and trade policy.

Victoria shares strategies for business leaders looking to finish 2025 strong and prepare for 2026, including focusing on core value segments, strengthening regional supply chains, protecting margins, improving demand forecasting, and prioritizing cash and investment discipline. This episode delivers actionable insights for chemical industry professionals facing tough decisions and searching for clarity in uncertain times.

Victoria explores the following topics:

• Industry faces weak demand, uncertainty, and stalled recovery.
• Oversupply crisis: Prices and margins squeezed, except in specialty/innovation segments.
• Cost discipline intensifies: Cutting spending, optimizing portfolios, reducing dividends.
• Firms pivot to regional markets and supply chains to manage tariffs and simplify operations.
• Actionable strategies for leaders to drive clarity, control, and growth heading into 2026.

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Geopolitics, energy volatility, and persistent oversupply are reshaping the global chemical industry as 2025 draws to a close. Victoria Meyer sits down with Kurt Barrow and Andrew Neale from S&P Global to address the forces driving today’s market dynamics, the impact of government policies, and the shifting landscape heading into 2026. They break down how new sanctions, tariffs, and energy transition policies are influencing everything from oil prices and supply chains to chemical production strategies worldwide.

The episode explores regional strengths and vulnerabilities, with North America, the Middle East, and China taking leading roles amid rationalization and capacity closures in Europe and South Korea. Kurt Barrow and Andrew Neale share insights on how chemical producers are responding to cost shifts, supply chain resets, and evolving consumer demand. The conversation also previewed the upcoming World Petrochemical Conference and CERAWeek, emphasizing the need for industry leaders to stay agile in response to accelerated change, emerging technologies, and global market imbalances.

Victoria, Kurt, and Andrew discuss the following this week:

• Why government action, oversupply, and shifting demand are redefining 2025 in the chemical markets.
• How new sanctions, oil movements, and policy shifts impact feedstocks and chemical production.
• Real-world examples of how canal disruptions, freight rate swings, and tariffs are reshaping global sourcing.
• Regional winners and losers as energy prices, assets, and investments shift across Europe, China, and the US.
• Key strategies for chemical leaders navigating consolidation, energy transition, and market shifts ahead.

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• (00:01) - - Introduction & Welcome
• (01:31) - - Energy Market Shifts & Government Actions
• (05:27) - - Tariffs, Trade, and Global Uncertainty
• (09:40) - - Chemical Demand and Investment Cycle
• (12:55) - - Feedstock Price Trends & Impact
• (18:09) - - Regional Winners & Losers in Chemicals
• (21:43) - - Deepening Structural Shifts
• (27:52) - - Energy Transition: Progress & Roadblocks
• (33:06) - - Looking Ahead: Preparing for 2026
• (34:48) - - Conferences & Final Remarks