Recognized worldwide as a thought leader on petrochemicals, plastics and new business opportunities in Saudi Arabia, Saudi Basic SABIC was recently selected by the prestigious AllWorld Summit@Harvard to present on the future of the Saudi Arabian plastics industry.

Richard Crosby, general manager for the Middle East and Africa at SABIC, co-chaired a workshop where he delivered an informative 30-minute presentation entitled, Engineering Thermoplastics in Saudi Arabia, New Opportunities for an Emerging Economy. The presentation focused largely on the growing business opportunities available in Saudi Arabia and described how SABIC is helping customers and entrepreneurs in the country maximize these opportunities for greater market penetration, expansion and growth.

The AllWorld Summit@Harvard was held lately in Cambridge, Mass. and was attended by a group of 100 high-level business professionals. Crosby's co-chairs included James B. Smith, US ambassador to Saudi Arabia, and Amer Kayani, minister counselor to Saudi Arabia.

According to Crosby, "The workshop provided an excellent opportunity to discuss the world-class resources SABIC offers its customers and other global entrepreneurs looking to do business in the Kingdom, one of the world's fastest-growing hubs for advanced materials innovation. For example, we are building a Marketing Innovation Center here, which is an interactive exhibit that will give our customers and partners an insight into key markets and opportunities. We will also soon be opening a new Application Development Center in Riyadh to give customers the full-service technical support they need to quickly create new products and gain a first-to-market advantage to strengthen their competitive edge."

At the workshop, Crosby shared his expertise and knowledge of the plastics industry throughout the Middle East and Africa and described the value chains for select SABIC thermoplastics, including polycarbonate (PC) and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), which offer diverse opportunities for compounders, processors and global OEMs.

Crosby is based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In his position, he is responsible for all of SABIC's innovative plastics business activities in Africa and the Middle East, including managing the company's interests in SABIC's new Saudi Kayan PC facility.

His responsibilities also include leading market expansion opportunities for SABIC's engineered thermoplastics and providing strategic direction on asset decisions in Saudi Arabia.

Crosby began his SABIC career in 1988 and has subsequently held positions of increasing responsibility. A chemist by training, Crosby holds a doctorate in chemistry from Texas A&M University.