This 2-day conference features expert speakers from leading governmental and non-governmental organisations, top regional and global companies, presenting important developments on:
A tabletop is organised together with the conference to maximize networking and business connections.
"It was a pleasure to have the opportunity to attend and represent SABIC at EDANA, the voice of nonwovens MENA conference in 2024. There, we engaged with our customers and the hygiene value chain, gaining valuable insights into upcoming trends, needs, and challenges in the industry. Conferences like EDANA MENA offer an excellent platform for networking, exchanging ideas, and building relationships with industry professionals. This is an exciting prospect that can contribute to the growth and success of SABIC." Mansour Al Goblan, Sr. Scientist, Market Development & Technical Support at SABIC
Mr Martinelli will provide profound insights into consumer perceptions and the latest e-commerce trends, setting the stage for a comprehensive exploration of the evolving social and consumer landscape.
Experts including, Jacques Prigneaux, EDANA’s Market Analysis & Economic Affairs Director, will open the conference with a market overview for the MENA region, including exploring investment opportunities in emerging sectors.
This session will be dedicated to Absorbent Hygiene Products, providing a comprehensive overview of the hygiene market and delving into intricate technical aspects.
This session will look at the key parameters for optimizing the core integrity in thinner core diapers starting with the core forming process, fluff core density, and shape. Dr. Voss will also cover:
This session will cover what you need to know about elastic components in diapers from trends to current requirements. Marcel will also address:
Experts will showcase how nonwoven-based products contribute to maintaining high standards in the MENA region, offering facts, figures, and requirements for products in the medical and filtration markets.
Tareq Afyouni will share an overview of the global and UAE disposables market with a focus on:
Expert speakers will delve into the regulatory landscape and circulatory requirements related to raw materials, exploring sustainable practices and innovation for an environmentally conscious future.
This session will showcase how ExxonMobil has:
SABIC will share an overview of:
Stefano Martinelli is the Vice President of Amazon in the UAE and KSA, based out of Dubai. Spearheading the business’ growth across the region, Martinelli and his team are guided by four principles: customer obsession, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking.
Martinelli started his career at Amazon back in 2011, launching Amazon.it for Italian customers. He spent over eight years in launch roles across the business, before taking on the role of GCC Retail Director, in Dubai, in 2020. In his current role, Martinelli continues to be focused on providing customers with a localized service, trusted online shopping experience, an ever-growing array of products and services, paired with great prices, as well as convenience through various payment options and fast delivery.
Prior to his role with Amazon, Stefano led tech teams within a multinational web company for four years. He also worked in HR for three years driving organizational projects, and was in management consulting for seven years. Stefano holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Management Engineering from Politecnico di Milano in Italy.
A Group Development Manager with many years of experience in Biomedical industry, currently working directly with government officials in many areas along with Private sector leads, in addition to Educators and Research Professionals associated with Medical Education and Science Research.
Mansour is leading the market development activities to grow differentiated business at existing and new Hygiene and Healthcare customers. Also Mansour drives the deployment of innovation programs in the MEAF region, and provides technical support to customers.
Cagri studied in mechanical engineering at Istanbul Technical University in Türkiye and MSc in International Management at University of Surrey Roehampton in UK.
Cagri has been working for ExxonMobil around 17 years and leads the Strategic Accounts in MENA region for Hygiene and nonwoven industries.
He has had several roles in commercial leadership positions at ExxonMobil in Finished Lubricants, Base Stocks, Intermediates and PolyPropylene/Specialty Polymer business units.
Cagri is based with her family in Istanbul-Türkiye and is passionate about archeology, nature, music, and cultures.
Dr. Marcel Gruendken is a global manager in the specialty chemical industry at Kuraray. He is leading technical and market developments and is responsible for elastic components in absorbent hygiene products. Previously, he worked in the consumer industry for packaging and disposable hygiene products - in Europe and the United States. His background is in materials & technology. He has studied in Darmstadt (Germany) and Enschede (Netherlands). He joined some global management programs, including one in St. Gallen (Switzerland) - and obtained a driving license in Frankfurt (Germany). On flights he prefers the windows seat, enjoys soft drinks with ice and plays basketball whenever he has have time.
Dr. Gruendken will present "Precious moments start with elastics":
Christopher Gunson is a partner based in the Dubai office. He represents numerous multinational companies on all aspects of business in the Middle East region. This work includes commercial transactions, strategic investments, joint ventures, and regulatory compliance.
He is fluent in Japanese and much of his practice involves representing and advising Japanese businesses on matters in the Middle East region.
In addition to his corporate and commercial work, Chris conducts substantial work in the oil and gas sector, and he is a frequent author and commentator in news media concerning developments in the oil and gas sector in Abu Dhabi and Iraq.
Alberto is graduated in mechanical engineering, Master’ s degree at Politecnico di Milano university.
After six years spent in Oil & Gas sector, he moved to Disposable Hygiene market to develop new skills and understand different business dynamics.
Alberto is currently working as Area Sales Manager, with the role of leading sales & market development and be responsible for GDM growth in Middle East and India regions.
His strong technical background and commercial experience are provided to customers with the aim of finding best solution for a “win to win” strategy.
Passion for travels and sports, he enjoys spending time with other people to immerse himself in different cultures and behaviors.
Focused expertise in the absorbent hygienic products industry in the MENA region and selected African countries spanning over a 35 year period. Multiple other expertise in diverse industries and geographic areas covering financial, marketing and general management functions. Active in corporate social responsibility with board representation in the educational field.
Arnaud is gratuated in Mechanical and Industrial Manufacturing Process with a Master‘s Degree Engineering from the University of Technology Belfort-Montbéliard (France).
He has joined ANDRITZ Perfojet in 1999, serving initially as Project Manager and moved to Sales department in 2004, developping markets for complete nonwovens lines in various areas such as China, Turkey and Far East countries.
Chris Malowaniec joined our industry over 40 years ago, first working in the R&D of VPN in Nuremberg, the past 36 years active at Paul Hartmann as Head of R&D and Corporate Communications. Now, retired, he offers his knowledge and experience as an independent consultant, KDM Management Consultancy Firm. His hobbies are music, hunting and wine.
Jacques Prigneaux leads EDANA’s Market Analysis and Economic Affairs department and provides industry analyses to the nonwovens community.
He graduated with a Masters degree in Economics from the Catholic University of Louvain (Belgium) and he focused his researches in industrial economics and econometrics. He has been with EDANA since April 2007. Before that he worked for CIRFS, the association
of European man-made fibres’ producers for ten years.
He is responsible for managing research, market analysis and statistical activities at EDANA.
Rami Rajab serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Mecomed, the trade association for Medical Devices, Diagnostics, and Imaging Industries in the Middle East and Africa. His leadership extends beyond this pivotal role, contributing to several regional and international trade associations through active involvement in various focus groups.
With a robust career spanning 37 years, Rami is recognized as a multidisciplinary healthcare expert. He boasts comprehensive experience in commercial leadership, organizational change management, and holistic healthcare industry engagement. His expertise lies in pinpointing opportunities and fostering collaborations across the global healthcare landscape. Throughout his career, Rami has seamlessly donned hats across Sales & Marketing, Market Access, ESG, and various Trade Association roles.
His professional drive centers on enhancing patient lives and catalysing healthcare transformation through stakeholder engagement, innovation, education, and corporate social responsibility.
Rami's global footprint is evident in his diverse roles across multiple geographies, including the Middle East & Africa, Europe, Latin America, South and South-East Asia, and China. His portfolio further expanded as he took on global leadership responsibilities. A notable milestone in his journey was his role in the merger and integration of Cyberonics and Sorin Group, leading to the establishment of LivaNova.
His deep insights into market dynamics stem from continuous interaction with a broad spectrum of stakeholders in the Healthcare Ecosystem. This includes engagements with government officials, hospital conglomerates, International Medical Associations, and global healthcare bodies. He frequently collaborates on pressing issues related to health policy, innovation, ethics, compliance, legislation, sustainability, and reimbursement.
Dr. Karsten Voss joined H.B. Fuller in 2015 after his post-doctoral research in the field of polymer science at the Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand and the University of Rostock, Germany. Before completing his research, he received a doctorate and master’s degree in chemistry grade from the University of Rostock.
Dr. Voss works in the research and development group for the EIMEA region. He is responsible for all hygiene-related hot melt adhesive solution developments, and with his expertise, he drives innovations for the hygiene market.
Dr Voss will present "Key parameters to optimize core integrity in thinner core diapers":
Jeanne Walters joined Emirates NBD in 2022 as a senior economist, and works on the bank’s global macroeconomic coverage. Jeanne started her career at the South African Reserve Bank, before moving to the UK where she worked as an economist at the Bank of England for several years. Jeanne also has experience in consultancy both in South Africa and the Middle East. She holds an MSc in Economic Policy from University College London and an MCom in Econometrics from the University of Pretoria.
Graduate in Chemistry, University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, UK and Business Management at Ashridge Business School, UK.
Almost 30 years as Vice President of Sales and Marketing with BBA Nonwovens in Asia Pacific region responsible for Hygiene, Medical and Industrial industry before joining Jofo Nonwovens China in 2011. Presently, Senior Vice President in Sales of Jofo Group in China and Deputy General Manager of Jofo joint venture in Saudi Arabia, SAAF. Have been a very active veteran of the nonwoven industry and serving as Secretary of Hong Kong Nonwovens Association for more than 20 years.
Fees include the entrance to the conference and tabletop exhibition, lunches, coffee breaks, and the conference presentations in digital format. Fees exclude applicable VAT.
Register before 1 December 2023 and benefit from early bird fees
| Member | Non-member |
| Early bird: 1.150€ | Early bird: 1.450€ |
| Regular: 1.350€ | Regular: 1.650€ |
Discount: benefit from a 15% discount by registering a minimum of 4 delegates. Registrations must be done simultaneously to benefit from the discount. The discount does not apply to tabletops.
Book your tabletop and showcase your expertise to the delegates. Register early to secure your spot and benefit not only from reduced registration fees but also to guarantee a room at the hotel at a discounted conference rate. Spaces are limited.
Book before 1 December 2023 and benefit from early bird fees
| Member | Non-member |
| Early bird: 2.100€ | Early bird: 2.700€ |
| Regular: 2.350€ | Regular: 2.900€ |
The fee includes:
Note: to register an additional delegate from your company, please use this link.
Fees exclude the 21% Belgian VAT.
Give your company the visibility it deserves: our high-visibility sponsorship opportunities are powerful, cost-effective solutions for increasing your presence and standing out from the crowd.
To become a sponsor, please contact delphine.rens@edana.org
Over 200 delegates from more than 100 companies were welcomed to Dubai for the fourth edition of the region’s premier conference for the nonwovens industry.
The symposium and exhibition featured expert analysis on market outlook, product innovation, demographic trends and sustainability initiatives over the two-day event, with dedicated sessions on geotextiles, raw material trends and nonwovens in the health sector. Read more
“This symposium has recognized the importance of the MENA region for the nonwovens industry and allowed my team and me to meet many of our customers in a friendly, informative and efficient way. The diverse range of presentations and delegates has helped further cement the region as a growth generator for the industry."
Haitham Alhudhaif, President, Saudi German Co. for Nonwoven Products.
"EDANA's MENA Symposium reaffirms their commitment to supporting multiple industries and areas. For the MENA region, one of the world's most promising, EDANA's resources are proving to be solid support pillars for the industry itself, the regulatory framework and end users.”
Mahdy Katbe, CEO, Unicharm Gulf Hygienic Industries
“All EDANA nonwoven symposia I have joined over the years have always surpassed my expectations and Dubai is no exception. Listening to ideas and challenges in unrelated application fields remains and inspiring source for fresh ideas.”
Ludwig Busam, ex-Director Global Material Development & Supply Baby Care, Procter & Gamble.
Special thanks to our sponsors:
2018 Programme
2018 Tabletop catalogue
2018 Company list
Buy 2018 presentations
To receive pictures from the event, contact Giovanna Merola
