October 14, 2009

2 Min Read
SOCMA to Host First-Ever Gala in South Asia

The Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Affiliates (SOCMA) has announced its first-ever international gala in South Asia next spring. The event will feature special guest speaker Sunil Kumar, president and CEO of International Specialty Products (ISP).

The gala will take place on April 14, 2010 in Mumbai, India and help kick-off ChemSpec India, a two-day trade show for the fine and specialty chemical industry. More than 20 percent of exhibitors at this year’s show came from overseas.

“India is among the world’s fastest growing economies and its chemical sector is a major contributor to the country’s rapid growth,” said SOCMA president and CEO Joseph Acker. “We are looking forward to an exciting evening and the opportunity for our members to expand their business relationships in the Indian market.”

“India is an important market for specialty chemicals and hence a high priority for investments for companies like ISP,” said Kumar.

A native of New Delhi, India, Kumar earned a Bachelor of Technology degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology and an MBA from the University of Louisiana. Since 1999, he has served as president and CEO of ISP, a global supplier of specialty chemicals and performance-enhancing products for a wide variety of personal care, pharmaceutical, food, beverage, and industrial applications. Kumar and ISP were selected to be the 2005 Specialty Chemicals CEO of the Year by Frost & Sullivan, a distinguished international industry and market research firm.

While this will be SOCMA’s first event in India, the trade group has held several successful events on the Asian continent. Last year, SOCMA hosted its third gala in Shanghai, China, which drew more than 140 attendees.
 
SOCMA is the leading trade association, serving the batch, custom, and specialty chemical industry since 1921. SOCMA’s nearly 300 members employ more than 100,000 workers across the country and produce 50,000 products valued at $60 billion annually. For more information, visit www.socma.com.

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