Lecturers

Terry Dicken is a Chartered chemist and holds a BSc (Hons) degree in applied chemistry and an MSc in Instrumental chemical analysis. He has worked in the lubricants industry for over 50 years, in research and development, technical services & marketing and technology transfer.
Currently, he is Managing Director of Global Lubricants Ltd, a speciality lubricants company he founded in the UK in 1997, but also works as an independent consultant for several companies on REACH compliance, product development and manufacturing plant construction. He has published many papers on lubrication and is a regular speaker at international conferences.
Terry has been Chairman of ELGI (European Lubricating Grease Institute) since 1998 and is also Chairman of the Institute of Energy’s cutting fluids test methods panel, STC5, a role he has fulfilled since the early 80s, and he established and was first Chairman of ASTM – M committee for aviation greases.

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Erik Willett is the President of Functional Products Inc., a US-based lubricant and grease additive company focusing on polymer-based technology. Erik has received the NLGI Author Award for Development, Excellence in Education Award, and the NLGI Fellows Award. His work presented over the last few years has focused on the use of polymers to make re-refined base oils more useful to the grease industry. 

PhD degree in Chemical Engineering and Diploma in Chemical 
Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens in 
Greece. Technical director at ELDON’S S.A., a lubricants 
manufacturer in Greece. Adjunct Professor at UNIWA and ASPETE 
(Greece) teaching Fuels & Lubricants Technology, Applied 
Thermodynamics, Modern Vehicle Technology, Engineering 
Statistics and Measurements.Research Associate in the Laboratory 
of Fuels and Lubricants Technology in the National Technical 
University of Athens, Greece. Instructor in the NLGI HO Training 
Course

Dr. Eugenia obtained a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry and Biochemistry, a Master's degree in Chemistry, and subsequently a PhD in Inorganic Chemistry from LMU Munich. Since September 2023, she is working as a product manager at Setral Chemie GmbH in Seeshaupt, where she is responsible for the technical and strategic development of high-performance lubricants and serve as an liaison between R&D, marketing, and sales.

Dr Gareth Fish is a Senior Technical Fellow at Lubrizol, Wickliffe, Ohio. He holds a BSc(Hons) in Chemistry and a PhD in Tribology from Imperial College, London. He has more than 36 years grease industry experience. He is an internationally recognized, multiple (x21) award-winning author of 99 technical papers including 19 ELGI papers. He has taught more than 100 public classes on tribology and lubricating greases. A member of the NLGI Board of Directors and chair of the NLGI Basic Grease Course. He was 2020 recipient of the NLGI Award for Achievement. He is an NLGI Certified Lubricating Grease Specialist (CLGS), a Chartered Scientist, STLE Fellow and Certified Lubrication Specialist (CLS). He is active within ASTM and SAE. Previously worked at UK Ministry of Defence and GKN Automotive in UK and USA. 

Christoph Wincierz

Dr. George Diloyan is a physicist and mechanical engineer with specialization in electrochemistry and more than a decade of experience in nanotechnology, tribology, and advanced lubrication systems. His expertise spans solid lubricant design (WS₂, MoS₂, hBN), nano-dispersion engineering, and sustainable grease and oil formulations. Beyond technical innovation, Dr. Diloyan has .extensive experience in intellectual property strategy, patent analysis, and technology commercialization, ensuring strong IP foundations for emerging materials technologies. As the founder and CEO behind multiple ventures, he bridges deep scientific research with practical industrial deployment, redefining the future of high-performance lubrication and surface engineering.

​Dr. Pondicherry holds a degree in engineering in Metallurgy and Materials Science from India, Masters in Nanotechnology from Germany, and a Doctorate in Tribology from Austria. Dr. Pondicherry has been working extensively in the field of Tribology for the past 16 plus years, and is associated with the Rheometry department at Anton Paar for the past 13 years. He has been actively involved in the scientific community, including STLE. In addition to authoring scientific publications, he has also authored book chapters and numerous white papers showcasing innovative test and analysis methodologies.

Rhiannon Smith, BSc, is a Principal Consultant, having joined wca in 2009. Rhiannon has extensive experience of EU REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals) and CLP (Classification, Labelling and Packaging). Rhiannon has expertise with both the technical and administrative requirements for REACH and has worked on a large number of successful REACH registrations covering a wide range of different substance types, including organics, metals, salts, and complex UVCBs (substances of unknown, variable or complex composition or of biological origin). Rhiannon has worked with the ERGTC (European REACH Grease Thickeners Consortium) since 2010.

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Roland Chavasse is the Secretary General of the International Lithium Association (ILiA), the
global industry body representing the lithium value chain, which he co-founded with Anand Sheth in
2021. Roland has a wealth of experience with rare and critical elements, including a decade of
commercial experience working with tantalum, rhenium, cobalt, niobium and nickel-based
superalloys. Since 2016 he has specialized in proactive metals association management, hosting
conferences on four continents, managing responsible sourcing programs, editing trade journals and
advocating for members’ interests. He has previously lead the Tantalum-Niobium International
Study Center (T.I.C.) and the Minor Metals Trade Association (MMTA). He is based in London, UK.

Ulf Gardenier is 56 years old and lives with his wife in Düsseldorf,  Germany. In the 1990s he studied physics and business administration at the 
University of Aachen, completing his two courses with diploma  theses on laser-optics and maintenance processes on freight-cars. 
Meanwhile, Ulf looks back on a 25-year journey in the consultancy area. He started his career at SIEMENS as an SAP consultant in the  growing tide of business process-driven projects of large industrial 
companies motivated by the year 2000. Later, as a key account  manager, he was responsible for his company's business with several global customers. 
In early 2022, Ulf decided to completely change his previous career  path and joined KAJO. The challenge of entering the North American  market with new innovative products was the main motivation for  this move. He now heads KAJO North America Inc. located in  Charlotte as managing director.

​Neera Mistry is an R&D Chemist for lubricating greases at FUCHS Lubricants Co. USA where she contributes to the company’s innovation-focused mission within R&D and grease technology. Neera holds a BSc and MSc in Chemistry from Lewis University, Illinois and is an active member of NLGI, the WIGIN committee, and additionally serves as the STLE Chicago STEM Committee chair with a goal to inspire and mentor the young generation within the grease industry. Neera is committed to contributing to the ongoing evolution and technological progress within the grease industry to support the end user markets.

Boris Zhmud 

Current focus of activities and professional background:
Liwen Wei has more than 30 years of combined technical and commercial experience in the global
lubricant and grease industry. He is the inventor or co-inventor of 15 granted patents covering synthetic
base fluids, specialty additives, and advanced grease thickener technologies.
Beginning his consultancy career in 2006, he has advised chemical manufacturers and lubricant
producers worldwide. In 2015, he founded Novitas Chem Solutions, leading innovation in preform
grease thickener platforms designed for modular, energy-efficient, and PFAS-free grease
manufacturing. His current work centers on overbased calcium sulfonate, polyurea, and hybrid preform
systems that enable high-performance, sustainable greases with simplified processing and reduced
environmental impact.

Since the year 2006 till now he is working as Technical Manager for LUBRICANT s.r.o., based in Stary Plzenec, Czech Republic. As a chemist, he is doing technical support of lubricant salesmen network in Central Europe. He organizes conferences and courses on behalf of the Czech Mechanical Engineering Society.

In 1993 – 2006 he was working on sales of lubricants and special products for BP, Mobil, ESSO, BP GSP and H&R ESP.

In 1976 – 1992 As analytical chemists he was working in Research Institute of Fuels and Lubricants in Prague.

In 1971 -1976 he completed his regular study on University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague.

Dr. Matthew Kriech is the Chief Executive Officer of Biosynthetic Technologies and Innoleo which offers a broad array of high performing and sustainable oleochemical solutions.  Matt has spent the last 15 years in the Petrochemical and Oleochemical industry and prior to that was a “Rocket Scientist” for various programs including NASA.  In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family outdoors, flying as a commercial pilot and flight instructor, and supporting local and national charities for Type 1 Diabetes Research.

Christian is the CEO and owner of his independent consulting company, IBC. He has more than 30 years of experience in the re-refining of used lubricants. As CEO of PURALUBE / PURAGLOBE, he drove the growth of a mid-sized hazardous waste disposal company into a leading re-refiner, utilizing UOP technology to produce Group II+ and Group III base oils. He has conducted numerous due diligence and project assessment assignments worldwide. Christian also served as President of GEIR and Vice President of UEIL and is a member of the Joint UEIL/ATIEL Sustainability Committee. He advised the Turkish company TAYRAS on establishing a used-oil collection system and building a Group II re-refinery, which commenced operations in 2022. In 2025, Christian was appointed as a Board Member of the Saudi Arabian Company UNITCO / YUNIGREEN, the largest re-refiner in the Middle East.