Rob Crane is a Chemical Engineer (BS Cornell, PhD Purdue) who moves new technologies from concept to commercialisation.

During his 30 years with ExxonMobil, he has led the advancement and commercialisation of high impact technologies through leadership roles in R&D, engineering, manufacturing, new business development, and strategy. His current focus is technologies with large scale potential for energy production, new products, and lower carbon intensity.

He leads ExxonMobil’s Technology Scouting & Ventures, bringing in external technologies, practices, and business models to ExxonMobil. Rob also serves on the Board of Directors of American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), helping shape the organisation's strategic direction and further strengthening the close connection between AIChE and this conference.

Plenary presentation

Hydrogen Innovation

Innovation will be essential to unlocking the potential of hydrogen as a large-scale energy carrier. But which technologies, capabilities and approaches will make the greatest difference – and how can promising ideas be translated into solutions that can be deployed at scale?

Drawing on his experience as an AIChE board member and ExxonMobil Technology Scouting & Venturing Manager, Rob will explore the innovation landscape for hydrogen and the trends shaping its development. He will consider how organisations can identify, develop and adopt technologies with the potential to accelerate hydrogen’s growth, while also addressing the practical challenges of bringing innovation from concept to commercial reality.

The session will also highlight the increasingly important role of chemical engineers in delivering the technical, commercial, and cross-disciplinary innovation needed to move hydrogen forward and support its wider market adoption.