In this special episode of Business Extra, host Khaled Abuljebain sits down with Yan Martin Nufer, chief financial officer of Abu Dhabi-based Borouge, to explore how one of the region’s industrial giants is driving long-term value through innovation, technology and strategic expansion.

From delivering one of the largest IPOs in the UAE to returning more than $15.5 billion in dividends, Borouge has positioned itself at the forefront of the global materials sector.

Mr Nufer explains how Borouge’s proprietary technology is shaping next-generation materials, improving product durability, efficiency and sustainability across applications from medical devices to advanced packaging and energy systems.

The conversation also looks ahead to the Borouge 4 plant in Al Ruwais, a $6.2 billion mega-project nearing completion, and how next-generation manufacturing platforms are expanding the company’s capabilities to serve global demand.

Mr Nufer also discusses the company’s global ambitions, including potential expansion into China, and the broader vision behind building a more resilient, globally integrated materials business.

Borouge is a UAE-based petrochemicals company that produces advanced plastics used across industries from health care and infrastructure to energy and manufacturing.

Formed through a partnership between Adnoc and Borealis, it combines access to energy resources with cutting-edge materials technology, supplying high-performance products to global markets.

Leading executives from the world’s most influential energy companies are gathered in Houston for CERAWeek, often described as the industry's Super Bowl, as the Iran war rattles global markets.

The conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran has disrupted supplies and raised concern over the stability of key routes such as the Strait of Hormuz.

In this special live-recorded episode of Business Extra, host Salim A Essaid looks at how one of the most important international energy gatherings is unfolding in the shadow of war.

Reinforcing a sense that this is not business as usual, major industry leaders, including Saudi Aramco chief executive Amin Nasser and the head of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, Sheikh Nawaf Al Sabah, have withdrawn from in-person appearances.

At the same time, oil markets are reacting sharply to developments on the ground. Prices have surged on fears of disruption, then pulled back on signals of potential de-escalation, highlighting how geopolitics is driving sentiment as much as fundamentals.

In this episode Robin Mills, chief executive of Qamar Energy, The National's Kyle Fitzgerald – reporting from CERAWeek, geoeconomics editor Manus Cranny and assistant business editor Jennifer Gnana discuss what all this means for energy markets, industry decision-making and the broader global economy.

Water infrastructure, supply chains and agriculture are now increasingly exposed to geopolitical shocks.

As the US-Israeli war on Iran led to attacks on infrastructure across the region, attention is shifting to the energy-water-food nexus, a tightly interconnected system where disruption in one area quickly cascades into others.

In the Gulf, where countries rely on desalination for up to 90 per cent of their drinking water and import the majority of their food, these vulnerabilities are especially acute.

In this week's episode of Business Extra, host Salim A Essaid is joined by Sameh Al-Muqdadi, a specialist in water politics and climate security at the Green Charter, to discuss how disruption to energy markets is translating into risks for water supply and food security. They also talk about why the region is particularly vulnerable and how these pressures could have a global impact.

The conversation explores how long these effects could last, what it means for consumers and economies, and whether current infrastructure and policies are equipped to handle a prolonged crisis.