Speakers
Will Adams
Head of Commodity Markets Research - Base Metals and Battery Raw Material
Fastmarkets
Will Adams
Head of Commodity Markets Research - Base Metals and Battery Raw Material
Fastmarkets
Will Adams is the head of battery and base metals research at Fastmarkets, where he has worked in management and research for both the battery raw metals and base metals teams. Will’s focus is on understanding and forecasting the battery raw material markets, including the market dynamics and economics in lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper, aluminium, lead, zinc, tin and gold. With extensive experience in base metals research, Will spent fifteen years at Rudolf Wolff & CO LTD, which was one of the founding members of the London Metal Exchange, where he gained broad insight into all aspects of the metals markets before moving into commodity consultancy. He started at Fastmarkets UK in 2004, bringing his hands-on experience to price discovery on battery and base metals.
Luis Fernando Arenas
Humboldt Research Fellow
Clausthal University of Technology
Amy Bennett
Principal Consultant
Fastmarkets
Nicolo Campagnol
Solution manager of Battery Insights
McKinsey & Company
Francisco Carranza
CEO
Basquevolt
Francisco Carranza
CEO
Basquevolt
Francisco is part of the new generation of leaders in the automotive industry that is committed to accelerate the transition to full electric mobility. He is passionate about fighting climate change and succeeding in the energy transition. During his 20+ years in the industry he has taken roles in vehicle R&D, external affairs, corporate planning and senior management positions in the incubation and management of new business opportunities. Before taking the CEO role at Basquevolt in 2022 he was working at ACC as its VP of strategy, sales and marketing. Francisco has a mechanical engineering degree (Escuela Superior de Ingenieros of Sevilla and Ecole Nationale Superieur de Petrole et Moteurs in France) and an MBA (EM Lyon and Cranfield School of Management).
Elewout Depicker
Vice President Commercial & Corporate Development
Li-Cycle
Tom Fairlie
Senior Sustainability Manager
The Cobalt Institute
Matt Fernley
Head of Research
Volta Fund; MD of Battery Materials Review
Matt Fernley
Head of Research
Volta Fund; MD of Battery Materials Review
Matt Fernley is MD at Battery Materials Review and Head of Research for Westbeck Capital’s Volta fund. He is a highly sought-after expert on rechargeable batteries and battery materials markets.Matt has spent over 20 years as an equity analyst, following Mining, Chemicals and Industrials sectors. Starting his career at Warburg Dillon Read (now UBS Investment Bank), he was an equity analyst and also a global strategist for Basic Materials (chemicals, mining, paper, steel, cement/aggregates). Latterly he was global strategist for the Chemicals sector. While at UBS his primary focus was on the growth of India and China and development of materials markets due to structural changes in demand. He used previous economic take-off events in the US, Japan and Korea to model trends in materials demand in China and India. He was then able to apply this work to food and made one of the earliest calls in the market on the importance of fertilisers and agrochemicals in early-2005.Following UBS, he spent two years in hedge funds before joining GMP Securities (Europe) LLP as a Senior Mining Analyst and latterly Head of Equities Research. After GMP he was head of a small online property company for two years, before taking up the position of Materials & Cyclicals strategist at Haitong.Matt has published extensively on the Mining sector as well as the development of key materials and equity price trends associated with secular demand events in raw materials.
George Heppel
Head of Commercial and Market Analysis, CCA | Battery Metals
BASF
George Heppel
Head of Commercial and Market Analysis, CCA | Battery Metals
BASF
George Heppel is a market analyst and strategy specialist within BASF’s battery metals procurement and investment team. George covers the cobalt, lithium, nickel and manganese markets, and lends analytical and strategic support to BASF’s procurement and investment deal pipeline. Prior to BASF, George worked as a senior consultant and head of battery metals analysis at CRU Group, with a particular focus on cobalt and lithium.
Matti Hietanen
CEO
Finnish Minerals Group
Andrea Hotter
Special Correspondent
Fastmarkets
Andrea Hotter
Special Correspondent
Fastmarkets
Andrea Hotter is the New York-based special correspondent at Fastmarkets and has over 25 years’ experience in the metals and mining sector. Her expertise spans commodities and encompasses materials essential for the energy transition, including battery raw materials such as copper, nickel, lithium, cobalt and aluminium. Andrea’s responsibilities include producing insights for Fastmarkets’ customers across all markets to develop users’ understanding and effectiveness, and to build Fastmarkets’ reputation as a leader at the heart of the metals industry. She acts as a brand ambassador for Fastmarkets globally, through conference chairing and hosting, web seminars, podcasts, social media and other platforms and media. She also works to connect Fastmarkets to industry leaders and position the company as the prime source for market intelligence. Before joining Fastmarkets in New York in 2012, she was the assistant managing editor at Dow Jones Newswires on its energy and commodities desk in London. In this role, she was responsible for markets and equities coverage of metals, agriculture (grains, cocoa, coffee, sugar) and energy (oil, gas, power, renewables) for EMEA. Prior to this, Andrea was on the metals desk for Mitsui Bussan Commodities in London and was a senior correspondent and head of metals for Bridge News. Andrea graduated from Kings College, University of London, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature & Language.
Dr. Yu-Tack Kim
CEO
TDL
Dr. Yu-Tack Kim
CEO
TDL
Korean Battery Industry Association (KBIA) and Battery R&D Association of Korea (KORBA)
Rajat Kohli
Director & Co-Founder
Oval Advisory
Orral Nadjari
Founder
Britishvolt
Eric Norris
President of Energy Storage
Albemarle Corporation
Eric Norris
President of Energy Storage
Albemarle Corporation
Eric Norris joined Albemarle in January 2018 as Chief Strategy Officer. In this role, he managed the company’s strategic planning, M&A, and corporate business development programs as well as its investor relations efforts. In August 2018, he was appointed President of the Lithium global business unit. Prior to joining Albemarle, Norris served as President of Health and Nutrition for FMC Corporation. Following FMC’s announcement to acquire DuPont Agricultural Chemical assets, he led the divestiture of FMC Health and Nutrition to DuPont. Previously, Norris served as Vice President and Global Business Director for FMC Health and Nutrition, and Vice President and Global Business Director for FMC Lithium. During his 16-year FMC career, he served in additional leadership roles including Investor Relations, Corporate Development and Director of FMC Healthcare Ventures. Prior to FMC, Norris founded and led an internet-based firm offering formulation and design tools to the chemical industry. He started his career in a range of leadership roles with the Rohm and Haas Company. Norris earned a Master of Business Administration from Harvard University and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and German from Colgate University. Norris is a member of the board of directors of Communities in Schools of Charlotte-Mecklenburg and is a member of the board of advisors of The Zero Emission Transportation Association (ZETA).
Phoebe O’Hara
Battery Raw Materials Analyst
Fastmarkets
Phoebe O’Hara
Battery Raw Materials Analyst
Fastmarkets
Phoebe focuses on the demand-side dynamics of the battery raw materials industry, with a specialization on the electric vehicle (EV) and energy storage system (ESS) sectors. She also analyses the battery, macroeconomic and geopolitical trends impacting the space. After graduating from Duke University with a BA in International Politics and History, Phoebe received an MSc in International Relations from the LSE. She then went on to become an Autos analyst, developing a focus on EV batteries and their role in the green transition. Phoebe’s work has been featured in publications such as FT, Reuters, SCMP, mining.com and others. In addition to her role at Fastmarkets, Phoebe is the founder and director of two non-profits; Open Door Community Kitchen, a community kitchen serving free meals to those in need in London, and EmpowerHer*Voice, a platform championing the voices and lived experiences of marginalised genders around the globe.
Callum Perry
Nickel Price Reporter
Fastmarkets
Callum Perry
Nickel Price Reporter
Fastmarkets
Callum works as a price reporter in the base metals team in London, focused specifically on refined nickel within Europe and nickel sulfate. Callum has previously also covered refined zinc, and copper markets within Europe. Callum originally joined Fastmarkets in 2019 within the events division of Fastmarkets as a Conference Producer for Metals & Mining. Callum managed conferences in battery raw materials, with a specific focus on Lithium. Alongside these, he also producers conferences focused on steel & base metals. Prior to joining Fastmarkets, Callum worked for Mining Journal. Callum holds a first class honours degree in History & Politics from the University of Exeter.
Yann Teste
Vice President Purchasing New Technologies and Global Categories
VOLVO AB Group, Volvo Construction Equipment
Yann Teste
Vice President Purchasing New Technologies and Global Categories
VOLVO AB Group, Volvo Construction Equipment
Yann Teste is an executive in Purchasing and Supplier management with an extensive experience in different countries in the automotive and construction industry. He is also passionate about Human dynamics, interactions, and impacts on the business. Since now several years he is also engaged in Sustainability Transition Management. Yann has been working in Purchasing and Operation jobs in Europe and Asia for the last 25 years. He now manages a global team responsible for the strategic sourcing of a 2.2 Bio $ spend for the Construction Equipment division of Volvo AB group. He is currently in charge of all Global Categories/commodities purchasing for Volvo Construction Equipment. A scope that covers Battery sourcing, Electro mobility related components, Electronics, Automation and Connectivity, as well as Powertrain’s systems and Hydraulics systems. His team and him also manages aftermarket parts globally. The team is managing a total spend of 2,2 Bio Euros. Yann started his career at Meritor as project manager and then joined, as project and commodity buyer, the Knorr-Bremse group, worldwide leader for braking systems for Truck and trains. After 1 Year and half he was promoted to building and managing a team (he was then the youngest Purchasing Manager of Knorr-Bremse group (26 years old). He was ultimately leading the European Purchasing organization for a business line with teams being located in Germany, France, Italy and England. During these times, he started the first global sourcing activities in East and central East Europe and then was piloting the whole global sourcing initiatives in China, Taiwan and India. In 2004 Yann moved to China to start-up the first Knorr-Bremse Chinese WOFE (Wholly Foreign Enterprise) manufacturing plant in Dalian assisting the other expatriate who was GM of the new Plant. After this he was assigned to become the Asia Purchasing Director for Purchasing, global sourcing, supplier quality, procurement, MRO, production investments for all locations (WOFE’s and JV’s) Yann holds a MBA from the IAE institute, following a Master of Science in Electro-Mechanics from ECAM/EPMI engineering school in France. He was part of several High Potential career development paths at Knorr-Bremse and Volvo, attended several executive trainings on management, leadership and purchasing. Among them CCL (Center for Creative Leadership) and HEC Paris Business school with STM (sustainable Transition Management).
Lisset Urrutia
Director R&D and Cell Engineering
SVOLT
Lisset Urrutia
Director R&D and Cell Engineering
SVOLT
Lisset Urrutia is Lisset Urrutia Director R&D and Cell Engineering at SVOLT Energy Technology Europe. Lisset’s goal is to set up the right facilities to give support to SVOLT’s customers, drive the establishment of the local supply chain as well as look into advanced technologies. As a chemical engineer with a master’s degree from Université Paul Sabatier (Toulouse III) in electrochemistry, she has more than twelve years of practical experience in the development of both lithium-ion and post lithium-ion batteries as well as production processes. Throughout her career, Lisset has held international positions at companies like Baxter, Smurfit Kappa or OXIS Energy. She has previously worked in Colombia, Spain, England, China and now Germany.
Francis Wedin
Managing Director
Vulcan Energy Resources
Francis Wedin
Managing Director
Vulcan Energy Resources
Dr Francis Wedin is a battery materials and renewable energy industry executive, focused on developing global scale decarbonisation opportunities. Francis founded Vulcan Energy and the Zero Carbon Lithium™ Project, a dual renewables and lithium chemicals project and the world’s first zero carbon lithium project, because he believed the transition to electric vehicles powered by lithium batteries needed to be improved. Francis was previously Executive Director of ASX-listed Exore Resources. He is bilingual, has a PhD and BSc (Hons) in geology, an MBA in renewables, is a Fellow of the Geological Society, London, and a member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.
Eden Yates
Head of Marketing
Cling Systems