Agenda 2024

Deputy Secretary General / Director – Sustainability,  International Aluminium Institute (IAI)
Pernelle is responsible for the Institute’s broad sustainability work program. In addition to being a spokesperson for the IAI, Pernelle manages the Institute’s Greenhouse Gas Pathways Working Group and Environment and Energy Committee.

Senior Manager – Corporate Social Responsibility,  Emirates Global Aluminium

Director Sustainability & External Affairs,  Crown

Head of Aluminium,  CRU
Paul Williams is the Head of Aluminium, and Research Manager responsible for the research programme of the team. Mr Williams joined CRU in 1986 and for many years ran the Aluminium Semis and Downstream areas specialising in flat rolled product markets and demand analysis. A regular speaker at major aluminium events, he also contributes to aluminium association publications including those of the Aluminum Association. Mr Williams has a MSc in Economics, London School of Economics. BA in Economics, University of Swansea.

Secretary General,  International Aluminium Institute (IAI)

Miles Prosser is the Secretary General of the International Aluminium Institute (IAI), the only body that represents the aluminium industry at the global level.

With more than twenty years’ experience working on various industry policy issues, Miles brings in-depth knowledge on resource allocation, sustainability and climate change.

Miles joined the IAI from the Australian Aluminium Council where he served as Executive Director for more than 10 years.

He leads the IAI to promote the unique and valuable properties of aluminium in sustainable development. He holds an honours degree from the Australian National University and is a member of the Institute of Directors in London.

Chief Sustainability Officer,  Ball Corporation
Ramon has around 25 years of experience in sustainability-related positions at multinational companies such as Interface, Vodafone, Ericsson and now Ball Corporation.  He was Town Councillor at the age of 23 and has an MBA from Warwick Business School, an MSc in Quality and Environment and a college degree in organic chemistry, both from Universidad de Valladolid, Spain. 

Chief Marketing Officer, Aluminium Business,  Vedanta
Alok Ranjan is a C Suite Leader with extensive experience in building business in highly dynamic and competitive environment. He has experience in multiple commodities like Zinc/Lead/Silver/ Gold/ Iron & Steel/Copper/Aluminium bearing raw materials as well as finished goods. He also has significant experience in leading large teams and using customer and Govt advocacy for consistently delivering results. 

Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer,  Alcoa

Renato Bacchi is Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer. He leads the Company’s sales and trading, marketing, supply chain, commercial operations, procurement, and transformation and oversees the Company’s global energy assets and breakthrough technology programs. Renato is a member of the Alcoa Executive Team, which sets strategic direction for the Company.

Previously Renato was appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer in January 2023, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer in February 2022, and Senior Vice President and Treasurer of Alcoa Corporation from November 2019 through January 2022. In addition to responsibility for global treasury activities, Renato also had accountability for Alcoa’s Corporate Development function, which included evaluating the best uses of the company’s capital, sourcing and executing transactions on acquisitions, divestitures and joint ventures.

From November 2016 to November 2019, Renato was Vice President and Treasurer.Prior to the separation of Alcoa Inc. into two separate companies in 2016, Renato was Assistant Treasurer of Alcoa. He had also previously served as a board member of AlcoaPrevi, the Alcoa employees’ pension fund in Brazil.

Executive Vice President,  Hydro Bauxite & Alumina
John Thuestad has been Executive Vice President for Hydro Bauxite and Alumina since 2018. He came from the position as Head of Extrusion Europe in Hydro's Extruded Solutions business. Thuestad has more than 30 years of operational and leadership experience frm the aluminium industry, and has worked in the entire value chain, from bauzite and alumina to extrusion, in an international capacity. He holds a master's degree in Metallurgy from NTNU (Norwegian University of Science and Technology) and an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University of Pittsburgh, USA. Thuestad is currently a board member of the fertilizer company Yara ASA and also a member of IAI. 

CEO,   Emirates Global Aluminium - EGA
Abdulnasser Ibrahim Saif Bin Kalban is Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Global Aluminium.Prior to his appointment as Chief Executive Officer in 2020, Mr. Bin Kalban had served as an Alternate Board Member of EGA since May 2017. He also sits on the Board of Guinea Alumina Corporation (GAC), EGA's bauxite mining subsidiary.

Vice President Sales Aluminium,  Rio Tinto

Amy Abraham is Vice President Aluminium Sales at Rio Tinto. She is accountable for global sales and account management, book management, trading activities, sales and operations planning for Rio Tinto’s aluminium business that includes bauxite, alumina and aluminium. Prior to joining Rio Tinto, Amy worked with World Fuel Services where she was the Senior Vice President Strategy and Chief Marketing Officer.

Reporting to the Chief Executive, Amy was accountable for leading and influencing global, enterprise-wide transformational change across a team of 1500+ market facing sales and marketing professionals, and delivering material, sustainable and profitable growth. She also had a long career at BP where she worked in senior leadership roles across the US and UK, including Chief of Staff to the Group Chief Executive, Vice President Marketing and Communications and US Retail Transformation Leader.Amy has a Bachelor’s degree in arts (BA) in Economics from Duke University and a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) from Indiana University (Kelley School of Business).

Chief Executive Officer,  Aluminium Stewardship Initiative

Fiona Solomon is the Chief Executive Officer of the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI), which she joined in March 2015 with the responsibility for leading the development and implementation of ASI’s strategy and operations.

Her career has specialised in building new and innovative initiatives in mineral supply chains over more than twenty years. She was previously Director – Standards Development at the Responsible Jewellery Council from 2007 to 2015, where she developed a certification program for gold, diamonds and platinum group metals which has been adopted by more than 1000 companies across the supply chain from mine to retail. She has served as a Board Member of the ISEAL Alliance and a founding member of the OECD’s Multi-Stakeholder Steering Group for responsible mineral supply chains.

From 1997, Fiona worked for ten years at Australia’s CSIRO, leading research into mining and sustainability, and was also seconded to WWF to manage a multi-stakeholder project on the feasibility of mine-site certification. She has a Bachelors degree (Hons 1) in mechanical engineering and a PhD in philosophy of technology, both from the University of Queensland, and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors

Lead, Industry Decarbonization, Aluminium and Non-Ferrous Metals, First Movers Coalition,  World Economic Forum
Jelena Aleksić is an experienced stakeholder management professional with a background in public and corporate affairs. Since early 2023, she’s been leading aluminium sector decarbonization efforts for the First Movers Coalition under the Centre for Nature and Climate at the World Economic Forum. Before joining the Forum, Jelena held various positions in the mining and metals sector, spanning from general management to government relations and public affairs. Before moving into the private sector, she was a statutory employee of the European Commission for a decade. Jelena holds MA and PhD degrees in Economics.

Vice President Group Sustainability and Public Affairs Europe,  Constellium
A graduate of the French business school HEC Paris, Catherine Athènes has nearly 30 years’ international experience in corporate strategy, marketing, sales and sustainability. Having started her career as a strategy consultant, she spent nine years at Pechiney, the major French aluminium and packaging company which was then bought by Alcan. After a period in the medical paper business as a sales director, she joined Constellium in 2011 as the Marketing Director for its biggest business unit, Packaging & Automotive Rolled Products. Since 2018, she is in charge of driving the company-wide sustainability strategy. Catherine is also the chair of European Aluminium’s Sustainability Committee and a Director of the Board of the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative.

Shipping and Commodities Manager,  Institute for Human Rights and Business
Francesca has fifteen years’ experience in business and human rights, initially in research and in developing corporate responsibility strategies, and subsequently as a sustainability consultant specialising in measuring corporate carbon footprint. She has worked at IHRB since 2015. 

Director of Sales, EMEA,  NatureMetrics

NatureMetrics is a world leader in delivering nature data and intelligence, deploying cutting-edge technology to generate biodiversity insights at scale using environmental DNA (eDNA), Earth Observation and advanced data science and AI. We have over 900 clients in 110 countries, our biggest industries are mining and renewable energy (onshore and offshore).

Laura joined NatureMetrics in 2021 from PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC)’s Sustainability & Climate Change consulting team where she worked for 10 years in the UK and in Canada. She was part of the PwC team which, along with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, co-authored the Natural Capital Protocol – a guidance document that helps organisations to measure and value their direct, and indirect, impacts and dependencies on natural capital. She also co-authored the World Economic Forum’s whitepaper titled ‘Towards Common Metrics and Consistent Reporting of Sustainable Value Creation’. She is a trained ecologist with a Masters degree in Environmental Economics and Policy.

Global Sector Leader – Materials & Process Industries,  Boston Consulting Group

Karthik Valluru is a Managing Director & Partner with the Atlanta office of the Boston Consulting Group. Karthik has extensive work experience advising clients across the materials and process industries sector including metals, mining, building materials, chemicals and agribusiness.

He is a member of the firm’s global Industrial Goods leadership team and leads the materials & process industries sector, globally Karthik is also actively involved in the Atlanta community as a board member of the Metro Atlanta Y and working with several non-profits as part of BCG’s Social Impact practice Karthik Valluru holds an MBA from The Indian School of Business where he was on the Dean's List. He is also a qualified Chartered Accountant with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Indians.

Partner, International Trade Co-Chair,  Wiley Rein LLP
Alan Price is a partner at Wiley and co-chair of the firm's International Trade Practice where he represents numerous aluminium and steel producers on trade matters in the United States. He has more than 30 years of experience representing clients in complex international trade regulatory matters and provides counsel on antidumping and countervailing duty investigations, bilateral and multilateral agreements, trade legislation, customs regulation, national security matters, trade-related climate change issues, and World Trade Organization dispute resolution. Mr Price known for achieving effective solutions to address challenges related to international competition.

Director,  Ash Global Insights

Ken Ash is a Visiting Fellow at the Institute for International Trade, University of Adelaide, and Director of Ash Global Insights, offering advice to businesses and to governments on international trade and agricultural policies, with a focus on subsidy reform, supply chains, and global food systems.

Ken was Director of Trade and Agriculture at the OECD between 2008 and 2020, having served as Deputy Director since 1999. Ken led OECD efforts to provide evidence-based advice to governments, including in G7 and G20 groupings, with the aim of improving the domestic and international performance of trade, food, agriculture, and fisheries policies. During this period OECD expanded its annual agriculture policy monitoring and evaluation to 54 countries and 75% of global value-added, created internationally comparable policy data on trade facilitation, services trade, industrial subsidies, cross-border data flows, and export restrictions, and integrated trade and sectoral analysis into comprehensive structural policy advice to support economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable outcomes.

Prior to joining the OECD Ken had extensive experience in the Government of Canada. As Director General, Economic and Policy Analysis (1995-99) he provided strategic advice on agriculture and trade policies and on government-wide institutional reform. He holds both B. Comm and MBA degrees.

General Secretary,  Istanbul Mineral and Metals Exporters’ Association
Dr. Selahattin Armağan Vurdu completed his undergraduate education at the Faculty of Business Administration of Middle East Technical University and his master's degree at the Department of International Political Economy at Warwick University in United Kingdom. He completed the European Union Specialization Program at Ankara University European Union Research and Application Center (ATAUM) and the Leadership, Individual and Team Performance Coaching certificate programs at Paris-based International Mozaik and London-based Performance Consultants International (PCI). He attended the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) Principles and Practices Certificate Program at the International Development Law Institute in Rome. He completed the International Trade Doctorate Program at Istanbul Commerce University and received the title of doctor. After serving as Foreign Trade Specialist at the Undersecretariat of Foreign Trade, Commercial Counselor of the London Embassy, Private Secretary at the Ministry of State (Responsible for Foreign Trade, Customs and Eximbank), Deputy General Manager for European Union, General Manager for Economic Research and Evaluation, Turkic World Working Group After serving as the President of the Free Zones General Manager in historical order, he served as the Ministry Counselor in the Ministry of Economy. He was appointed as the General Secretary of IMMIB on August 26, 2015. In addition to his duty at IMMIB, he teaches at Istanbul Commerce University and Istanbul Aydın University as a lecturer, and writes weekly columns in Ekonomi, previously Dünya, newspaper.

Principal Analyst, Aluminium,  CRU

Zaid is a principal analyst covering primary and secondary aluminium, value-added products, aluminium raw materials, and carbon products in North America and worldwide.

Prior to joining the aluminium analysis team, Zaid spent six years with CRU’s consulting division as head of aluminium consulting. Before CRU, he worked for several years at Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) in the UAE where he led the market research unit and held various positions within marketing and sales, corporate strategy, and finance. He previously worked in London for a number of commodity-focused firms as an analyst, including Thomson Reuters and Diapason Commodities Management, where he managed the precious and base metals research unit. He began his commodities research career in 2002 as an economist with AUPEC, an oil and gas consultancy firm.   Zaid holds an MA in Economic Science from the University of Aberdeen and an MSc in Economics from the University of Amsterdam. Zaid is fluent in Arabic and French.    

Climate Change and Decarbonisation Director,  Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI)

Chris Bayliss joined ASI in May 2021 as Director of Standards, leading the ongoing development and implementation of ASI Standards to promote the responsible production, sourcing and stewardship of aluminium.

Chris has two decades of experience in the sustainability of the aluminium sector.  In various roles at the International Aluminium Institute, he led the development and implementation of science based approaches to improving occupational health and well-being, reducing sector wide greenhouse gas emissions and maximising the enabling potential of aluminium products in sustainable socio-economic systems.

Manager,  RMI

Wenjuan is a Senior Associate with RMI’s Climate Intelligence Program. Her work supports the development and implementation of carbon accounting frameworks for heavy industries (such as aluminum) to enable the development of a differentiated commodities market for products with low embodied emissions.

Prior to joining RMI, Wenjuan received her Ph.D. in sustainability from Arizona State University, where she studied the social and environmental externalities of extracting critical minerals (such as lithium and nickel) for the low-carbon economy. Throughout her Ph.D., Wenjuan strongly advocated for sustainable governance of critical minerals by actively engaging with diverse stakeholders such as communities, industrial players, and scholars.

EducationPh.D., School of Sustainability, Arizona State UniversityM.Sc., School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Michigan, Ann ArborB.S., School of Environment, Renmin University of China.

Deputy Secretary General / Director – Sustainability,  International Aluminium Institute (IAI)
Pernelle is responsible for the Institute’s broad sustainability work program. In addition to being a spokesperson for the IAI, Pernelle manages the Institute’s Greenhouse Gas Pathways Working Group and Environment and Energy Committee.

Director Sustainability,  European Aluminium
Sandro joined European Aluminium in 2008 and has held his current position since 2013. In the past, he worked in the technical department of the Italian steel association, after dealing with the evaluation of industrial research projects, safety in the workplace and remediation of polluted sites. He holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Engineering from Politecnico di Milano (Italy), and an Executive MBA degree at MIP, the Business School of the Politecnico di Milano

Director of Partnerships,  Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI)

Marieke joined ASI in 2019 and she is responsible for ASI’s broader organisational partnerships and engagement activities, including benchmarking and harmonisation with related programs and growing ASI’s targeted collaborative efforts to drive change.

Marieke has over 13 years’ experience in the development and implementation of standards, certification and impact evaluation systems in mineral and metal supply chains. Her career started at the Responsible Jewellery Council where she managed RJC’s certification and Monitoring & Evaluation programs. Her latest role was at Bettercoal, where she led the review and implementation of the new coal supplier Assessment Process, working closely with energy utilities, mining companies, civil society stakeholders, governments and other standard initiatives. Marieke serves on the Technical Committee of the ISEAL Alliance and is a member of the OECD Multi-Stakeholder Steering Group.

Sustainability Director,  Hydro

Vice President Group Sustainability and Public Affairs Europe,  Constellium
A graduate of the French business school HEC Paris, Catherine Athènes has nearly 30 years’ international experience in corporate strategy, marketing, sales and sustainability. Having started her career as a strategy consultant, she spent nine years at Pechiney, the major French aluminium and packaging company which was then bought by Alcan. After a period in the medical paper business as a sales director, she joined Constellium in 2011 as the Marketing Director for its biggest business unit, Packaging & Automotive Rolled Products. Since 2018, she is in charge of driving the company-wide sustainability strategy. Catherine is also the chair of European Aluminium’s Sustainability Committee and a Director of the Board of the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative.

Principal Consultant,  DNV

Laura is Deputy Head of DNV’s ESG Supply Chain Sustainability practice in London, and has over ten years of experience in advising clients on material sustainability risks and opportunities with a focus on ESG due diligence in the supply chain and independent assurance over ESG data & claims.

Laura worked extensively in the metals and mining sectors, leading on-the-ground site assessments. She is an approved Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) Lead Auditor and Auditor for the Responsible Steel Standard. She led independent assurance engagements for a number of DNV’s clients over supply chain due diligence, including assessments against ASI, OECD, LME, CSDDD, CSRD/ESRS, IRMA, ICMM, ISAE3000, GRI, ISO 14064.

Head of Aluminium,  CRU
Paul Williams is the Head of Aluminium, and Research Manager responsible for the research programme of the team. Mr Williams joined CRU in 1986 and for many years ran the Aluminium Semis and Downstream areas specialising in flat rolled product markets and demand analysis. A regular speaker at major aluminium events, he also contributes to aluminium association publications including those of the Aluminum Association. Mr Williams has a MSc in Economics, London School of Economics. BA in Economics, University of Swansea.

Principal Analyst, Aluminium,  CRU

Zaid is a principal analyst covering primary and secondary aluminium, value-added products, aluminium raw materials, and carbon products in North America and worldwide.

Prior to joining the aluminium analysis team, Zaid spent six years with CRU’s consulting division as head of aluminium consulting. Before CRU, he worked for several years at Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) in the UAE where he led the market research unit and held various positions within marketing and sales, corporate strategy, and finance. He previously worked in London for a number of commodity-focused firms as an analyst, including Thomson Reuters and Diapason Commodities Management, where he managed the precious and base metals research unit. He began his commodities research career in 2002 as an economist with AUPEC, an oil and gas consultancy firm.   Zaid holds an MA in Economic Science from the University of Aberdeen and an MSc in Economics from the University of Amsterdam. Zaid is fluent in Arabic and French.    

Managing Consultant, Aluminium,  CRU
Kelly Driscoll has been with CRU in London since 1995, following a ten-year career as a process metallurgist working with Kaiser Aluminum in the US and with Johnson Matthey in London. Mr Driscoll’s current main responsibility is for the development and improvement of CRU’s aluminium industry cost models, and for the technical development of CRU’s Aluminium products and services. He holds a BSc in Metallurgical Engineering from the University of Montana and a Ph.D. in Metallurgy from Cambridge University.

Lead Analyst, Aluminium, Primary & Recycled Metal,  CRU
Ross re-joined CRU in August 2020 and was subsequently promoted to Lead Analyst, Aluminium, Primary and Recycled Metal. Between 2004 and 2009 he worked for CRU, initially joining as a research analyst for the aluminium team and latterly becoming principal price risk advisor for the price risk management team. Subsequently, he worked for Capital Economics, Thomson Reuters and GFMS in analytical roles covering a variety of metals markets as well as presenting to industry gatherings. Ross will be based in our London office and holds a Masters in Economics from Heriot-Watt University.

Research Analyst,  CRU
Matthew joined CRU in January 2022 as a Research Analyst and will focus on aluminium rolled products.Prior to joining, he was finishing his degree from Konkuk University in Seoul, Korea where he studied Economics and Statistics as well as the Korean language. Matthew is based in CRU’s Pittsburgh office.

Senior Vice President of Sustainability,  Can Manufacturers Institute

Scott Breen is vice president of sustainability at the Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI). CMI represents U.S. metal can manufacturers and their suppliers. His responsibilities include promoting the can as a sustainable/circular package, advocating for federal and state legislation and regulation that reflect the can’s sustainability advantages, and leading the industry’s efforts to build upon the can industry’s leading recycling rates.  

Scott’s roles prior to CMI were associate manager of the Sustainability and Circular Economy Program at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and attorney-adviser at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Along with his position at CMI, Scott also explores various aspects of sustainability as creator and co-host of the podcast Sustainability Defined. Sustainability Defined has monthly episodes that reach thousands of listeners across more than 100 countries and all 50 states.

Advisor- Office of the Chairman,  China Hongqiao Group Limited (HK)
Ron joined China Hongqiao Group in January 2020, following 11 years as Secretary General of the International Aluminium Institute (London). Previous roles include Executive Director of the Australian Aluminium Council (2002 to 2008).

Chief Executive Officer,  Verdigris Strategic Ltd
Jay Hambro is a British businessman in the mining, energy, steel and commodity sectors. He is the founder of Verdigris Strategic, a long-term investor and business transformation specialist.

President & CEO,  Aluminum Association

As president and CEO of the Aluminum Association, Charles “Chuck” Johnson serves as the chief advocate for the full aluminum value chain in the United States, which supports hundreds of thousands of American workers. The association’s 120+ members make 70 percent of the aluminum and aluminum products shipped in North America. 

Prior to joining the association in 2022, Charles served as the President of the International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA), the trade organization for personal protective equipment and technologies. During his tenure, he modernized ISEA’s operations and spearheaded the passage of key liability legislation for safety equipment manufacturers. Notably, Charles led the ISEA as the industry was at the forefront of the COVID-19 pandemic response.

He previously served as the vice president of policy for the Aluminum Association, acting as strategic advisor to the industry and advancing the aluminum industry’s interests in Washington D.C. and abroad. His responsibilities included federal affairs, environmental regulation, occupational health and safety, community and consumer protection, international regulation and sustainability.

Charles has 18 years of aluminum industry experience, during which he represented the U.S. industry in international corporate stewardship deliberations, diverse standards setting forums and at the WHO/FAO.

He holds a B.A. from the University of Mississippi and an M.A. in international environmental policy from The American University

CEO,  DUCAB

Mohamed Al Ahmedi serves as the CEO of Ducab Metal Business, where he is responsible for devising and executing the company's comprehensive business strategy, overseeing its development, planning, implementation, and integration, and ensuring the successful attainment of business objectives.  

An innovative, ambitious, and dynamic leader, he ensures business runs profitably and ethically in alignment with Ducab Group’s policies and guidelines to deliver the best possible outcomes for shareholders and stakeholders. With over 20 years of experience across various industries, he also serves on board of directors of BICC-MET.  

Al Ahmedi first joined Ducab in 2010 as the General Manager for Procurement, Supply Chain and Planning. His excellent analytical and decision-making skills, together with his results-oriented approach, has ensured the company’s present and future requirements are met in a cost-effective manner.   

Prior to joining Ducab, he held a leadership position in Contracts and Purchasing at Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) where he successfully developed and implemented a robust set of procurement and contract programs, policies and procedures.  

During his tenure at Ducab, Al Ahmedi has demonstrated impressive leadership qualities, strengthening the company as a world-class UAE manufacturing enterprise. His deep industry knowledge, extensive business experience, strong interpersonal relationships, and innovative ideas, makes him an asset to the group and a key member of the leadership team.  

Al Ahmedi holds a master's degree in leadership and strategic planning, and has also obtained numerous professional certificates in procurement and contracts.

Adviser,  Verdigris Strategies
Will Savage originally qualified as a metallurgist and has spent a career working  internationally in the Aluminium sector.  Will spent 12 years at the UK’s Aluminium Association ( ALFED ) as chief executive.  Will, now provides consultancy services to the Aluminum industry and is an Advisor / consultant to Verdigris Strategic, the Long term investor and business Transformation specialist in the global metals sector.

Senior Vice President & Chief Procurement Officer,  Constellium Switzerland AG

Mr. Becker has served as Senior Vice President and Chief Procurement Officer (CPO) since April 2023.  He joined Constellium as Vice President Global Metal and Energy Sourcing in 2018 and was promoted to Vice President and Chief Procurement Officer in 2020.  Prior to joining Constellium, Mr. Becker held various leadership positions at Novelis, including Vice President and General Manager, Global Director Can and Director Metal Planning and Sourcing, based in Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, and Germany.

Mr. Becker started his career at Alcan in 2002 as Key Account Manager for the beverage can segment. Mr. Becker holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from U21Global Graduate School in Singapore, and is a graduate in Business Studies at the Academy of Cooperative Education in Göttingen, Germany.

CEO & Managing Partner,  Hammerer Aluminium Industries

Hammerer Aluminium Industries (HAI), headquartered in Ranshofen, Austria is one of the biggest family owned businesses within the European Aluminium Industry operating out of 8 locations across Europe. 

After taking over responsibility as Group CEO Rob van Gils has significantly changed the portfolio of HAI group over the last years. Supported by consequent investments in back- and forward integration HAI today covers the whole value chain from recycling, billet production, extrusions and aluminium components for B&C, Industrial Applications and the Transportation Industry.

Mr van Gils brings to his position a well-established background in mechanical engineering and business administration. Prior to his role as CEO he held several management positions within HAI and AMAG resulting in more than 20 years of experience in the Aluminium Industry.

Executive Vice President,  Hydro Extrusions

Paul Warton has been Executive Vice President for Hydro Extrusions since 2021.

Warton came from a job as business unit president at aluminium company Constellium. He is a UK national with extensive experience from the aluminium industry, including different leadership positions in U.S.-based aluminium company Alcoa and in aluminium extrusions company Sapa (now a part of Hydro) which he joined in 2005.

Warton was responsible for Sapa Building Systems EMEA in 2005-2006 and later headed Sapa Profiles North Europe in 2007-2009.

He has a BSc degree from University of Birmingham, UK and a MBA from London Business School.

Group CEO,  Midal Cables B.S.C (C)

Khalid A. Latif joined Alba in ƒ1989 and has more than 35 years’ experience in the aluminum industry,. Khalid holds MBA from the French Arabian Business School/ESSEC (Bahrain).Khalid A. Latif is a highly accomplished business executive with a proven track record of success in the marketing and operations fields.

He started with Alba as apprentice and moved on to become Marketing Manager in 2012. In September 2015 he took over as Chief Marketing Officer.In April 2024, Khalid joined Midal Cables B.S.C (C) as Group CEO, where he continues to leverage his expertise in both marketing and operations to drive the company's growth and success.

Head of Aluminium,  CRU
Paul Williams is the Head of Aluminium, and Research Manager responsible for the research programme of the team. Mr Williams joined CRU in 1986 and for many years ran the Aluminium Semis and Downstream areas specialising in flat rolled product markets and demand analysis. A regular speaker at major aluminium events, he also contributes to aluminium association publications including those of the Aluminum Association. Mr Williams has a MSc in Economics, London School of Economics. BA in Economics, University of Swansea.

Director of Global Marketing,  Alcoa

Shelley E. Ranii is Alcoa’s Director of Global Marketing, responsible for developing global market views and go-to-market strategies for the Company’s global bauxite, alumina, and aluminum products, including Alcoa’s SustanaTM line of low-carbon products. Previously at Alcoa, she worked as the as Global Director of Industry Analysis and in Corporate Strategy having joined the company in 2015.

Before joining Alcoa, Shelley worked at NYU’s Center on International Cooperation, The World Bank and the US Department of Defense on a range of issues related to international economics, development and security. Shelley joined Alcoa in 2015 and is based out of Alcoa’s European corporate headquarters in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. She has an MA in International Relations and International Economics from The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a BA in Government from Harvard University. She holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and is a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

CEO,  Fast Forward Zero

Jerome Lucaes is CEO of FAST FORWARD ZERO (FFZero). FFZero advises business leaders, investors and funds to transform to net zerocarbon, circular and fair models. Jerome is also a senior advisor for theInternational Aluminium Institute and for numerous companies across thevertical aluminium supply-chain (from mine to consumers)

30 years of experience in various industries, including 20 years in thealuminium sector (Pechiney downstream — now Constellium —, AlcanRio Tinto, Rusal).

Jerome spearheaded a few World Firsts which have been transformative inthe aluminium sector• The co-creation of the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (in 2011 withfive other companies

He initiated the development of the first two global low carbonaluminium brands RENEWAL and ALLOW

He developed a few multi-tier partnerships from mine to consumers(with large brands like Budweiser, Ball, and Apple, to name a few).

He participated in the world’s first strategy to net zero carbon acrossthe mining and metal sector (announced in Jan 2021)

He initiated a few coalitions: the Aluminium for Climate Group hostedby the World Economic Forum (WEF) in 2019, and Aluminium Forward2030, a coalition launched in 2023 by the International AluminiumInstitute (IAI).

Metals Research,  Trafigura
Henry is a Senior Research Analyst for Trafigura, a leading commodities group. He is helping to shape the company’s views on metals, minerals and bulk markets and the economic outlook, with a particular focus on industrial metals. Prior to joining Trafigura in 2019, Henry worked for CRU as a Senior Analyst, both in London and Singapore, with a focus on aluminium and industrial power consumption. He started his career with S&P Global Platts as a Pricing Specialist, providing analytical breakdowns of pricing for steel, base metals and LNG.   Henry holds a BA (Hons) in Financial Management from the University of Warwick as well as a Master’s Degree in Energy, Trade, and Finance from Bayes Business School. 

Lead Analyst, Aluminium, Primary & Recycled Metal,  CRU
Ross re-joined CRU in August 2020 and was subsequently promoted to Lead Analyst, Aluminium, Primary and Recycled Metal. Between 2004 and 2009 he worked for CRU, initially joining as a research analyst for the aluminium team and latterly becoming principal price risk advisor for the price risk management team. Subsequently, he worked for Capital Economics, Thomson Reuters and GFMS in analytical roles covering a variety of metals markets as well as presenting to industry gatherings. Ross will be based in our London office and holds a Masters in Economics from Heriot-Watt University.

Director – Scenarios & Forecasts,  International Aluminium Institute (IAI)
Marlen is responsible for IAI’s material flow analysis, including the Alucycle visualization and develops scenarios and forecasts for the industry. Marlen also manages work related to aluminium recycling and greenhouse gas modelling

Senior Process Engineer,  Innoval Technology

Rachel joined Innoval in 2018 as a Process Engineer. She works with our clients to optimise their rolling and finishing operations. Rachel also delivers Life Cycle Assessment and sustainability projects as part of Innoval’s Strategic Service team, and she teaches on several of our training courses.

Prior to joining Innoval, Rachel studied mechanical engineering at university and entered the aluminium industry on a graduate programme. Rachel worked in Operational, Maintenance and Technical teams before becoming a Process Engineer within the finishing departments of a large rolling company which served the lithographic industry.

Rachel is passionate about encouraging young people into STEM related subjects.

CFO,  AMAG Austria Metall AG
Claudia Trampitsch has been the chief financial officer at AMAG Austria Metall AG since 2024. Prior to that she was the managing director of AMAG metal GmbH since 2018. She studied law at the University of Vienna and graduated with a masters in 2000. She is also a certified tax consultant and an auditor. 

CFO,  Speira
Rolf Lindbäck is the CFO of Speira, a leading European aluminium rolling and recycling company. Since 2016, Rolf Lindbäck has held various management positions in M&A and Strategy at Hydro, most recently as Head of Finance and Strategy for Rolled Products – the division from which Speira emerged as a spin-off in 2021. Born in Norway, he began his career in M&A consulting in 2005 and moved into investment banking in 2007, working for British and Norwegian financial institutions until 2012. Before joining the Aluminium industry, he took responsibility as Investment Manager and CFO in the chemical industry in Norway and Latin America.

Circularity Research Manager,  Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI)
Gabriel is the Circularity Research Manager at ASI, steering the aluminium industry towards a more resource-efficient and circular value chain. He specializes in life cycle sustainability assessments, material flow and stock accounting, and developing industry circularity indicators and standards. Gabriel's 15-year sustainability career spans EU projects assessing nanomaterials, additive manufacturing, and Industry 4.0, alongside work in the steel sector. He also advised Latin American companies in the extractive, infrastructure, and public transport sectors. He holds a PhD in Sustainable Energy Systems from the University of Lisbon and a master’s in Industrial Ecology and Energy Efficiency from the University of Zaragoza.

President,  Owl’s Head Alloys
Mike Boyle has nearly 34 years in the aluminum industry with a career that spans trading, consulting, billet & slab casting, extrusions, rolled products (DC & continuous casting) and risk management of metal and energy. His roles have covered the spectrum from the shop floor to the board room. He joined Owl’s Head Alloys (OHA) in January of 2020 as President after more than 7 years with Alcoa as Director of Metal Management over seeing the scrap strategies and purchasing globally prior to the Alcoa / Arconic separation. OHA is a secondary aluminum processing founded in 2002 and has recently announced an expansion to West Point, MS in support of the ADL site in Columbus, MS.

Sales Manager,  PSI Metals Non Ferrous GmbH

Gunther Schober, born November 21, 1970 in Leoben, Austria, graduated in 1994 as Metallurgical Engineer with focus on industrial and energy economics at the Mining University of Leoben. After his first experience as sales engineer and sales manager, he took over management responsibility as Head of Sales & Marketing for AVL DiTEST, an international automotive company. In 2007, he joined PSI Metals.

As Senior Consultant, Project Manager and Sales Manager, his expertise in metals and international experience in process development and Supply Chain Management is highly sought after. With more than 15 years of experience in the field of Production Management Solutions encompassing Supply Chain Management and Planning, Product Design, Quality Management, Production Execution and Logistics, he has become a recognized expert in these areas.  PSI Metals, known as an innovative company, became the metal industry’s partner for Industry 4.0. Gunther Schober’s expertise together with PSI Metals’ innovative approach make him a demanded contact for future solutions. 

Commercial Development Director,  Levidian
Ellie holds a PhD in metallurgy and is a commercial development leader with over 15 years’ experience in advanced materials development and commercialisation. Starting her career as a materials scientist, she moved into business development, product and sales management roles at materials-based tech start-ups including Nanoforce Technology Limited, Paragraf and Porotech. More recently, she was the Representative for the UK on the European Magnetism Association’s General Council and Chair of the UK Magnetics Society. Ellie’s passion is defining and directing commercialisation strategies for early-stage technologies based on advanced materials, including graphene.

Chief Business Officer,  Found Energy
Gadi Ruschin, Co-Founder and CBO of Found Energy, is a proven entrepreneur who is highlymotivated by solving real-world problems with breakthrough technologies. Prior to Found Energy, Ruschin built a long and successful career in B2B sales, logistics, and manufacturing, in which he brought numerous businesses to new global markets. Most recently, he recognized an opportunity to revolutionize supply chain logistics and founded WaveBL, the world's largest B2B network for supply chain digitization. Since then, he has been pursuing his long-time passion: tackling climate change. At Found Energy, his mission is to take on heavy industry decarbonization by bringing our cutting-edgealuminum-powered energy systems to the world stage.

Program Manager, Sustainability (Bauxite & Alumina),  International Aluminium Institute
Carl is responsible for the Bauxite & Alumina Committee and sustainability projects focussing on environmental and social impacts related to bauxite mining and alumina refining.

Senior Consultant,  CRU
Anthony Everiss is a Senior Analyst in the Aluminium Raw Materials Team and is editor of the Bauxite and Alumina Market Outlook, Monitor and Long Term Market Outlook. His main areas of specialism include market fundamental analysis, price forecasting and the creation of CRU’s Alumina Price Index and CRU’s Bauxite Price Index. Mr Everiss holds a BSc in Economics from the University of Warwick.

Head of Decarbonization,  Klaveness Combination Carriers
After graduating with a Master of Science in Operational Research from the University of Edinburgh, Peter worked for five years at Ocado in the UK, an online grocery retailer that also licenses its technology to grocery retailers around the world.  With this experience in network planning, operational efficiency improvements, and working collaboratively with industry stakeholders, he joined Klaveness in 2021 as an analyst in the decarbonization unit ZeroLab. He spent two years with ZeroLab developing and delivering services for cargo owners, from emissions monitoring systems to strategic abatement projects.  He is now responsible for Klaveness Combination Carriers' transition plan to decarbonize its vessels over the coming years.

Director, Global Risk Analysis,  Control Risks
Vincent Rouget is a director in the Global Risk Analysis department of Control Risks, the global risk consultancy. Vincent has regional expertise in Sub-Saharan Africa and coordinates a team of country risk specialists across the region. He is a regular media commentator and public speaker on business implications of political and security dynamics on the continent. He has significant experience in volatile contexts in Africa, and follows particularly close developments in the extractives sector in countries such as Guinea or Congo (DRC). He regularly provides analysis and advice on the geopolitics of mining investments, political risk in key mining markets and sustainability issues.

Head of Economics,  CRU

Alex Tuckett is Head of Economics at CRU. He has over 15 years experience in economic analysis. Alex joined CRU in 2020 from PwC, where he was a Senior Manager in their economics advisory practice, leading analytical projects for a range of clients as well as contributing to their macroeconomic commentary.

He began his career in the UK Treasury, later moving to the Bank of England, and has provided macroeconomic modelling and analysis to policymakers in fiscal, monetary and financial policy. He has published his analysis through a number of working papers, journal articles and blog posts on topics including productivity, exchange rates and modelling credit flows. Alex has an MSc in Economics from University College London, and a BSc in Economics and Economic History from the London School of Economics.

Climate Change and Decarbonisation Director,  Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI)

Chris Bayliss joined ASI in May 2021 as Director of Standards, leading the ongoing development and implementation of ASI Standards to promote the responsible production, sourcing and stewardship of aluminium.

Chris has two decades of experience in the sustainability of the aluminium sector.  In various roles at the International Aluminium Institute, he led the development and implementation of science based approaches to improving occupational health and well-being, reducing sector wide greenhouse gas emissions and maximising the enabling potential of aluminium products in sustainable socio-economic systems.

Deputy Secretary General / Director – Sustainability,  International Aluminium Institute (IAI)
Pernelle is responsible for the Institute’s broad sustainability work program. In addition to being a spokesperson for the IAI, Pernelle manages the Institute’s Greenhouse Gas Pathways Working Group and Environment and Energy Committee.

Manager,  RMI

Wenjuan is a Senior Associate with RMI’s Climate Intelligence Program. Her work supports the development and implementation of carbon accounting frameworks for heavy industries (such as aluminum) to enable the development of a differentiated commodities market for products with low embodied emissions.

Prior to joining RMI, Wenjuan received her Ph.D. in sustainability from Arizona State University, where she studied the social and environmental externalities of extracting critical minerals (such as lithium and nickel) for the low-carbon economy. Throughout her Ph.D., Wenjuan strongly advocated for sustainable governance of critical minerals by actively engaging with diverse stakeholders such as communities, industrial players, and scholars.

EducationPh.D., School of Sustainability, Arizona State UniversityM.Sc., School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Michigan, Ann ArborB.S., School of Environment, Renmin University of China.

Associate - Climate Intelligence Program,  RMI

 Hylla Barbosa is an associate with RMI's Climate Intelligence Program. She contributes to the Supply Chain Emissions Initiative, collaborating with a global network to catalyse emissions transparency within supply chains, with the aim of enabling the decarbonization of some of the highest emitting industrial sectors.  

Before joining RMI, Hylla worked as a project coordinator at the Human Rights Academy in Oslo, overseeing international projects across Europe that focused on human rights education, climate change, and environmental protection. Throughout her academic journey she advocated for a just transition and the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities. Her commitment to environmental law and human rights advocacy also led her to contribute to the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law (WCEL), work at Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in Washington, D.C, and support indigenous communities in South America.  

Hylla holds an LLM in Public International Law with a focus on Environmental and Energy Law from the University of Oslo, Norway, an M.A. in Human Rights with a specialization in Business and Human Rights from Friedrich-Alexander-Universität, Germany, and an LLB in International Law from The Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais, Brazil.