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Agenda 2024

7:30 - 18:30
Registration open sponsored by

Ladies Smoking Room (First Floor)

7:45 - 9:00
Welcome coffee sponsored by

The Gallery and Ladies Smoking Room (First Floor)

7:45 - 8:50
Women in Aluminium (WIA) – The Impact of Women’s Networks (for pre-registered attendees only)

Diversity in the aluminium industry has improved over many years but there is more to do to enhance women’s participation across the industry and in particular in technical, operational and management or leadership roles. Many aluminium companies have established informal networks to support underrepresented groups and the International Aluminium Institute’s new Women in Aluminium initiative aims to build on these models by creating an open, sector-wide informal network for women in the global aluminium industry. Women working across the aluminium industry are invited to join this pre-conference session to learn more about the WIA initiative, share their experiences and connect with other women across the industry. The session will include an opportunity for open, roundtable discussions on participants’ experiences of women’s networks and what the future direction of the Women in Aluminium initiative could look like.    

07:45 - Coffee & Pastries

08:00 - Women in Aluminium – The Impact of Women’s Networks

     Speakers will share brief insights from global, local and personal perspectives.

     Participants - roundtable discussion: experiences of women’s networks, future direction and ideas.  

08:50 - Close

Pernelle Nunez, Deputy Secretary General / Director – Sustainability, International Aluminium Institute (IAI)
Rania Tayeh, Senior Manager – Corporate Social Responsibility, Emirates Global Aluminium
Sandrine Duquerroy-Delesalle, Director Sustainability & External Affairs, Crown

8:00 - 18:30
Exhibition open

The Gallery and Ladies Smoking Room (First Floor)

9:00 - 17:00
Auditorium sponsored by

Hansom Hall (Ground Floor)

9:10 - 10:35
Keynote session – What is aluminium doing to demonstrate its advantage over competing materials?

A small panel of aluminium industry leaders to discuss what has been done – and what more needs to be done – to demonstrate aluminium’s advantages over other materials (e.g., steel, plastics), particularly from a sustainability perspective

Miles Prosser, Secretary General, International Aluminium Institute (IAI)
Ramon Arratia, Chief Sustainability Officer, Ball Corporation
Alok Ranjan, Chief Marketing Officer, Aluminium Business, Vedanta
Renato Bacchi, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, Alcoa
John Thuestad, Executive Vice President, Hydro Bauxite & Alumina
Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, CEO, Emirates Global Aluminium - EGA
Amy Abraham, Vice President Sales Aluminium, Rio Tinto

10:35 - 11:05
Refreshment break sponsored by

The Gallery and Ladies Smoking Room (First Floor)

11:05 - 12:05
Keynote session - Industry sustainability challenges - multi-issue, multi-stakeholder and whole value chain

  • Climate change, circularity, nature and human rights:  these sustainability priorities are critical and inter-related right through the aluminium value chain
  • Challenging 1.5C-aligned decarbonisation pathways to 2050 are mapped out - what breakthroughs are needed?
  • Transitioning to circular economies - what are the financial and structural challenges and opportunities?
  • Science shows that we are living outside planetary boundaries yet half the world's GDP depends on nature - how should the aluminium industry respond?
  • All decision-making affects people - how to integrate a human rights lens in these urgent transformations?

Dr Fiona Solomon, Chief Executive Officer, Aluminium Stewardship Initiative
Jelena Aleksić, Lead, Industry Decarbonization, Aluminium and Non-Ferrous Metals, First Movers Coalition, World Economic Forum
Catherine Athènes, Vice President Group Sustainability and Public Affairs Europe, Constellium
Francesca Fairbairn, Shipping and Commodities Manager, Institute for Human Rights and Business
Laura Plant, Director of Sales, EMEA, NatureMetrics
Karthik Valluru, Global Sector Leader – Materials & Process Industries, Boston Consulting Group

12:05 - 13:05
Panel discussion – Trade and competitiveness

Alan Price, Partner, International Trade Co-Chair, Wiley Rein LLP
Ken Ash, Director, Ash Global Insights
Dr. Selahattin Armağan Vurdu, General Secretary, Istanbul Mineral and Metals Exporters’ Association
Zaid Aljanabi, Principal Analyst, Aluminium, CRU

13:05 - 14:30
Lunch

The Gallery and Ladies Smoking Room (First Floor)

14:30 - 15:30
GHG emissions – methods, guidance, tools, and future alignment

At the current rate the aluminium sector will have used up its net zero carbon budget in 10-15 years.

This expert panel will explore ways in which companies all along the value chain (aluminium producers AND consumers) can drive the change required to meet a 1.5 degree future, as well as enablers of and barriers to that change, including:

  • Global decarbonisation and low carbon standards
  • Emerging and evolving regulation, including CBAM
  • Harmonised accounting and reporting methods, as well as diverging approaches
  • Available tools for companies and auditors
  • Emissions data (including scope 3) availability and verification
  • The tension between product level carbon footprinting and corporate accounting
  • Allocation approaches for recycled content, scope 2 grid-related emissions and product portfolios

Chris Bayliss, Climate Change and Decarbonisation Director, Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI)
Wenjuan Liu, Manager, RMI
Pernelle Nunez, Deputy Secretary General / Director – Sustainability, International Aluminium Institute (IAI)
Sandro Starita, Director Sustainability, European Aluminium

15:30 - 16:00
Refreshment break sponsored by

The Gallery and Ladies Smoking Room (First Floor)

16:00 - 17:00
The nexus of legislation, corporate sustainability and supply chain due diligence

  • What roles can and do sustainability systems play to support businesses with their due diligence?
  • Regulation is entering spaces previously left to voluntary initiatives.  What is the potential impact for businesses and how are they preparing? 
  • Third-party auditing plays a big role within supply chain due diligence and there is an increased need for skilled auditors.  What are the insights from an independent assurance provider on key challenges to ESG performance, stakeholder engagement and supply chain due diligence?
Marieke van der Mijn, Director of Partnerships, Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI)
Jean-Marc Moulin, Sustainability Director, Hydro
Catherine Athènes, Vice President Group Sustainability and Public Affairs Europe, Constellium
Laura Dombi, Principal Consultant, DNV

17:00 - 18:30
Networking Reception sponsored by

The Gallery and Ladies Smoking Room (First Floor)

7:30 - 18:00
Registration open sponsored by

Ladies Smoking Room (First Floor)

7:30 - 18:00
Exhibition open

The Gallery and Ladies Smoking Room (First Floor)

7:30 - 9:00
Welcome coffee sponsored by

The Gallery and Ladies Smoking Room (First Floor)

8:00 - 9:00
CRU Aluminium Workshop

Meet the experts: Market expectations and industry opportunities explored

Following a prolonged period of under investment in primary aluminium smelting capacity ex. China, the market will require investments ex. China to avert record nominal prices. As China nears its capacity cap, recycled metal will also increasingly play a more prominent role. During this year’s CRU’s World Aluminium Conference, our aluminium team will share their perspectives on the industry’s outlook; highlighting key trends and evolving geopolitical dynamics that are set to shape the industry. Key focus areas will include the value-added products markets as well as a semi-finished products market overview, with an emphasis on one of the markets with the greatest growth potential:  electric vehicle applications. Join us as we discuss the future of the aluminium industry in our Conference workshop and meet our analysts and hear our latest views. 


Paul Williams, Head of Aluminium, CRU
Zaid Aljanabi, Principal Analyst, Aluminium, CRU
Kelly Driscoll, Managing Consultant, Aluminium, CRU
Ross Strachan, Lead Analyst, Aluminium, Primary & Recycled Metal, CRU
Matthew Abrams, Research Analyst, CRU

9:00 - 9:20
The need, benefits, and challenges of thinking globally: The metal can industry’s opportunity for collaboration on sustainability

  • Many sustainability issues facing the metal can industry are worldwide in scale. They can be more effectively addressed through coordinated global action.
  • Associations around the world that represent the metal can industry are already collaborating in a variety of areas including:
  • Substantiation for sustainability marketing claims.
  • Events such as the 2024 Global Aluminium Can Sustainability Summit.
  • Recycled content measurement standardization.
  • While certain issues require global thinking, and there are efficiencies for associations and their members to act, there can also be challenges in finding consensus or compromise, as well as the risk of moving too quickly.
  • This presentation will address the need for global collaboration on major sustainability issues, and how the metal can industry plays a leading role.  
Scott Breen, Senior Vice President of Sustainability, Can Manufacturers Institute

9:20 - 9:40
Case study: A green transition in China’s aluminum industry: China Hongqiao work-in-progress

  • Moving from heavy-carbon, accounting for over 8% of total aluminum sector GHG emissions (in 2020), requires a multi-pronged attack driven by committed management;
  • Energy transition is a key element in early carbon emissions reduction and carbon intensity improvements
  • Energy and operational efficiency, using best available technology, must be applied to complement the energy transition
  • Increasing investment in renewable energy and advanced technological solutions
  • Research and development and innovation are critical factors for continuing progress to the net zero carbon target
  • Building downstream activities based on lightweighting and the circular economy
  • Maintaining the core advantages of cluster developments and close commercial relationships with suppliers and customers

Ron Knapp, Advisor- Office of the Chairman, China Hongqiao Group Limited (HK)

9:40 - 10:00
Aluminium as a ‘Critical Metal’

  • Recent inclusion in the EU Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA)
  • Aluminium as a metal that is broadly agreed to be ‘critical’ for the electrification transition, as well as reducing packaging waste and the lightweighting of automotive but lags behind others in ‘critical’ classification
  • Circularity in Europe (& other markets) is the answer but what are:
  • The implications for global markets (regional supply and demand balance, inclusive of scrap flows)
  • the asks of stakeholders – producers, processors, end-users and Governments
  • the next steps for the industry

Jay Hambro, Chief Executive Officer, Verdigris Strategic Ltd

10:35 - 11:05
Refreshment break sponsored by

The Gallery and Ladies Smoking Room (First Floor)

11:05 - 12:05
Detailing trends in extrusions, rolled and foil market

  • What is the outlook rolling costs, supply and demand?
  • North American view on Foil - Investments, cathode foil penetration and trade legislation

Will Savage, Adviser, Verdigris Strategies
Marcus Becker, Senior Vice President & Chief Procurement Officer, Constellium Switzerland AG
Rob van Gils, CEO & Managing Partner, Hammerer Aluminium Industries
Paul Warton, Executive Vice President, Hydro Extrusions
Khalid A. Latif, Group CEO, Midal Cables B.S.C (C)

12:05 - 13:05
Panel discussion - Outlook, prices & premiums

  • Reviewing production levels globally
  • Assessing the impact of demand developments in cars, cans and construction
  • Predicting future growth in renewable applications and other demand bright spots
  • Forecasting LME and SHFE prices – will Chinese arbitrage continue to drive growth?

Paul Williams, Head of Aluminium, CRU
Shelley Ranii, Director of Global Marketing, Alcoa
Jerome Lucaes, CEO, Fast Forward Zero
Henry Van, Metals Research, Trafigura
Ross Strachan, Lead Analyst, Aluminium, Primary & Recycled Metal, CRU

13:05 - 14:05
Lunch sponsored by

The Gallery and Ladies Smoking Room (First Floor) 

14:05 - 15:05
Panel discussion: Circularity

  • Review current technologies in scrap sorting and alloy segregation to enhance recycling efficiency
  • Evaluate strategies for maximising the value and properties of recycled aluminium alloys across various companies
  • Discuss the transition from traditional recycling methods to a more holistic approach to circularity, with a focus on designing products that are recyclable, repairable, and upgradable
  • Explore future developments in aluminium recycling, including potential changes in scrap types and the creation of more recycling-friendly products.
Marlen Bertram, Director – Scenarios & Forecasts, International Aluminium Institute (IAI)
Rachel Wiffen, Senior Process Engineer, Innoval Technology
Claudia Trampitsch, CFO, AMAG Austria Metall AG
Rolf Lindbäck, CFO, Speira
Gabriel Carmona Aparicio, Circularity Research Manager, Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI)
Michael Boyle, President, Owl’s Head Alloys
Gunther Schober, Sales Manager, PSI Metals Non Ferrous GmbH

15:50 - 16:05
Expanding the aluminum market: unlocking the potential of aluminum as an energy carrier

  • Aluminum power: What makes aluminum an ideal fuel?
  • Aluminum as a decarbonization tool: As soon as aluminum is decarbonized, it becomes a clean energy carrier that can support the decarbonization of other industries
  • Turning aluminum into fuel: How does aluminum become an energy carrier?
  • Opening new markets: What’s the potential for the aluminum industry?
Gadi Ruschin, Chief Business Officer, Found Energy

16:05 - 17:05
Panel discussion: Bauxite and alumina

  • Bauxite and alumina market update
  • Shipping market drivers, ocean freight and decarbonisation
  • Country and geopolitical risks.
Carl Firman, Program Manager, Sustainability (Bauxite & Alumina), International Aluminium Institute
Anthony Everiss, Senior Consultant, CRU
Peter Rayers, Head of Decarbonization, Klaveness Combination Carriers
Vincent Rouget, Director, Global Risk Analysis, Control Risks

17:05 - 18:00
Drinks Reception

The Gallery and Ladies Smoking Room (First Floor)

8:30 - 13:00
Registration open sponsored by

Ladies Smoking Room (First Floor)

8:30 - 13:00
Exhibition open

The Gallery and Ladies Smoking Room (First Floor)

8:30 - 9:00
Welcome coffee sponsored by

The Gallery and Ladies Smoking Room (First Floor)

9:00 - 9:30
The outlook for industry and the world economy in 2024 and beyond

  • 2024 should see a re-acceleration of the global industrial sector helped by a strong US economy, falling inflation, less volatile energy costs, and investment in key sectors such as green tech and chips.
  • However, in the long term both Europe and China face serious structural challenges.
  • The green transition will become increasingly important for both supply and demand for more and more industrial sectors
Alex Tuckett, Head of Economics, CRU

9:30 - 12:00
Enabling a 1.5 degree aligned aluminium sector - pathways, tools and guidance

In this interactive session, attendees from across the value chain will have the opportunity to explore recently developed and published tools and guidance for a 1.5 degree aligned (net zero) aluminium sector, including:

  • Aluminium Sector GHG Pathways to 2050 (IAI)
  • Aluminium Carbon Footprint Methodology & Specifiers Guide (IAI)
  • Guidelines on Aluminium Scrap Transparency (IAI)
  • Scope 3 Calculation Tool & Guidance (IAI)
  • Entity-Level GHG Pathways Method and Calculation Tool (ASI)
  • Learning Modules on GHG Emissions & Reduction Pathways Method (ASI)
  • Aluminum GHG Emissions Reporting Guidance & Pilot Testing (RMI)
  • Industry training and capacity-building (RMI)
  • Development of a Buyers Scope 3 Handbook (RMI)  

Experts from IAI, ASI and RMI will be on hand to give insights and answer your questions on a variety of issues including GHG accounting methodologies, enablers and barriers to 1.5-degree alignment and the interplay of existing initiatives, standards and approaches.

Chris Bayliss, Climate Change and Decarbonisation Director, Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI)
Pernelle Nunez, Deputy Secretary General / Director – Sustainability, International Aluminium Institute (IAI)
Wenjuan Liu, Manager, RMI
Hylla Barbosa, Associate - Climate Intelligence Program, RMI

12:00 - 13:00
Lunch

The Gallery and Ladies Smoking Room (First Floor)