Agenda

President & CEO,  Alouette
Patrice L’Huillier, originally from France, is a civil engineer from the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées in Paris. Mr L’Huillier also holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration jointly granted from Kingston Business School in London and the National Academy of Economy in Moscow. He has an extensive international experience, where he has held senior management positions, primarily in operations. Mr L’Huillier has worked with major mining and metallurgical producers in France, Russia, Kazakhstan and more recently in Ukraine. His experience in Primary Aluminium Business started in 2000 with Pechiney as Head of Casthouse in Dunkirk, then from 2004-2009 in Rusal as Head of Finished Goods department and in ENRC in Kazakhstan as VP Technical operations for Bauxite, Alumina and Aluminium. In 2018, after more than 20 years in various European industrial companies, Mr L’Huillier joined Aluminerie Alouette as President and Chief Executive Officer. 

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Adviser, Office of the Chairman,  China Hongqiao Group Limited
Ron Kanpp joined China Hongqiao Group in January, following 11 years as Secretary General of the International Aluminium Institute.  Previous roles include Executive Director of the Australian Aluminium Council (2002-2008), Chief Executive of the World Coal Institute London (1997-2001) and senior positions with the Minerals Council of Australia (1987-1996). Prior to these appointments, Mr Knapp was an economist with the Australian Government (1976-1987).  He has a small beef cattle farm in his native Australia. 

China Hongqiao Group is the largest fully integrated aluminum company in the world with extensive activities along the whole production chain, based on major direct investments and long-term strategic partnerships.  

China Hongqiao seeks to continuously improve the full industrial chain to build unique aluminum industry clusters, including the development of surrounding enterprises and the cities in which the plants are located.  

Working together with Chinese and international participants, China Hongqiao aims to build further cooperation to advance a sustainable, environmentally responsible aluminum industry.

CEO,  Cardinal Virtues Consulting

Managing Director,  Hindalco
Satish Pai is the Managing Director of Hindalco Industries. Mr Pai took over as the CEO of Hindalco’s Aluminium Business in August 2013 and in February 2014, he was appointed as the Deputy Managing Director of the company, with the additional responsibility of Hindalco’s copper business. In August 2016, Mr Pai became the Managing Director of Hindalco (including the Novelis business). 
Prior to joining the Aditya Birla Group, Mr Pai worked with Schlumberger based out of Paris. Over the course of his illustrious career of 28 years with Schlumberger, Mr Pai held various important positions and was responsible for all aspects of operations for Schlumberger globally. 
He serves as Director on the boards of Aditya Birla Management Corporation Pvt. Ltd. and ABB, Zurich.

Chief Executive Officer,  Alvance

President,  Novelis Europe
Emilio Braghi is Senior Vice President and President, Novelis Europe. In this role, which he assumed in September 2016, Mr Braghi oversees 10 European facilities that recycle and manufacture aluminum for many markets, including automotive, building, packaging and transportation. He was previously Vice President, Operations, Novelis North America. Before that, Mr Braghi served as Vice President, Sales and Operations for Novelis Asia, with responsibility for all commercial and manufacturing activities in the region. Prior to joining the Asia leadership team in March 2012 as Vice President, Operations, he served as Vice President and General Manager of the Specialties value stream in Europe. From 2006 to 2012, Mr Braghi held various general management roles with Novelis Europe’s Litho and Painted Products value streams. Prior to the formation of Novelis, Mr Braghi had been with Alcan since 1999, where he began as Sales Manager, Europe. Mr Braghi graduated from Politecnico di Milano with a degree in engineering and industrial production technologies.

Head of North America Aluminum,  CRU
Doug Hilderhoff joined CRU as the Head of North America Aluminium Analysis in 2017 and is based in CRU's Pittsburgh office. Having spent the prior 11 years of his career at Alcoa, he draws upon this extensive industry experience to lead strategic initiatives within North America and to drive increased client interaction. Mr Hilderhoff provides key on-the-ground insights into the regions’ aluminium supply chain, with a major focus on end-market demand. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Penn State University, an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh, and is a regular speaker at industry events.

President,  Novelis Europe
Emilio Braghi is Senior Vice President and President, Novelis Europe. In this role, which he assumed in September 2016, Mr Braghi oversees 10 European facilities that recycle and manufacture aluminum for many markets, including automotive, building, packaging and transportation. He was previously Vice President, Operations, Novelis North America. Before that, Mr Braghi served as Vice President, Sales and Operations for Novelis Asia, with responsibility for all commercial and manufacturing activities in the region. Prior to joining the Asia leadership team in March 2012 as Vice President, Operations, he served as Vice President and General Manager of the Specialties value stream in Europe. From 2006 to 2012, Mr Braghi held various general management roles with Novelis Europe’s Litho and Painted Products value streams. Prior to the formation of Novelis, Mr Braghi had been with Alcan since 1999, where he began as Sales Manager, Europe. Mr Braghi graduated from Politecnico di Milano with a degree in engineering and industrial production technologies.

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.

Senior Consultant and Materials Development Group Leader,  Innoval Technology

 

Mike Clinch has over 25 years of experience in technology & innovation, strategic product development and business leadership positions in and around the global aluminium industry. Dr Clinch has a BEng in Materials Technology and completed a PhD in Thermomechanical Processing of Aluminium Alloys at the University of Nottingham, UK, after being awarded an Industrial Fellowship from the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851. 

He joined Innoval Technology in January 2018 as a Senior Consultant and Materials Development Group Leader. Dr Clinch has responsibility for overseeing the company’s collaborative R&D projects as well as development work with existing clients. He also takes an active role in creating new business. 
Dr Clinch is a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) and is Chair of their Technology Communities Board, having chaired the Light Metals Division since 2013. Over the years he has built up an influential network of global contacts and holds advisory board positions at several universities in the UK and US. 

Analyst,  CRU
James Wren joined CRU in February 2019 as an analyst for the Primary Aluminium and Products Team. Prior to joining CRU Mr Wren worked in the oil and gas industry as a Research Scientist in Norway, developing new production and exploration tools. This was an excellent experience which provided a good understanding of the commodity market and helped to develop his research skills. In between leaving oil and gas and joining CRU Mr Wren also worked as a secondary school Geography teacher. He holds a Masters in Petroleum Geoscience from the University of Aberdeen and a Bachelors in Geology from the University of St Andrews.

Partner,  Wiley Rein
Alan Price is a partner at Wiley and chair of the firm's International Trade Practice, which has been recognized by Law360 as "Practice Group of the Year" for nine consecutive years. Alan has more than 30 years of experience representing clients in high-profile, complex international trade regulatory matters, including trade litigation involving public and government relations issues. In addition to being chair of the firm's International Trade Practice, he heads the firm's antidumping and countervailing duty practice. He also counsels' clients on bilateral and multilateral agreements, trade legislation, customs regulation, national security matters, escape clause investigations, and World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute resolution. Mr. Price represents domestic producers of steel, aluminum, raw materials, and other industries in trade remedies cases. His prominent U.S. clients include major U.S. steel producers such as Nucor Corporation, and aluminum producers such as Century Aluminum and the Aluminum Extruders Council. 

Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors,  EN+ Group
Lord Barker was appointed Independent Chairman of the En+ Board of Directors in October 2017, immediately prior to the company’s successful London IPO.

In February 2019, he was appointed Executive Chairman.

Lord Barker was previously a member of the British House of Commons from 2001 to 2015. From 2010 to 2014, he served as UK Minister of State for Energy & Climate Change, under Prime Minister David Cameron, becoming the longest serving British energy minister for a generation.

Business Development Director,  Liberty Aluminium

Will Savage joined the GFG Alliance in 2016 and has been actively involved in advising the group on all matters relating to Aluminium including playing a key role in the groups recent, and major, Aluminium asset acquisitions. Mr Savage is a qualified metallurgist and has held senior positions in the ferrous and non ferrous metals sectors working in many regions of the world. Mr Savage is Director of Business Development for Liberty’s recently announced Aluminium vertical ALVANCE.

Director & Head of European Non-Ferrous,  EMR European Metal Recycling

President and CEO,  Aluminium Association of Canada
As President and CEO of the Aluminium Association of Canada (AAC) since 2009, Jean Simard is the industry’s official representative and spokesperson. Mr Simard is a member of the Board and of the Executive Committee of the Quebec Industrial Aluminium Cluster (AluQuébec), member of the Board of the Conseil patronal de l’environnement du Québec (CPEQ), and the Quebec Aluminium Research Development Centre (CQRDA). Co-founder of SWITCH, the Alliance for a greener economy, he is one of the Leaders of the Canadian Smart Prosperity Initiative, as well as of the Advisory Council of the Canadian Institute for Climate Choices.

Director of Impacts and Partnerships,  Aluminium Stewardship Initiative
Marieke van der Mijn is the Director of Impacts and Partnerships at the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI). Ms van der Mijn is responsible for the ongoing development and implementation of ASI’s impacts and Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) program, and supports ASI’s broader organisational partnerships, collaborations and stakeholder engagement. Her background lies in the development and implementation of standards, certification and impact evaluation systems in mineral and metal supply chains. Previously Ms van der Mijn worked at the Responsible Jewellery Council where she managed RJC’s certification and M&E work programs. Her most recent role was at Bettercoal, where she led the review and implementation of the new coal supplier Assessment Program. 

Manager EU Public Affairs,  European Aluminium Association

Vice President - Aluminium Business Line, Metals, Energy and Water,  Outotec
Antti Koulumies leads Outotec’s Aluminium Business line, which comprises of Outotec’s alumina refinery and aluminium smelter technologies globally. He took on this role in 2018. Previously, Antti worked as Outotec’s head of corporate strategy and controlling, leading Outotec’s strategy development, business controlling, as well as several corporate transformation programmes during the tougher times of the mining and metals industry. Before Outotec, Antti worked at McKinsey and Company as a consultant and senior project manager, working across Europe, South Africa, China and North America. He holds a Master of Science in technology from Aalto University in Helsinki, Finland, having studied also at EPFL in Lausanne, Switzerland. Antti is based in Cologne, Germany and is a native of Finland.

Consultant,  
Argimiro Viado has 19 years experience working in the coal tar distillation industry. He held commercial positions as Pitch Sales Manager and Business Development Manager at IQ Nalon. Since 2017 he is an independent consultant specialized particularly on coal tar and coal tar pitch markets. Dr. Viado holds a doctorate degree in Chemistry from Oviedo University.

Research Director,  Concord Resources Limited
Duncan Hobbs brings over 25 years of experience to his London-based role as director of market research for all non-ferrous metals and related materials, including copper, traded by Concord Resources Ltd. Previously he managed a team of four senior staff responsible for non-ferrous metals and bulk commodities market research at Noble Group, based in Singapore. Underlying these positions with physical traders, Duncan’s previous experience includes commodities market research and business development roles in financial services with Macquarie Bank; mining and metal production with Nyrstar; engineering services with Hatch; and independent research with CRU, where he was a member of the steel team. He began his career in dry bulk shipping market research with Drewry in London.

Commercial Director,  Alufer Mining Limited

Head of Aluminium, Consulting,  CRU
Zaid Aljanabi joined CRU Consulting as a principal consultant in January 2017, bringing an extensive experience in the aluminium and nonferrous metals industry. Prior to CRU, Mr Aljanabi spent more than six years in the Middle East working for Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), where he led the market research unit and held various positions within marketing and sales, corporate strategy and finance. Before EGA, Mr Aljanabi worked in London for a number of commodity focused consultants, including Thomson Reuters, as an analyst and he also managed the precious and base metals research unit at Diapason Commodities Management. He began his commodities research career in 2002 as a global energy economist with AUPEC, an oil and gas consultancy firm. Mr Aljanabi holds an MA with honours in economic science from the University of Aberdeen and an MSc in economics from the University of Amsterdam. He also spent a year studying economics at the Université Panthéon-Assas in Paris. Zaid speaks Arabic and French.

Head of North America Aluminum,  CRU
Doug Hilderhoff joined CRU as the Head of North America Aluminium Analysis in 2017 and is based in CRU's Pittsburgh office. Having spent the prior 11 years of his career at Alcoa, he draws upon this extensive industry experience to lead strategic initiatives within North America and to drive increased client interaction. Mr Hilderhoff provides key on-the-ground insights into the regions’ aluminium supply chain, with a major focus on end-market demand. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Penn State University, an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh, and is a regular speaker at industry events.

Head of Primary & Products, Aluminium,  CRU
Eoin Dinsmore joined CRU in 2011 after previously working for Nestle. He obtained an MSc. in Finance and Capital markets from Dublin City University in 2008 and holds a BA in Economics and History. Mr Dinsmore is a Principal Consultant in the Aluminium Primary and Products Team. His main areas of specialism include aluminium price forecasting, semis and primary demand and production analysis.

Head of Product Development,  LME

Senior Analyst,  CRU
Greg Wittbecker is based in Pittsburgh. In this capacity he supports North American and Global fundamental aluminum analysis. Mr Wittbecker joined CRU in January 2018, following his retirement as Vice President, Industry Analysis, Alcoa. During his 14 years at Alcoa, he held director roles in analysis, logistics, recycling policy and corporate strategy. During 2016-2017, Mr Wittbecker was Managing Director of Alcoa China, Shanghai, where he led Alcoa’s comprehensive analysis of the Chinese upstream markets. Before joining Alcoa in 2003, he was Global Manager of Physical Metal Trading for Koch Supply & Trading. From 1988-2001, Mr Wittbecker served as Vice President, Wise Metals Group, responsible for risk management and primary metal trading. He began his career with Cargill Inc, holding a progression of operational and trading roles within grains, metals and ocean freight.

Senior Research Analyst,  IXM
Jamie Barrow is a research analyst and strategist with 10 years' experience in commodity markets. After training on the Louis Dreyfus sugar platform, Mr Barrow became the analyst for soft commodities at Edesia Asset Management, a commodity hedge fund. Now at IXM, a metals trader, he is responsible for analysis and strategy formation in the aluminium market. Mr Barrow holds a BSc in Economics from Brunel University, and an MSc in Finance & Investment from Durham Business School. He is a CFA Charterholder.