BIOGRAPHY

Mr. Chen Xuesen is a master’s degree holder and a Professorate Senior Engineer. He is now the Vice President and Press Spokesman of China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association (CNIA), as well as the President of China Tungsten Industry Association. Mr. Chen worked as the Chief of the Non-ferrous Metals Division, Department of Raw Material Industry, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People’s Republic of China (MIIT); the Deputy Director General of Strategic Development Department (Overseas Development Department) of Aluminum Corporation of China (CHINALCO); the General Manager of Investment and Management Department of CHALCO. For a long time, Mr. Chen Xuesen has been engaged in strategic planning, policy research and formulation of China’s non-ferrous metals industry. He has extensive experience in investment consultation for key national construction projects and key involvement in engineering design, investment and construction management, scientific and technological R&D management of domestic and overseas investment projects. He has dedicated his career to non-ferrous metals industry management.

陈学森，1989年1月毕业于东北工学院，硕士研究生学历，正高级工程师，现任中国有色金属工业协会党委常委、副会长兼新闻发言人，中国钨工业协会会长。曾任工业和信息化部原材料工业司有色金属处处长，北京有色冶金设计研究总院（现中国恩菲）冶金二所稀有稀土室主任，中国国际工程咨询公司冶金建材发展部副主任，中国铝业集团战略发展部（海外发展部）副主任，中铝股份投资管理部总经理、中铝股份科技与发展部总经理，兼任中铝几内亚矿业公司董事、中铝视拓智能科技有限公司董事长。陈学森长期从事于国家有色金属工业发展战略规划、产业政策研究制定，国家重点建设项目投资咨询，境内外投资项目工程设计、投资建设管理、科技研发管理，行业管理等工作。

BIOGRAPHY

Aurora Williams Baussa holds a Degree in Business Administration from the Universidad Católica del Norte. She also holds a Master’s in Business Administration and Management from the Universitat de Lleida in Spain.

She is a member of the Partido Radical (PR), and has more than 30 years of experience in senior executive positions in various companies in northern Chile, in particular in Antofagasta, her hometown.

In 2014, she was appointed Mining Minister during the second administration of former President Michelle Bachelet, becoming only the second woman to hold the position in the country’s history after Karen Poniachik.

During the first administration of Michelle Bachelet, she served as Antofagasta Regional Secretary of the Public Works Ministry.

BIOGRAPHY

Dr. Wang, Chief Geologist of Zijin Mining Group and the Vice Chairman of Sinotech Mineral Exploration Co., Ltd. He previously held positions including Vice President of the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association, President of the Beijing Institute of Geology for Mineral Resources, and Director of the Nonferrous Metals Mineral Geological Survey Center. Additionally, he has taken on roles such as Director and Chairman of overseas-listed junior mining companies.

王京彬，现任紫金矿业集团总地质师、中色地科矿产勘查股份有限公司副董事长；曾任中国有色金属工业协会副会长、北京矿产地质研究院院长、有色金属矿产地质调查中心主任等职务，在多家境外上市初级矿业公司担任董事、董事长。

BIOGRAPHY

Craig brings to CRU more than 15 years' experience as a commodity and equity research analyst, primarily covering the mining and metals sector.

In addition to base metals, he has also covered other sectors during his career including steel and chemicals. Craig's previous roles include working for Moelis & Company, Citigroup, Credit Suisse and WMC Resources and his extensive experience will strengthen CRU's coverage and service to our customers in the base metal markets.

Craig's primary focus will be the copper, nickel, lead and zinc industries. Craig is based in CRU's Singapore office. 

BIOGRAPHY

Dave has more than 30 years of international experience within the mining sector and has held multiple senior roles covering strategy, business development, planning, operations, projects, technical services and investor relations.  He has exposure to copper, lead, zinc, silver, nickel, alumina, manganese, uranium, and metallurgical coal commodities.  
Dave joined Sandfire’s Business Development Team in 2020 and was an integral member of the MATSA acquisition team. More recently he transitioned to Head of Commercial with accountability for sales and marketing and investor relations.

BIOGRAPHY

Tim Kurth is a logistics specialist from the University of Applied Sciences in Friedberg, Germany. He began his career at Unilever (1990–2001) as Director of Export, gaining experience in business planning, purchasing, accounting, and customer service. He continued his career at Numico, where until 2004 he held the position of Division Manager Logistics for the Milupa and Pulmoll brands, primarily focusing on planning and supplying raw materials for the company’s operations. From 2004 to 2006, he lived and worked in Opole, Poland, as Supply Chain Manager. In the same year, he joined NA Cumerio (the former name of Aurubis) as Vice President of Corporate Logistics. Between 2009 and 2013, he also held the corporate position of Manager of Innovations within the group.  
Since 2014, Tim Kurth has served as Executive Director and Vice President of Aurubis Bulgaria, and since 2015, he has been the President of the German-Bulgarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce.  
He was appointed to the Executive Board of Aurubis AG as Chief Operations Officer for Custom Smelting and Products, effective September 1, 2024.

BIOGRAPHY

Mr. Mohanasundaram Natarajan has more than 29 years of experience in the mineral & metal sector across several geographies and commodities, where he has implemented value-accretive strategies to the benefit of stakeholders. He joined Adani Group as SVP – Business Development & Strategy for Copper Business in June 2021 and is currently the Business Head – Strategic & Precious Metals.  

Before joining Adani, Mr. Natarajan had stints as a Director, Corporate Affairs with Gemfields Group, UK, prior to which he was associated with Natural Resources focused Private Equity fund, Pallinghurst Advisors LLP, United Kingdom, where he was responsible for Due Diligence, Merger and acquisitions, Operational turnaround, Strategy and systems implementation in various commodities such as Manganese, Nickel, Copper and Gemstones.  

Mr. Natarajan also held key roles at KCM plc Zambia, FDM Gold in FSU, Sterlite Copper, India and Steel Authority of India Ltd and he holds a Bachelor's degree in Metallurgical Engineering, followed by an MBA in Finance (UEL) and executive management programs from London Business school (LBS) , London School of Economics. (LSE) and Standford Business School. 

BIOGRAPHY

Abhishek Mohla brings close to two decades of leadership experience across the automotive, industrial equipment, and metals sectors. Over the last 18 years at Hindalco, he has played a pivotal role in shaping the Copper Business, leading downstream expansion that has significantly strengthened India’s self-reliance in critical applications. He has been deeply engaged in policy advocacy, sustainability, and customer-centric transformation, while also contributing to the strategic narrative around copper’s role in electrification, renewable energy, e-mobility, and energy storage. A regular participant in national and international industry forums, Abhishek was awarded the Economic Times “ET 40 Under Forty Award” and is regarded as a key voice in the metals industry, championing India’s transition to a green and globally competitive economy.

BIOGRAPHY

Zhang Zhijun currently serves as Deputy Director of the Guixi Smelter, Jiangxi Copper Corporation Limited. He previously held positions including Deputy General Manager of Jiangxi Copper Group (Guixi) Logistics Co., Ltd. and Deputy Director of the Yongping Copper Mine, Jiangxi Copper Corporation Limited. As a senior management representative of the Guixi Smelter, Mr. Zhang oversees plant operations management, supply chain system development, and the planning and implementation of major engineering projects. Through his and his team's efforts, the plant has achieved remarkable results in areas such as supply chain optimization, logistics cost control, resource allocation efficiency improvement, and major project management. These contributions have robustly supported the company's sustained profitability and core competitiveness amidst complex market conditions. Furthermore, he has spearheaded multiple strategic engineering and technological upgrade projects, laying a solid foundation for the Guixi Smelter's transition towards greener and smarter operations. His efforts provide robust operational and managerial support for establishing the facility as a world-class copper smelting base.

张志军，现任江西铜业集团有限公司贵溪冶炼厂副厂长。历任江西铜业集团（贵溪）物流有限公司副总经理、江西铜业集团有限公司永平铜矿副矿长等职务。 张先生作为贵溪冶炼厂的高级管理代表，主管工厂经营管理、供应链体系建设及重大工程项目的规划与实施。在他与团队的努力下，工厂在供应链优化、物流成本管控、资源配置效率提升以及重大工程项目管理等方面取得显著成效，有力保障了企业在复杂市场环境下的持续盈利能力和核心竞争力。 同时，他牵头推动多项战略性工程与技术改造项目，为贵溪冶炼厂的绿色化、智能化转型升级奠定了坚实基础，为将工厂打造为世界一流铜冶炼基地提供了坚实的运营与管理支撑。

BIOGRAPHY

Wang Xiaopeng is Chief Analyst of Nonferrous Metals at the Minmetal Securities Research Institute. He holds a Bachelor of Materials Science and Engineering from Beihang University and a Master of Materials Science and Engineering from Manchester University. From 2015 to 2022, he was a core member of the New Wealth Analyst team, integrating industry‑chain and financial perspectives. He has extensive experience serving diversified investment institutions and providing targeted industry and finance advice. He has built a strategic key‑metals research framework, led industry mapping for tungsten and copper, and established key‑element databases and project libraries across critical value‑chain links.

王小芃，五矿证券研究所有色金属首席分析师。北航材料科学与工程学士、曼彻斯特大学材料科学与工程硕士。2015-2022年新财富分析师，熟悉产业链和产融思维研究视角。多样化投资机构服务经验，了解不同类型产业单位和投资者需求，有效提供相关产融建议。搭建战略性（关键）金属研究框架，牵头主导钨、铜等产业图谱绘制，建立关键要素数据库、关键环节项目库等。

BIOGRAPHY

Jorge Riesco Valdivieso is a lawyer from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and holds a Master’s degree in Human Resources Management from Universidad Gabriela Mistral.He has been part of SONAMI since 1990, serving as General Secretary, and participating in its Legal and Labor Commissions.He has represented the Confederation of Production and Commerce (CPC) in various national and international forums, including the ILO.He also served on the boards of ENAMI, ChileCalidad, and ChileValora, where he is currently President.Since 2022, he has been President of the National Mining Society (SONAMI), promoting sustainable and competitive mining.

BIOGRAPHY

Felipe Valenzuela is a Chilean industrial civil engineer with a Master's in Management and Public Policy. He is an entrepreneur with more than 25 years of professional experience, including more than 15 years in the mining sector. He served as president of the mining commission of the "Instituto Libertad" think tank in Chile and has evaluated, developed, and put into operation various small-scale copper and gold mining projects throughout Chile. As CEO of Morra Mining, Valenzuela oversees a company that operates three main lines of business:
1. The trading of mineral concentrates. The company evaluates, purchases, and improves mineral concentrates from small producers across Chile and Argentina, then markets them to major traders, refineries, and smelters.
2. Consulting services for third parties to evaluate small-scale, rapidly deployable mining projects in Chile and Argentina. This model emphasizes quick start-up operations, extracting minerals and processing them to generate mineral concentrates for export.
3. The evaluation and commissioning of proprietary small-scale, rapidly deployable mining projects in Chile and Argentina. Current projects include a copper mine lease in the El Melón sector of the Hijuelas commune in the Valparaíso Region of Chile, expected to begin operations in January of next year. He also has a project in San Juan, Argentina, which includes a deposit containing 25,000 ounces of gold and a pilot-scale processing plant designed to produce 50 tons per month of gold concentrates with copper and silver.

BIOGRAPHY

Nicholas Snowdon heads the metals and mining research at Mercuria Energy Trading. He brings 17 years of experience in the commodity trading industry previous that, most recently working at Goldman Sachs as a Managing Director, Head of Metals Research. Previously, he was with Deutsche Bank as Director, Base Metals and Bulks Strategist for 2 years. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Politics and Philosophy from the University of Durham and a Master’s degree in Development Economics and Finance from the London University, School of Oriental and African Studies. 

BIOGRAPHY

BIOGRAPHY

Zheng Hao is the founder and chairman of Jiangxi Naipu Mining Machinery, the deputy director of the China Nonferrous Metals Council, and a pioneer in mining rubber materials. He has been honored with the Jiangxi May 1st Labor Award and recognized as one of the Top 10 Outstanding Entrepreneurs of Shangrao.

郑昊，江西耐普矿机股份有限公司，董事长，中国有色金属理事会副理事长，矿用橡胶材料学术带头人。曾荣获江西省五一劳动奖状、上饶市十大杰出企业家等荣誉。

BIOGRAPHY

BIOGRAPHY

Zuo Haoen, Market Research Manager of Minmetals Non-Ferrous Metals Company Limited and Standing Researcher of Minmetals International Copper Research Group. He has conducted field research on over 70 manufacturing enterprises and is frequently invited to deliver keynote speeches at various industry conferences.

BIOGRAPHY

Wei Shi, Doctoral Supervisor of China University of Mining and Technology, Chairman of the Board of Jiangsu Hewa Screening Product Co., Ltd. Won the Special Award of Ministry of Education Science and Technology Progress and the Top 10 Award of the Scientific and Technological Advances in Chinese Higher Education by the Ministry of Education, the First Prize of Science and Technology by the China Coal Industry Association. Authored over 20 patents and published more than 10 scientific papers.