Yidan Wang

Director of International Marketing
Beijing Lapsen Intelligent Technology Co., LTD

Yidan Wang has more than 13 years strategic marketing and sales experience in international lime, steel, ferro-alloy and robotic operation industry, being International Communication Liaison for China lime association, China Non-Ferrous Metals Association and Si branch and, China Ferro-alloy Industry Association.

Erik Myklebust

Partner
Grimm Maritime AS

Erik Myklebust has been working as a shipbroker since 1998. He joined Grimm Maritime in February 2022. From the early days of his career, he has been active in the forest products industry serving German and Scandinavian producers and traders on exclusive and semi-exclusive basis. Erik has also extensive experience in the drybulk and breakbulk sector serving Charterers with their logistics on a worldwide basis.

Jorn de Linde

Senior Vice President
CRU

Jorn P. de Linde was appointed to his current position following the merger between Resource Strategies Inc. and CRU in April 1996.Based in the United States, Jorn specialises in ferroalloys-related research, with particular emphasis on silicon-based alloys and electric power, drawing on 30 years of experience. He is the principal author of CRU's Silicon Metal Market Outlook and Silicon Cost data service reports.

Jorn is also a contributor to other CRU ferroalloy-related reports, including the Bulk Ferroalloys Monitor.Jorn earned an MSc Degree in Mineral Economics from the Pennsylvania State University in the USA and holds an MBA (Siviløkonom) from the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration in Bergen, Norway.

Arnoud Willems

Partner
Baker & McKenzie

Arnoud Willems is a partner in the International Commercial & Trade Practice Group in the Brussels office. He joined Baker McKenzie in 2022. He has an extensive network, built over 30 years, as a trusted adviser of entrepreneurs, executives and diplomats. Arnoud has a deep understanding of how trade rules shape global flows of capital, investment, goods, technology and services.

Li Wang

Senior Analyst
CRU

Li has 15 years’ steel market research experience and joined CRU in 2013 following a 7 years’ steel consulting work in Hatch Beddows. Li contributes to CRU’s Iron Ore and Steel Cost Service.Li initially worked as a steel raw materials analyst in CRU and moved to cost position in 2015.

Prior to that, Li worked 7 years for Hatch Beddows where she fulfilled extensive consulting projects related market analysis, strategy development, due diligence, etc. through the steel value chain, covering China and South East Asia, including iron ore, coke, coal, ferroalloys, flats, pipe and tube, etc.. Li also has two years’ experience in Ping An Bank to evaluate risks regarding the steel related assets in China and offer suggestions on asset structure adjustment for Ping An Bank.Li holds a Master of Metallurgical Engineering from the University of Science and Technology Beijing.

Songsheng Zheng

Associate professor
College of Energy Xiamen University

Songsheng Zheng  is an Associate Professor from College of Energy Xiamen University. He got his PhD in 2011 and major in Materials physics and Chemistry, and now his research interests are on renewable energy materials and engineering, especially on that related to silicon, carbon and rare earth elements for solar energy, Lithium ion batteries, and hydrogen storage & transport.

Lou Parous

Executive Director
Viridis-iq

Mr. Parous is the CEO of Viridis.iQ GmbH, a German Silicon engineering and advisory firm servicing the Silicon and Solar manufacturing industry.  Mr. Parous has 30+ years experience in the Silicon and Solar manufacturing sectors from Silicon & Solar based projects in more than 20 countries and has unique insights into the interconnections between metallurgical Silicon and downstream Solar processes in integrated PV manufacturing environments.

Mr. Parous and Viridis.iQ support new entrants and existing players by building deep competitive advantages, sustainable financial value, knowhow transfer, and de-risking strategies from the "Business" of Silicon, finance, owner engineering, technology development, process improvement, plant engineering to full scope operational support for the full project life cycle. 

Grace Liang

Senior Analyst
SAGSI / ACMI

Grace Liang works as a Senior Analyst of SAGSI / ACMI covering silicone, and has accumulated 8 years experience in market analysis for silicone products.

Since the member of SAGSI / ACMI, Ms Liang led and participated in dozens of industry research projects, such as market analysis reports on various segments of the silicone industry as well as development planning reports for multiple parks in China. And the research project of the Ministry of Environmental Protection of China, in response to the implementation of the POPs Convention regarding D4, D5, and D6, also witnessed her active involvement.

Morten Vatneberg

Head of Alloy Sourcing and Procurement Center
Hydro Aluminium

Morten Vatneberg has extensive work experience from senior management roles in procurement and supply chain management. Morten is currently the Head of Alloys Sourcing and Procurement Center at Hydro Aluminium since 2018.

Prior to that, he held various roles at Aker Solutions, including Head of Group Supplier Accreditation and Head of Strategic Sourcing & Supply Chain, and in Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace as Vice President of Purchasing and Logistics, and in Qatalum Aluminium as Head of Purchasing. Morten Vatneberg received a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) from the Norwegian School of Economics (NHH) in 1997. 

Simon Price

Director, Energy Transition
CRU

Simon more than 25 years' experience in the renewable energy and technology sectors, as a business and technology analyst, CEO, and editor of several business publications.

Torbjorn Halland

General Manager (CEO)
Wacker Chemicals Norway

Master In Process metallurgy from NTNU Worked as furnace and production manager both in Fesil and Elkem Si plants Since 2008 Plant manager and later Managing Director at Wacker Chemicals Norway As site Holla in Kyrksaeterora.

Nadia Vinck

Director EHS, Energy & Climate
Euroalliages

Since 2006, Nadia Vinck has been in charge of EHS (Chemical Regulations, Industrial Emission Directive, transport regulations, critical raw materials …). Since October 2019, in charge of Energy & Climate. Between 2012 and 2016, Chair of a CEN ferro-alloys sub-group on “Greenhouse gas emissions in energy-intensive industries”. Previously, 17 years’ experience in waste management, with 3 years at the European Commission, and 11 years at FOST Plus (Belgian Green Dot system on packaging wastes). Consultant for UNEP to draft a technical guideline on hazardous wastes.

Ashley Brinson

Project Director
Private Energy Partners

Ashley Brinson is a Project Director at Private Energy Partners, the in-house investment developer for Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners. Ashley has over three decades of executive and technical leadership spanning America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, especially in solar energy and silicon materials. He is a Fellow of Engineers Australia, a Fellow of IChemE, a FEANI Eur Ing,and a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Ashley holds a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from Georgia Tech, an MBA from Rutgers University, and a Juris Doctor from University of Sydney Law School. He is an inventor of multiple chlorosilane production patents.

Valdiney Domingos de Oliveira

CTO
Reliance Industries

Resourceful and innovative Operations & Engineering professional with high Commercial acumen, Master Black Belt with decades of experience in chemical process, metallurgical/metal manufacturing, operational excellence, equipment design and product application.

Strong experience in staff development and supervision; establish, lead, and motivate high-performing multi-cultural teams committed to achieving collective goals and shared vision. Proven accomplishment records of success in increasing OEE, processes output, waste reduction and revenue-boosting; machinery design, proficiently communicated with customers, processes optimization and projects deployed in-country/overseas. Successfully managing PMO activities. 

Roberval Brito

Director of Engineering and R&D
Rima Industrial

Roberval Brito has a degree in Chemical Engineering from Universidade Federal de Uberlandia, Minas Gerais, Brazil and is currently the Director of Engineering and R&D at Rima Industrial S/A. He has built his career at Rima Industrial for more than 24 years and has experience in all operations related to the production of Silicon Metal, Silicon Based Alloys, Primary Magnesium, Charcoal and Woodchips.

Sebastian Syran

Chartering Manager
Grimm Maritime

Sebastian Syran has been working as a shipbroker since 2011.He joined Grimm Maritime in September 2023.Sebastian holds a bachelor in Business and Administration and a Master in Shipping, Trade andFinance from Cass Business School, London. He started his career as a ship agent and fromthere operations and chartering.Sebastian has strong experience in the dry-bulk and breakbulk sector both within short-sea anddeep-sea vessels serving charterers with their logistics on a worldwide basis.

Dr. Reiner Haus

Managing Director
Dorfner ANZAPLAN GmbH

For decades Dr. Haus´s focus is on specialty minerals and rare metals with a strong academic background in Engineering Geology and Mineral Processing. After his PhD he held senior research manager positions at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston, Mass.

In 2000 he was appointed Managing Director and in 2010 became shareholder of Dorfner Anzaplan GmbH, a leading independent analytical, consulting and engineering firm in critical minerals and metals based in Germany with projects globally. Dr. Haus completed his EMBA in 2005 and recently became Chairman of newly established ANZAPLAN UK, based in Great Britain.

Lars Lindstad

Technology Director
Elkem Carbon Solutions

Experience from metal production of Si, FeSi and high quality microsilica at several melting plants. In Elkem Carbon working with lining and taphole repair materials, prebaked electrodes and self-baking electrodes.

Viktor Myrvagnes

Exploration Manager Carbon / Associate Professor
Elkem Silicon Products / Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Viktor Myrvaagnes holds a MSc in Chemical Engineering (1999) and a PhD in Material Science and Technology (2008) from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Title of the PhD thesis is “Analyses and Characterization of Fossil Carbonaceous Materials for Silicon Production”. Has been working in the raw material team in Elkem Silicon Production as an Exploration manager for carbon materials since 2007 responsible for among others prospecting, beneficiation, quality follow up, environmental calculations and reporting. Started a position as an associated professor at the institute for Material Science and Technology at NTNU in 2022. 

Marc-Olivier Victorin

Climate Impact Engineer
Elkem ASA

Engineer from International Mines Albi Graduate school of Engineering (2007). Has been working in Elkem Silicones since 2012 : process engineer at upstream plant in France for 6 years, research engineer at Elkem Silicone Product in Trondheim/Norway for 3 years, climate impact engineer for 3 years at Elkem Silicones, in charge of climate strategy, product carbon footprint calculation for the division.

Pascal Fetscher

Laboratory manager, technology management
Wacker Chemie AG

Pascal has a masters degree in Chemical Engineering from HS Mannheim and HTW Dresden. He has worked from 2016 – 2018 as a Process development engineer at Wacker Polysilicon and from 2018-2024 as a deputy plant manager at milling / Mueller Rochow synthesis. He has been with Wacker Silicones since 2023 as a lab manager in their technology management department.

Sai Krishna Padamata

Reykjavik University
Xiamen University

Sai holds an MS degree in Mechanical Engineering from California State University, Long Beach and a PhD in Metallurgy from Siberian Federal University. His work is currently focused on the production of Si in molten salts by electrolysis. His PhD work was dedicated to the development of inert anodes for the aluminium electrolysis process.

Karl Anders Hoff

Senior Scientist
SINTEF Industry

Dr. Karl Anders Hoff, Senior Research Scientist at SINTEF holds a PhD degree in CO2 capture from 2003. He has 29 years' consecutive experience within research and development of CO2 capture technology and CCUS. He specialises in membranes, absorption processes and solvents for CO2 capture.

Further, he works on process design and industrial implementation of CCUS in a wide range of industry sectors. He has been project manager of national and international projects on development of solvents and absorption systems for industrial application.

Eli Ringdalen

Senior Research Scientist
Sintef As

Eli Ringdalen received an MSc. in ore geology from NTNU, Norway in 1979 and a PhD in Metallurgy at NTNU, Norway in 1999. The subject of their PhD thesis was HCFeCr process. They have worked in several mining and  metallurgical companies including Mn-alloy and silicon plants until 2006.

From then they have been working at SINTEF with projects within  FeSi and Si, Mn-alloys, HCFeCr, as well as with environmental challenges, CO2 emissions and development of new process, especially based on gas- metal reactions. Their main research fields are: pyrometallurgy, ores, quartz, carbon and biocarbon reductants, use of gases, H2 and CH4 in metal production .

Frode Johan Berg

Plant Director
Elkem ASA Rana

Frode Johan Berg (MSc) graduated from Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) as physical metallurgist in 1995. Berg has been working 5 years in Sintef, 20 years with Steel production and of these 10 years working as Rolling Mill Manager for Celsa.

Now working more than 6 years as Plant Director in Elkem ASA Rana focusing on sustainable production with ongoing project linked to energy recovery and carbon capture and storage.

Dr. Jan Tillmann

Director Technology Management Upstream Global Operations
Wacker Chemie

Dr. Jan Tillmann studied chemistry and achieved a PhD in Frankfurt with Prof. Wagner. He started at Wacker in Cooperate R&D in 2015 and switched to Technology Management in 2023.

Tin Tin Kyaw

PhD Candidate
NTNU

Tin Tin Kyaw is currently studying in silicon production with biocarbon. She graduated in Master of Engineering (Industrial Engineering) at King Mongut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang in Thailand and in Bachelor of engineering (Materials and Metallurgical Engineering at University of Technology (Yatanarpon Cyber City) in Myanmar. She studied as a special research student for one year at Tohoku University in Japan and also worked as a process engineer at Delta Electronics Myanmar Co.,Ltd.

Ragnhild Aune

Professor
NTNU

Dr. Ragnhild E. Aune's research focuses on high-temperature reactions in material processing, refining, and recycling, with an emphasis on traditional and advanced materials. She is dedicated to developing new process routes for material synthesis and energy recovery for industrial processes. Her metal production and recycling work centres around refining, retaining, and recovering metals to enhance production efficiency. Dr. Aune has authored over 190 journal publications and holds a patent licensed by Pyrotek – EMP Technologies Ltd., UK

Philipp Hauser

Business Development Director
Soler Group

Philipp Hauser works with the SOLER group as Business Development Director and holds Master degrees in Chemistry and Business Administration, with a specialization in Environmental Finance. In his former role as the Program Lead for Agora Industry, Philipp devised regulatory solutions to advance the decarbonization of heavy industries such as steel and chemicals.

His contributions to the EU ETS Reform and the creation of Carbon Contracts for Difference played a significant role in shaping policies that now guide the transformation of these industries. Drawing on this experience, Philipp is now developing strategies for climate smart carbon management to achieve climate neutrality in industries that rely on carbon and carbon-based feedstocks, with silicon production being a prime example.

Eugénie Blaser

R&D Engineer
Elkem Silicones

Eugénie Blaser did a Ph.D. on the catalytic cracking of MeCl in the MCS synthesis. She has been working in Elkem Silicones for 4 years, for the MCS synthesis in R&D department.

Jan-Philipp Mai

Co-Founder & CEO
SOLAR MATERIALS GmbH

Dr. Jan-Philipp Mai is a Co-Founder of SOLAR MATERIALS, a company focused on developing innovative recycling technologies to recover raw materials from solar panels, contributing to a sustainable and circular solar industry.

With a deep expertise in silicon, Dr. Mai also founded JPM Silicon GmbH, where he pioneered efficient silicon production methods essential for solar energy. His work at JPM Silicon laid the groundwork for his efforts at SOLAR MATERIALS, showcasing his commitment to advancing renewable energy technologies and reducing the environmental impact of solar power.

Alejandro Datas

Associate Professor
Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

Alejandro Datas is an Associate Professor at UPM and the Head of the Thermophotovoltaic (TPV) research group at the Solar Energy Institute of the same university. Prior to this role, he earned his Ph.D. at UPM and served as a visiting researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Tokyo Institute of Technology, and the Polytechnic University of Catalonia.

He currently leads coordinated EU projects to develop latent heat thermophotovoltaic batteries. He is also a founding partner of Thermophoton, a UPM spin-off with the objective of commercializing the thermophotovoltaic devices developed by his research team.

Charlotte Nordshus Lindstad

Product manager
Vow green metals AS

Charlotte N. Lindstad graduated from Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) as process metallurgist in 1995. She started working in Elkem in February 1996 and has worked as laboratory manager, project engineer, research and development engineer, quality and process management in Silicon materials and carbon division. She has one year experience as Product Manager in Vow Green Metals as.    

Meagan Bunge

R&D Engineer
High-Purity Silicon America Corporation

Meagan Bunge has a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering from 2015 and a Ph.D. in Systems Engineering from 2018 both from The University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama. She joined High-Purity Silicon America Corporation as an R&D Engineer in 2020 and is currently working on improvements in the production of polysilicon.

Wei Chen (David)

CEO
XingGems USA LLC

Mr. Wei Chen (David) is the CEO of XingGems USA LLC, located in Colorado, USA. With over 36 years of experience in the Metallurgy, Carbon and Graphite industries, he completed his degree in Material Science in 1988 and an MBA in 2002. In 1993, he received training at Mannesmann Demag in Mönchengladbach, Germany, and has since worked on projects worldwide.

He maintains unique insights in his field by continuously learning, thinking, and improving alongside his team: the world-class innovative technologies, including the ID Tracking System, Stress Testing System, Ultrasonic/Laster Detection System, 7th generation LWG in carbon and graphite electrode production, as well as state-of-the-art equipment and robots such as the Ø1,272~1,400 electrode adding machine and SAF tapping hole robot, are propelling the industry into the 21st century.

Marius Lund Sunde

MSc Student
NTNU

Marius Sunde is a student at NTNU, who recently completed his Masters Thesis in chemical engineering, specializing in materials science. His thesis focused on the reaction between water and silicon powder, and how thermal oxidation of silicon powder prior to mixing in water can decrease the amount of hydrogen evolved by the reaction.

Alberto Olivo

R&D Innovation Scientist
Elkem Silicon Products

Dr. Alberto Olivo holds a joint PhD in Chemistry from Ca’ Foscari University in Venice and University of Trieste (Italy). His scientific interests lie in the study of inorganic materials and the understanding of the correlation between materials’ manufacturing, physicochemical properties and performances in use.

Alberto is an R&D innovation scientist at Elkem Silicon products in Kristiansand, Norway. His research involves both the understanding of fundamental properties of silicon and the development of sustainable technologies for silicon production and utilisation.

Vetle Kjær Risinggård

Senior Researcher
NORCE Norwegian Research Centre

Vetle Kjær Risinggård holds a PhD in physics from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Since 2019 he has been working as a researcher modeling metallurgical processes and process equipment at NORCE.

Lucie Riviere

PhD candidate
Ircelyon

Lucie Riviere has obtained a master’s degree specializing in Chemistry and Engineering processes from CPE Lyon, an engineering school in Lyon, France. She is currently pursuing a Cifre PhD in collaboration with Elkem Silicones, focusing on catalysis, focused on the methyl chloride cracking and coke formation in the direct synthesis of methylchlorosilanes.  

Tinotenda Mubaiwa

Researcher (PhD candidate)
NTNU

Tino has a Bachelor of Science degree in metallurgical engineering from the University of Zimbabwe, Harare and a Master of Science degree in materials science and engineering from the National University of Science and Technology-MISIS, Moscow. He is currently doing research on the recycling of silicon powder waste (Si-kerf) by pyro-hydrometallurgical processes as a PhD candidate in the Norwegian Research Centre for Sustainable Solar Cell Technology.

Hákon Valur Haraldsson

Phd student
Reykjavík university and NTNU

Hákon received a BSc degree in applied electrical engineering from Reykjavik University in 2017, a MSc degree in electrical energy engineering at the same university and is now working on a PhD in MHD modelling of AC electric plasma arcs in SFAs.  He did his bachelor’s thesis on Field emission in micro vacuum devices and his master thesis in on large scale simulations of the Icelandic power system in relation to electric vehicles. Current research interests are and CFD modelling of industrial arcs.

Antoine Chalaux

COO
ROSI

Antoine holds an Engineering Degree from Ecole Centrale de Lyon and a Master of Environment from Tsinghua University. He was the CEA Tech Representative in China and Technology & Market Analyst at lnfinergia Consulting.

With both a technical and a business background, Antoine works towards improving environmental practices in the renewable energy sector. He believes cradle-to-cradle thinking is key to building the world of tomorrow. 

Sethulakshmy Jayakumari

Research Scientist
SINTEF

Inge Grubben-Strømnes

Senior Vice President Silicon Products
ELKEM ASA

Inge Grubben-Strømnes has been Senior Vice President responsible for Elkem Silicon Products since 2020. Mr Grubben-Strømnes joined Elkem in 2005 and has been SVP Strategy and Business Development, CEO Elkem Solar and SVP Elkem Carbon.

Before joining Elkem, he worked 4.5 years with McKinsey & Company as a management consultant. Mr Grubben-Strømnes holds a Masters degree in zoology from the Technical University in Trondheim (NTNU) and an MBA from EM-Lyon in France.

Martin Katz

Plant Manager
NexWafe Si-Fab GmbH

Dr. Martin Katz holds a PhD degree in Chemistry from the Technical University Bergakademie Freiberg from 2017 and is an experienced executive with many years of experience in chlorosilane chemistry regarding quality, safety and operational topics.

In the course of his career, Martin managed industrial productions, including important topics like plant safety and quality, with responsibility of approximately 100 employees. Before joining NexWafe, Martin was Production Manager for the European market leader in rubber manufacturing. At NexWafe he is responsible for the chemical plant in Bitterfeld-Wolfen.

Dr. Abdul Rahman Mallah

Senior Research Specialist
Reykjavik University

Xiaoyu Meng

In charge of centralized control center
East hope

Michal Ksiazek

Research Scientist
SINTEF AS

Michal Ksiazek holds a Mastera degree within Metallurgy from AGH (University of Science and Technology) in Krakow, and PhD from NTNU (Norwegian University of Science and Technology) in Trondheim. From 2014 he worked as research scientist in SINTEF. His research interests include Si and FeMn processes.