Chenfei Wang, Head of Wire & Cable and Speciality Materials Market, Shanghai

Chenfei is Head of CRU's Wire & Cable and Speciality Materials Market industry group. He leads the full portfolio of products analysing key trends and developments spanning metallic wire & cable (copper and aluminium downstream markets), electricity transmission (HV & EHV land and submarine cables), optical fibre & cable, carbon products, silicon, and tin industries.Chenfei joined CRU in early 2019 as an Analyst within the Wire & Cable team. At CRU, Chenfei has held editorship roles across the full wire & cable services portfolio. He spent four years in CRU London office and he is now based in CRU Shanghai office.Prior to CRU, Chenfei was working at Rolls-Royce in a variety of engineering leadership roles, with a focus on aeroengine technology development and manufacturing process improvement. 

Aisling Hubert, Lead, Wire & Cable Services, Chicago

Aisling is the editor of CRU's Wire & Cable Market Outlook as well as the Electricity Transmission Market Outlook. Her work involves analysing trends and developments across the global metallic wire and cable industry, accounting for the metal demand of the global energy, infrastructure and manufacturing sectors. This work includes quantifying the requirements of electrification necessitated by the global green energy transition on electrical transmission and distribution infrastructure.Before joining CRU, Aisling worked as a market research analyst within the platinum group metals (PGM) industry, with an emphasis on the environmental, social and governance performance of the PGM producers. Understanding the ESG risks and opportunities of major global mining companies as well as analysing the upstream raw material supply chain of hydrogen fuel cell technologies. She has also worked as a base and precious metals exploration geologist with field experience in East Africa. Aisling holds a MSci in Geology from the University of Southampton and is a member of Women in Mining UK.

Ahmed Ali, Lead, Optical Fibre and Cable Service, London

Ahmed leads CRU’s Optical Fibre and Cable Service as the editor of the Optical Fibre & Cable Market Outlook, providing market analysis, forecasting and editorial direction across the fibre value chain. His work spans global and regional trends in optical fibre, optical cable, data centre connectivity and FTTx demand, as well as developments in fibre and cable production. He joined CRU in 2025, bringing more than a decade of experience in telecoms market analysis. Prior to CRU, he worked at Analysys Mason, STL Partners and ABI Research, where he specialised in private 5G, IoT and network infrastructure technologies. During this time, he contributed to industry thought leadership and produced research that helped tech and telecoms navigate evolving market dynamics. Ahmed holds a Master’s degree in Communications Electronics and Computer Engineering from the University of Nottingham.

Vishnu Patidar, Senior Analyst, Wire & Cable , New Delhi

Vishnu has over 16 years’ rich multi-industry experience spanning strategy, marketing, product management, international business development and export sales. He is a Senior Analyst in CRU’s Wire and Cable team and works on analysing key trends and developments in both the metallic wire and cable, and the optical fibre and cable industries.Prior to joining CRU, Vishnu was associated with renowned fibre optic cable manufacturers like HFCL Limited and West Coast Optilinks, and was working on global expansion of their business. He executed market-entry strategies for entering new international markets and spearheaded successful business expansion initiatives resulting in increased export sales growth.Vishnu joined CRU in mid-2023 and is an integral part of Wire and Cable team under CRU’s Base and Battery Metals Division.He holds an MBA in International Business from Prestige Institute of Management & Research (DAVV University). In addition, he possesses internationally recognised Certifications in Foreign Trade, Export Marketing, Process & Quality Improvement, Project Management and Investment Promotion domains from Institutions of repute.

Zhuo Chen, Analyst, Wire & Cable, Beijing

Zhuo Chen oversees metallic wire & cable and optical fibre & cable market analysis for China and Northeast Asia. He supports all monitor and outlook services within the portfolio, delivering regional market analysis and forecasts. Zhuo closely follows hot topics such as AI data centre development, the green energy transition, and large‑scale infrastructure projects in the region, providing timely insights and market intelligence to the team and clients.   He joined CRU in early 2024 as an aluminium cost analyst before moving into the wire & cable sector. Prior to CRU, Zhuo worked at Zijin Mining for more than seven years, a large multi‑commodity miner, where he held production and managerial roles on copper and gold projects in China (Xinjiang and Tibet), DR Congo, and Serbia. He participated in the development of the Kamoa‑Kakula copper project from initial stages through the successful commissioning of Phase 2.   Zhuo holds dual bachelor’s degrees in Mining Engineering and Material Forming and Control Engineering.

Egest Balla, Analyst, Wire & Cable, Pittsburgh

Egest is an Analyst for the Wire & Cable team at CRU, based out of the company’s North America headquarters in Pittsburgh, USA. He is the editor of the team’s flagship Wire & Cable Monitor, a bi-monthly report that provides analyses on the latest raw material and cable price indexes, financial results from global wire & cable companies, and provides quarterly market data coverage for all major wire and cable products.   Egest also provides support across the full portfolio of products analysing key trends and developments in both the metallic wire and cable and optical fibre & cable markets. His primary region of analysis is in the Americas - contributing to reports, market insights and engaging with market participants across the region.   Egest joined CRU in 2024 after completing his graduate studies at the University of Pittsburgh. He has prior experience within the non-profit sector, focusing on research and advocacy work within the sustainability sector, as well as contributing to consulting projects with organizations including Government Accountability Office, Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development and others at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Public & International Affairs. Egest holds an MPIA in International Political Economy from the University of Pittsburgh and an