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Christoph Aichinger
Head of Agglomeration
Primetals Technologies
Christoph Aichinger has an academic background in mechanical engineering. He holds a Master’s Degree from the Technical University of Graz, Austria and the University of British Columbia, Canada. Mr. Aichinger joined Voest Alpine Industrieanlagenbau, Austria (predecessor company of Primetals Technologies) in 1995 and has held various positions in process engineering, project management, site management and technical sales. Since 2007 he has been globally responsible for the Agglomeration Business within Primetals Technologies. The Agglomeration Business includes sintering, pelletizing and beneficiation technologies and represents the front end of Primetals Technologies' iron and steelmaking portfolio.
John Atherton
Secretary General
International Iron Metallics Association (IIMA)
Rafael Azevedo
General Manager Iron Ore Sales & Marketing – Atlantic
Rio Tinto
Rafael is a seasoned professional with over 20 years of experience in commodity markets. He possesses extensive expertise in sales, trading, business strategy, and market intelligence. In 2016, Rafael joined the Rio Tinto Commercial team in Singapore as a Pricing and Book Manager. Currently, Rafael is leading global sales for Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC) after relocating to the UK in 2021. Prior to joining Rio Tinto, Rafael worked as a dry bulks and freight analyst at Citadel Investment Group and held various positions at Vale.
Julia Bolotova
Senior Steel Price Reporter
Fastmarkets
Rafael Buzetti
Head of Sales EMEA
Samarco Mineração
Gilberto Cardoso
Managing Director
Tarraco Commodities
Gilberto Cardoso is a distinguished leader in the metals and mining industry, currently serving as the Founder & CEO of Tarraco Commodities and CEO of I-View Technologies. With over 20 years of experience in executive roles, Gilberto melds a deep understanding of business strategy, technical knowledge, and financial insight. His passion for developing talent and fostering organisational growth has marked his career with notable achievements. Gilberto's leadership journey is highlighted by his time as the Marketing & Sales Director of iron ore and pellets at ArcelorMittal Mining in London. There, he led groundbreaking market research and analysis efforts that contributed to a 23% decrease in BHP China's steel production forecast. This strategic insight saved the company a staggering US$10 billion in capital expenditures over three years, demonstrating Gilberto's capacity to influence global market trends significantly. Another cornerstone of Gilberto's career was his role in transforming the Indian market landscape for Kumba/Anglo American Iron Ore. Through strategic market understanding and innovative marketing strategies, he achieved a tenfold increase in sales within just 12 months, capturing a market value of US$100 million. Gilberto's expertise extends to creating tailored market mix solutions and seizing opportunities in emerging markets, driving substantial revenue growth. His commitment to excellence and continuous improvement, combined with his knack for navigating complex challenges, underscores his status as a results-driven leader with an entrepreneurial spirit. Holding an Global MBA from IESE Business School in Spain, an M.Sc. in Industrial Engineering, and a B.Sc. in Metallurgical & Materials Engineering from Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro & Instituto Militar de Engenharia (IME), Gilberto has also enriched his knowledge through executive programs at INSEAD, the National University of Singapore, and Stanford University. A polyglot fluent in Portuguese, English, and Spanish, Gilberto excels in cross-cultural communication, facilitating his role as a global industry thought leader. His expertise has led to invitations as a speaker and moderator at leading conferences, such as the Fastmarkets Iron Ore Conference in Dusseldorf 2022 and Stockholm 2023, and the MMSteel Club 2nd Green Steel Technology Conference.
Miriam Falk
Senior Analyst
Miriam is principal analyst with over a decade of experience analysing commodity markets, having previously worked at S&P Global Platts before joining Fastmarkets' research team. She specializes in European power market dynamics and bulk steel raw materials. Miriam is a frequent commentator in the media and speaker at industry events, with her insights featured in publications like the Financial Times. Her career started with policy internships at the Swedish Delegation to the OECD in Paris and the Global Policy Forum in New York. She holds a master's degree from Uppsala University in political science and economics and is fluent in Swedish and French.
Dilip George
Group CEO
Foulath Holding
Dilip George is the Group CEO of Foulath Holding and is responsible for managing the affairs of the companies comprising the Foulath Group, which includes Bahrain Steel, a pelletizer located in Bahrain and SULB, an integrated structural steel producer located in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Foulath Holding is an investment vehicle focused on investing in the steel industry in the GCC region. Dilip joined Foulath in 2009 and has held various leadership positions in Foulath. In this period. Dilip has transformed the competitive position of the Foulath Group. He has played a key role in the continued development of strategic customer and supplier relationships, ensuring flexibility in response to an increasingly demanding market conditions. Dilip has been an integral part of the organic and inorganic growth of the Foulath group since 2009 and is charting out a path for industry leading growth for the future. Prior to joining Foulath, Dilip was CFO of MANSO group of companies based in Saudi Arabia, responsible for strategy and corporate finance. MANSO is a diversified business group whose activities spanned petrochemicals, steel and decorative wood. At MANSO Dilip led the successful public listing of the Group’s petrochemical business, Methanol Chemicals Company (Chemanol) on the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul). Dilip also spent 5 years as a management consultant at Arthur Andersen in Saudi Arabia. His background in consulting includes business feasibility studies, organization redesign, business process reengineering and business acquisition. Dilip is a Chartered Accountant (CA) from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) and holds a B. Com honors degree from Delhi University, India.
Rutger Gyllenram
CEO
Kobolde
Rutger Gyllenram is a Swedish process metallurgist focusing on resource conservation and decarbonisation. He is the founder of Kobolde & Partners AB, a company working on raw material assessment and optimisation, and co-founder of FerroSilva AB, an industrial project on producing DRI from pellets with a reduction gas from gasified biomass followed by CCUS of the biogenic CO2 to produce ship fuel.
Bernhard Hiebl
Head of Technology Beneficiation, Agglomeration and Direct Reduction
Education and profession 1990 – 2011 Master Studies Process Engineering, University of Graz, Austria 1997 – 2007 Member of National Austrian Triathlon Team since 2010 Employee of Primetals Technologies Austria GmbH Actual Position: Head of Technology Beneficiation, Agglomeration and Direct Reduction
Lee Kirk
Cargill Metals Managing Director
Cargill
Lee Kirk leads Cargill’s Metals Supply Chain, an integrated network of businesses that connects iron ore miners around the world with steel mills and end users of steel, providing physical and financial solutions to over 2,500 customers in 40 countries. Appointed to his current role since 2014, Lee has built the metals supply chain division into the partner of choice in global ferrous industry that trades around 50 million tons of physical iron ore and 6 million tons of physical steel globally. With over twenty years’ experience in driving transformation and business development in financial and physical commodities, Lee’s career at Cargill has spanned over 10 years since he stepped into the ferrous industry in 2011 as the Trading Manager of Iron Ore in the metals supply chain division. Prior to Cargill, Lee first started his career in the power and gas industry in Europe with Texas Utilities, where he held numerous roles in risk forecasting and analysis before moving into trading. In 2002, Lee joined BHP Billiton and worked across a range of commodities with the primary focus on running the Panamax and Cape trading business. In 2009, he joined the Russian Oil trader Gunvor to build a coal and freight trading business as part of an expansion into bulk commodities. Lee has a bachelor’s degree in Financial Economics from Coventry University. He previously resided with his wife and two daughters in Singapore, where the metals supply chain division is headquartered. Hehas been relocated to Geneva since 1st of September 2022. This allows him to travel frequently between Asia and Europe to engage with customers supporting growth in all regions, as Cargill Metals is accelerating growth to build a global franchise.
François Lavoie
VP Sales, Technical Marketing and Product Development
Champion Iron
François Lavoie holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree in metallurgy from Université Laval. Since graduating, he has worked the iron ore processing. He joined the Quebec Iron Ore, a Champion Iron subsidiary, team in May 2017 and was heavily involved in the Bloom Lake Phase 1 concentrator restart and was responsible for the process portion of the Phase 2 expansion feasibility study. He later joined Champion’s corporate team to focus on products, projects, and markets development to deploy Champion’s strategy to support steelmakers in their emissions reduction initiatives. François currently holds the role of Vice-President sales, technical marketing and products development and is responsible for evaluating and developing new approaches to further bonify our high purity iron products to support steelmaking decarbonisation initiatives globally.
Kim Leppold
Head of Research – Steel
Alice Li
Senior Price Reporter
She is a senior price reporter in Fastmarkets with about seven years’ experience of reporting and analysis in the iron ore and steel industry for Asia market. She started her journey in the iron ore and steel industry as a market analyst in 2018 in a Chinese ferrous-related agency. She joined Fastmarkets in January 2021 with a focus on pricing iron ore fines, pellet feed and pellet.
Michael Lövgren
Commercial Director Global Growth & Business Unit Hydrogen
H2 Green Steel
Michael Lövgren, a passionate advocate for the decarbonization of the base industry, has been part of H2 Green Steel's journey from an early stage to today’s impactful position. As the Commercial Director Metallics, his main task, has been to support securing financing for the greenfield mill being constructed in the north of Sweden by leading the establishment of the green iron market globally. With a profound background encompassing 16 years within the base industry, across diverse positions and geographies, Michael brings an extensive experience on industry trade and business transformation.
Gunnar Moe
Rana Gruber ASA
CEO Rana Gruber in two periods, 2010-2013 and 2017-. Background in education and media before moving to the industry in 2001, first as HRmanager afterwards as CEO. CBDO in two other places before returning to Rana Gruber in 2017
José Noldin
GravitHY
José Noldin is the CEO of GravitHy, a company launched by a world-class and international industrial consortium that aims to accelerate the decarbonization of the global steel industry by producing direct reduced iron (DRI) from low-carbon hydrogen. He oversees the development of the company, including its first project in Fos-sur-Mer (south of France), which will require around 2 billion euros of investment and is expected to create over 3,000 direct and indirect jobs. For over 20 years, José Noldin has impacted the iron and steel industry by leading successful and innovative industrial ventures, with special focus in business impact and decarbonization. José Noldin is an engineer and holds a PhD in metallurgical engineering from the Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), Brazil, he has received several industry awards, including the Thomas medal (UK's Iron and Steel Society), the Ironmaking prize (ABM in Brazil), an AIST Presidential Citation, besides multiple recognitions for his contributions to the iron ore, steel, and sustainable development sectors.
Luisa Orre
Chief Procurement Officer
Parizat Pandey
Director, Direct Reduced Iron (DRI)
Metso
Parizat Pandey is the Director, Direct Reduced Iron Product Group in the Ferrous & Heat Transfer business line at Metso. He is passionate to contribute to the sustainability targets and carbon reduction footprint of the industry. Within the product group, his focus is to develop and commercialize green steel technologies to serve iron and steel industry. Mr. Pandey has prior experience with plant operations, process improvement projects in non-ferrous industry and technology solutions within Metso.
Pavlo Perkonos
Senior Manager Strategy & Business Development
Metinvest
Pavlo Perkonos is a seasoned professional with 15+ years of experience in metals and mining industry with focus on strategy, investments, research, and market intelligence. In 2015, Pavlo joined METINVEST Strategy Team, and since 2018 holds the position of Senior Manager, Strategy & Business Development. He leads the strategic analysis for the raw materials (iron ore, DRI/HBI and coking coal) segment, as well as contributes to the M&A activities of the Group. He is also the company’s representative on committees of the World Steel Association. Prior to joining METINVEST, Pavlo headed Analytical department of one of the major Ukrainian consulting companies in the metals and mining industry, performing both periodic market intelligence and project-based consulting of steel players. Also, he worked as a research analyst in the biggest Ukrainian asset managing company, covering ferrous metallurgy, and coking industry listed companies. Pavlo is a PhD in Economics.
Mikael Pettersson
General Manager Technology & Products
LKAB
Guilherme Reinisch
Global Head Iron Ore Briquettes
Vale
Guilherme Reinisch Neves Metallurgical Engineer with two MBAs from Getulio Vargas Foundation in Brazil and Harvard in USA. Also, two management and leadership courses in MIT Massachusetts, USA and IMD Lausanne, Switzerland. Guilherme started in Vale Group in 1996. He had several leadership experiences in these 28 years in Vale, including: Shipping, Marketing, Commercial, Business Development and Sales in Americas, Europe, Asia and Middle East, Operations in Pelletizing Division in Brazil, and Oman. More recently, in January 2015, he moved to Dubai-UAE as Sales Director and Country Manager, taking care of sales and strategy to MENA, India, and S. East Asia markets, also as a board member of Vale Oman Pelletizing Company. In January 2020, he was appointed Global Head – Director Iron Ore Briquettes, being responsible for the full development and implementation of this new business: “Cold Agglomeration – Iron Ore Briquettes”. In addition to his current responsibilities, in January 2021 he was appointed Chairman of Vale Oman Pelletizing Company.
Michael Rion
Chief Commercial Officer
Emirates Steel
Michael Rion is the Chief Commercial Officer at Emirates Steel, an Emirates Steel Arkan company, a distinguished leader with an illustrious career in the steel industry. With a relentless passion for innovation and a proven track record of driving business growth, Rion is dedicated to transforming organizations and delivering exceptional results. Rion brings to his role extensive experience and expertise gained from various leadership positions within Emirates Steel, including Vice President of Sales and Director of Heavy Section Mill Sales. His strategic vision and deep industry knowledge enable him to develop winning strategies that increase profitability and market share. Before joining Emirates Steel, Rion served as the General Manager Commercial at Sulb, where he further honed his skills in commercial operations and strategic management. Additionally, he held pivotal roles at ArcelorMittal, where he played a key role in shaping the company's market presence and driving commercial success across different regions. Rion holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Vlerick Business School, along with executive certifications from renowned institutions such as Stellenbosch Business School, University of California, Berkeley, Duke University, ESCP Business School, and Ichec Brussels Management School.
Raj Shah
Vice President, Trade
Ores & Minerals UK Ltd.
Raj shah is a graduate from Newcastle university, in marketing. A seasoned professional having gained experience in various roles engaged in the steel making process. He is currently Vice President at Ores & minerals uk, and is responsible for all scrap, pig iron, HBI & other supply chain operations.
Marina Shulga
Senior Steel/Global Metallics Reporter
Cecilia Silva
Commercial Director
Cecilia Silva is the Commercial Director for the Simandou Project based in London. Prior to this, Cecilia was the General manager for Rio Tinto Iron Ore Strategy, Marketing and Contracts, and held a numbers of Marketing positions in VALE Group spending more than 10 years living in Singapore. She is an experienced mining professional with a demonstrated history working in the mining & metals industry for 30 years. Skilled in Mining, minerals, Iron ore , metallurgy, and commodities marketing. Strong business development professional with a bachelor’s degree focused in Mining and Mineral Engineer from Escola de Minas, Brazil. Cecilia is a Simandou and Guinea believer.
Timo Smit
Executive Head of Marketing (Iron Ore and Steelmaking Coal)
Anglo American
Timo Smit is the Executive Head of Marketing & Sales for Iron Ore and Steelmaking Coal based in London. Timo started his career as a research scientist with Akzo Nobel, a Dutch chemicals company, and worked for them in the Netherlands and in the United States. He then joined management consultants McKinsey & Co, where he worked for nearly 10 years, both in the Netherlands and in Southern Africa, specialising in basic materials. In 2004, he joined TechnoServe as Country Director for South Africa. TechnoServe is a not-for-profit development agency focused on providing ‘business solutions to rural poverty’ by helping to set up and/or turn around businesses in poor rural areas in South Africa. After 3 years at TechnoServe, Timo then joined Kumba Iron Ore as Head of Commercial, in 2007. He is currently the Executive Head of Marketing and Sales for Anglo American's Kumba and Minas Rio iron ores and for Steelmaking Coal.Timo holds degrees in Applied Physics (M.Sc. – Technical University of Delft) and Materials Science & Engineering (Ph.D. – MIT).
Wolfgang Sterrer
Head of Direct Reduction
Wolfgang Sterrer completed his master’s degree in material science and metallurgy at the University of Leoben, Austria, in 1994. • After graduation he joined VOEST-ALPINE Industrieanlagenbau, Austria, a predecessor company of Primetals Technologies and began as a process engineer in the department of Smelting Reduction technologies. In 1998 Mr. Sterrer was appointed commissioning manager of the Corex DR project at Saldanha, South Africa. • 2001 he joined the Blast Furnace department in UK and was involved in several blast furnace projects. • During 2006/2007 Mr. Sterrer was responsible for commissioning and startup of the MIDREX direct reduction project in Hadeed, Saudi Arabia. • From 2007 until 2011 he was responsible for startup and operation support of the Corex plants at Baosteel, China. • 2011 Mr. Sterrer was appointed principal expert ironmaking and in 2014 he became Head of Technology for Direct and Smelting Reduction. • From 2017 till 2020 Mr. Sterrer was responsible for operation of the voestalpine Texas HBI plant in the USA. • Since 2020 Mr. Sterrer is responsible for the Direct Reduction business of Primetals Technologies.
Alice Vieillefosse
Chief Growth Officer
Alice Vieillefosse is the Director of Growth at GravitHy, a power-to-iron company in green iron. She holds a master’s degree from École des Ponts and IFP, with a specialization in energy. Her extensive professional experience spans across the energy and infrastructure sectors, including significant roles within the French government and EDF Energy in London. Her expertise encompasses financial structuring of large-scale public-private partnership infrastructure projects, ensuring supply security, and supporting innovations in the energy transition arena.
Andrew Wells
Editorial & Pricing Director, Ferrous Metals & Mining
Ross Yeo
European & Asia Scrap Editor
Ross Yeo, Fastmarkets’ scrap editor for Europe and Asia, has 15 years’ commodity pricing experience, including five years as European steel editor during which he helped launch the world’s first green steel prices. In his current role, he oversees the coverage of a wide range of scrap and recycled metal markets across Europe and Asia, including steel scrap.
Stanislav Zinchenko
GMK Center
Stanislav Zinchenko, CEO GMK Center, Chair of the Committee for Environment and Sustainable Development of the European Business Association Ukraine, President CSCMP Ukraine Roundtable. Last 6 years provides consulting services for European and Ukrainian iron & steel companies in green steel&decarbonisation isssues, supply chains, CAPEX policy, market analysis. Stanislav Zinchenko has 15-year experience in consulting for manufacturing companies. He has expertise in operational management and supply chains. Team leader and consultant in international projects in the field of green policies, green energy transformation, circular economy. Stanislav has a MA in International Economics at Kyiv National Economic University.
Denis Reuter
COO
TSR
Denis Reuter is the Chief Operating Officer of TSR Group, where he is a member of the management board. He is responsible for strategic products in the steel and aluminum sector as well as all trading activities of the TSR Group for both ferrous and non-ferrous metals. He has served in this role since 2018. Prior to that, he served as chief financial officer (CFO), a post he took up in 2015. From 2012 to 2014, he served as CFO for HKS Scrap Metals b.v. From 2010 to 2012, he was CFO for TSR Czech Republic s.r.o. Prior to that, he served as head of Controlling and Administration at INTERSEROH Region East Berlin and Rostock from 2008 to 2010. He served as controller, Controlling and M&A, at INTERSEROH Hansa Recycling GmbH from 2007 to 2008. Prior to that, he served in various management consultancy firms outside the scrap industry.
Gerhard Hackl
Executive Board Member
Austrian Society for Metallurgy and Materials (ASMET)
Academic Carrere: Master Degree Montanuniversität Leoben, Metallurgy PhD- Degree Montanuniversität Leoben, Material Science Assistant Professor at the ‘Montanuniversität Leoben Professional Carrere: Executive Board Member ASMET Breitenfeld Edelstahl Member of the Managing Board CTO and CEO Böhler Edelstahl Sales and Marketing Böhler Edelstahl R&D
Stephen Montague
Member of the Board
Midrex
Stephen Montague started with Midrex Technologies as a co-op student in 1987 and is now a Board Member. Throughout the years, he has held roles encompassing technical and commercial functions such as engineering, operations, technology development, and sales. He was appointed Vice President – Sales & Marketing before assuming the role of President and COO in 2016, and subsequently being promoted to CEO in 2017. He actively participated in the design and start-ups of numerous MIDREX® Plants, contributed to the development of new technologies, and holds co-inventor credits on several patents. Stephen earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina State University.
Frederik Leus
XCarb Business Development and Customer Decarbonization Partnerships
ArcelorMittal
Frederik Leus joined ArcelorMittal in 2000 for a market development and research role in Gent, Belgium. In 2004 he moved to France, where he held several positions in Marketing & Sales, Supply Chain projects, Key Account manager and as Pricing & Controlling manager for Automotive worldwide. In 2013, he moved to China for a greenfield project, as Director Sales & Customer technical support for VAMA (Valin ArcelorMittal Automotive, JV). In October 2016, Frederik moved back to Europe for various projects support, before becoming in 2021 Head of Segment & Product sales steering, Technical Commercial Team Steering and Head of Order management platforms, Europe. In his most recent role, Frederik is fully dedicated to XCarb Business development and customer decarbonization partnerships. Frederik is a commercial engineer specialized in production management & logistics from the University of Antwerp, Belgium. In April 2024, he finished participating in The Prince of Wales’s Business & Sustainability Programme at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), of the University of Cambridge.
Jobe Wheeler
Senior Process Engineer
Derrick Corporation
Mr. Wheeler holds a Mechanical Engineering degree with specialization in vibrations and fluid dynamics from University of Buffalo. Jobe is an experienced process engineer focused on providing innovative and industry leading solutions for the iron ore industry. Over the past 17 years with Derrick, Jobe has helped implement fine screening applications in numerous large scale iron ore projects across the world. He previously worked for 7 years at Motorola conducting process optimization and improving equipment reliability in a Six Sigma manufacturing environment.
Paulo Carvalho
Independent Consultant
Paulo Carvalho is a green steel and iron ore market expert and independent advisor, helping the world’s leading mining & metals sector players meet strategic, commercial and sustainability goals. Paulo’s recent work involved designing the ESG data & disclosure strategy for a large diversified miner, establishing a supplier due diligence framework for a raw materials buyer, advising on commercial negotiations and arbitrations, and supporting the financing of €6bn green steel plant in Europe and of a new iron ore mine in Africa. Previously, Paulo was a partner at global sustainability consultancy ERM, Head of Steel Consulting at CRU, and Senior Economist, Investor Relations at Vale S.A.
Christer Lindqvist
GRANGEX AB
Camila Nucci
Expert
McKinsey & Company
Camila Nucci is an Expert in the steel value chain based out of McKinsey’s Brussels office in Belgium. She is focused on strategic and procurement topics on iron ore, metallics and steel, including decarbonization strategies for global mining and steel companies. Currently, she is the leader of bottom-up supply, costs, CO2 emissions modelling for the steel industry within MetalSpans, including a bottom-up demand and consumption of raw materials for iron and steelmaking stages.
Mohamed Zada
Chairman & Managing Director
Suez Steel Company