Tom brings a wealth of mining and extractive experience from a variety of Executive and non Executive roles over a more than 45 year career. Tom was the Chief Executive of Rio Tinto, the worlds second largest mining company, from 2007 to 2013. Following this, Tom was the Chief Executive of Vedanta Resources, a leading Indian mining, oil and gas, and commercial power producer with operations from 2013 to 2017.

Tom presently serves of the Boards of Franco Nevada, a Canadian precious metals focused royalty, streaming and minerals company, Nevada Copper, a Canadian developer of the Pumpkin Hollow Copper Mine in Nevada, and CoTec, which acquires and develops emerging technologies in the Mining Sector. In addition, he serves on a number of private Boards and a number of Advisory roles. One of these is CIC Ltd, a Cook Islands company focused on the evaluation and potential development of deep sea nodule harvesting within the Cook Islands EEZ, where Tom is Co-Chairman.

Tom has taken a keen interest in supporting policy reforms to emerging issues and challenges being faced by the Mining Sector. This includes a previous role as Co-Chair of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) National Committee on Mining from 2016-17, and current involvement in SAFE, a DC based think tank focused on energy and critical metal security for the US.

In recognition of this distinguished leadership and service to the mining industry, Tom was conferred with the ‘Mining Foundation of the Southwest’ 2009 American Mining Hall of Fame Award.

Tom holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mineral Economics and a Master’s in Mining Engineering, both from the University of Alaska.

Prior to joining SAFE, Avery Ash served as the Vice President of Global Public Policy and Product Strategy at INRIX, the global leader in connected car services and intelligent movement. Previously, Ash was Director of Federal Relations for AAA, where he was responsible for the Association’s federal advocacy on transportation, vehicle technology, mobility, and energy issues.

Ash serves in numerous leadership positions including as a founding steering committee member for Partners for Automated Vehicle Education; a member of Texas Department of Transportation’s Texas Technology Task Force; and board member at the DC-based arts non-profit, CulturalDC. He has previously served on the executive working group of the World Economic Forum’s initiative on the Future of Urban and Autonomous Mobility, as co-chair of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Technology Engagement Center’s workgroup on autonomous vehicles; on the Board of Directors of the Electric Drive Transportation Association; and been selected as an Aspen Institute Socrates Scholar and SAFE Energy Security Fellow.

He is a frequent speaker and recognized expert on issues surrounding automated, connected, and electric vehicles; transportation policy; and urban mobility. On Capitol Hill, Ash served as Legislative and Special Assistant for Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, where he focused on financial services and economic development issues. Prior to that he supported Congressional Affairs at the US Chamber of Commerce where he managed a portfolio that included technology, transportation, financial services, and anti-counterfeiting issues. He is a graduate of Bowdoin College with a joint degree in Economics and Anthropology.

As a leader in automotive technologies, Avary has been at the forefront of revolutionizing the mobility space and has devoted her career to establishing better infrastructures for automotive, autonomous, IoT, and connectivity platforms. She is passionate about improving safety and decarbonizing mobility.

A key member of Einride’s executive team in North America setting the company’s strategic direction and product vision, Mrs. Avary has helped guide the development of key electric, autonomous, and digital products and services, and now focuses on leading government relations, public policy, obtaining public monies, building out charging infrastructure, and helping scale overall business.

Prior to joining Einride, Michelle was Global Head of Automotive and Autonomous Mobility at the World Economic Forum, was Vice President of Products and Strategy, Global Automotive Io(m)T at Aeris and spent a decade at Toyota Motor Sales bringing connectivity products to market.

Avary is a noted thought-leader, frequent public speaker and guest lecturer at numerous prestigious universities. She co-founded Drive Time Metrics, Women in Automotive Technology, an advocacy group, and has advised several AV startups. Michelle has several patents, holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Pennsylvania State University, a Masters of Art in Economics from the University of San Francisco, and she is also a certified yoga instructor.

Mitch Bainwol brings to Brunswick a distinctive blend of high-level strategic experiences in government, politics and business.

Early in his career, he rotated between senior legislative roles, primarily in the Senate, and campaign leadership. He served as Chief of Staff to two U.S. Senators, Connie Mack of Florida, and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee. In politics, Bainwol ran two successful Senate races and later was chief of staff to the RNC and Director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee in 2002 when Republicans reclaimed the majority after 9/11.

Following his Senate service, Bainwol was chief executive officer for two industries undergoing significant transformation. He ran the music labels organization – the RIAA - post-Napster as that sector moved from plastic to digital and ownership to access, before joining the premier automobile manufacturer trade group as that industry began its evolution to autonomy, electrification, connectivity and new models of access.

After sixteen years of association leadership in Washington, Bainwol went in-house with Ford Motor Company where he was Chief Global Government Relations Officer. Bainwol retired from Ford last year.

Mitch graduated from Georgetown University before earning an MBA from Rice University. After graduate school, he was recruited as a Presidential Management Fellow to the Office of Management and Budget during the Reagan Administration.

Bainwol lives in Clifton, Virginia and Stuart, Florida with his wife Susan, with whom he has three grown children.

Gerard is on a mission to help wean humanity off fossil fuels and transition to a circular resource economy. He is a seasoned entrepreneur with a track record of building global companies in battery technology, media, and future-oriented resource development both as a chief executive and strategic investor. He became involved in the early strategic development and financing of DeepGreen during its formation in 2011 and stepped into the role of Chairman & CEO in 2017. Gerard is leading The Metals Company’s three-part strategy to first inject a sufficient supply of four virgin metals (Ni, Mn, Co, Cu) into the system to enable the green transition, then track and recycle the four metals The Metals Company injects, and ultimately work through the rest of the periodic table to circularize the remaining metals. If The Metals Company succeeds, mining virgin ores – whether in land or in the ocean – will become a marginal human activity as we meet most of our metal needs by recycling a shared common stock of metals.

Tom Baruch is CEO and Founder at Baruch Future Ventures. Tom now invests primarily in early-stage companies focusing on resource scarcity and climate change. He also actively advises other investment entities and multinational corporations and Breakthrough Energy Foundation. Tom has more than 25 years of investment experience and has helped multiple deep technology companies to articulate their visions and guide their objectives and strategies. Baruch’s investment strategies have led to 18 IPOs and 8 acquisitions of his portfolio companies, and 8 unicorns including Flextronics, Broadcom, Relativity Space, and CNano Technologies.

He formed CMEA Capital in 1988 with NEA, 3M Corp, and Exxon Chemical among others where he managed a total of $1.2B across seven funds. Tom is known as a pioneer in synthetic biology, materials science and multidisciplinary technology investments focused on climate risk and advanced manufacturing. Before becoming an investor, Tom was a Division Manager at Exxon where he developed lower cost carbon fibers and founded a business for High-Performance Composites Applications.

Nisha Biswal is DFC’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer. Ms. Biswal was nominated by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on July 27, 2023.

Ms. Biswal brings over 30 years of experience in U.S. foreign policy and international development programs, including in the Executive Branch, Congress, and the private sector.

Prior to joining DFC, Ms. Biswal served as the senior vice president for international strategy and global initiatives at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and oversaw the U.S. India Business Council and the U.S. Bangladesh Business Council.

Ms. Biswal served as Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs at the U.S. Department of State from 2013 to 2017. There, she oversaw the U.S.-India strategic partnership during a period of unprecedented cooperation, including the launch of an annual U.S.-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue. She also initiated the C5+1 Dialogue with Central Asia and the U.S.-Bangladesh Partnership Dialogue during her tenure as Assistant Secretary. Prior to that, Ms. Biswal was assistant administrator for Asia at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), directing and supervising USAID programs and operations across South, Central, and Southeast Asia. She also spent over a decade on Capitol Hill, working as staff director on the State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee on Appropriations as well as professional staff on the Foreign Affairs Committee in the House of Representatives.

Ms. Biswal previously served as the Chair of the Advisory Committee on Voluntary Foreign Aid and on the Board of the National Democratic Institute and the U.S. Institute of Peace International Advisory Council. She also was a member of the USIP Afghanistan Study Group and the Aspen Institute’s India-US Track 2 Dialogue on Climate and Energy.

Ms. Biswal is a proud graduate of the University of Virginia, where she studied international relations and economics.

Admiral Blair served as Director of National Intelligence from January 2009 to May 2010. He led sixteen national intelligence agencies, administering a budget of $50 billion and providing integrated intelligence support to the President, Congress and operations in the field. Prior to rejoining the government, he held the John M. Shalikashvili Chair in National Security Studies with the National Bureau of Asian Research, served as deputy director of the Project for National Security Reform, and as a member of the Energy Security Leadership Council of Securing America’s Future Energy.

From 2003 to 2006 Admiral Blair was president and chief executive officer of the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA), a federally funded research and development center based in Alexandria, Virginia that supports the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security and the Intelligence Community. He has been a director of two public companies, EDO and Tyco International and served on the boards of many non-profit organizations.

Prior to retiring from the Navy in 2002, Admiral Blair served as Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Command, the largest of the combatant commands. During his 34-year Navy career, Admiral Blair served on guided missile destroyers in both the Atlantic and Pacific fleets and commanded the Kitty Hawk Battle Group. Ashore, he served as Director of the Joint Staff and held budget and policy positions on the National Security Council and several major Navy staffs.

A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Admiral Blair earned a master’s degree in history and languages from Oxford University as a Rhodes scholar, and was a White House fellow at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. He has been awarded four Defense Distinguished Service medals, three National Intelligence Distinguished Service medals and has received decorations from the governments of Japan, Thailand, Korea, Australia, the Philippines and Taiwan.

First a business, commercial and corporate lawyer, Maïté Blanchette Vézina has also been mayor of Sainte-Luce from 2017 to 2021. She distinguished herself by her leadership and commitment to the environment and the promotion of women in politics. She then became the regional manager of Centraide (United Way) for the Bas-Saint-Laurent region. Elected on October 3, 2022, as Member of Parliament for Rimouski under the banner of the Coalition Avenir Québec, she is given the role of Minister of Natural Resources and Forests and Minister Responsible for the Bas-Saint-Laurent Region and the Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine region.

From the moment she took office, Maïté Blanchette Vézina took concrete action to make Quebecers proud of their natural resources. In the spring of 2023, she carried out a broad consultation to ensure a more harmonious development of mining activities in Québec. Reflecting on this exercise, in fall 2023 she announced a review of the Mining Act. This revision is necessary to ensure that the development of Québec’s subsoil is carried out according to the highest standards and the key principles of the circular economy.

John Bozzella, a veteran auto industry executive, is president and CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation (Auto Innovators). From 2014 until the establishment of Auto Innovators in January 2020, he served as president and CEO of the Association of Global Automakers, the trade association whose members included the U.S operations of international automobile and light-duty truck manufacturers that sold products in the United States.

Previously, John served as a Senior Operating Executive for Cerberus Operations and Advisory Company, LLC, where he worked with the firm and its portfolio companies on a range of public policy and economic development matters. He served as Senior Vice President of External Affairs and Public Policy at Chrysler Group in 2009, and Vice President of External Affairs and Public Policy for Chrysler LLC from 2007 to 2009. In this capacity, he mobilized government support to significantly restructure Chrysler.

At Chrysler, John worked closely with the federal government and other automakers on a substantially advanced technology vehicle loan program and on the development of new fuel economy standards. In addition, he worked with state governments to gain funding for restructuring, training, and development.

From 2005 to 2007, John spent two years with DaimlerChrysler Corporation as Vice President of External Affairs and Public Policy for the Americas. John was with Ford Motor Company from 1994 to 2005 in positions in public policy, and government and community relations, and labor relations.

Prior to joining the automotive industry, John served as New York City's director of state legislative affairs under Mayor David N. Dinkins. He began his career in public policy as the Director of Legislative and Political Action for the United Federation of Teachers. John is a graduate of Cornell University.

Prime Minister since 30 September 2020, Mark Brown was first elected to Parliament in 2010, winning the Takuvaine Tutakimoa electorate and was immediately given the Finance portfolio. He was appointed Deputy Prime Minister after the 2018 election.

Raised and educated in the Cook Islands, Mark Brown also received a scholarship to attend Gisborne Boys High School in New Zealand. He gained a Post-Grad Diploma in Public Sector Management from Massey University. He also holds a Masters degree in Business Administration from the University of the South Pacific. Mr. Brown is fluent in both Cook Islands Maori and English.

Mr. Brown’s career includes roles in both the private and public sectors. He has worked as a policy advisor within the Office of the Prime Minister and was head of the Ministry of Agriculture, a business owner and property developer, Mr. Brown has also held leadership positions in the Cook Islands Chamber of Commerce and the Cook Islands Sports and National Olympic Committee. As a keen sportsman Mr. Brown has represented his country as an athlete and coach.

Currently the longest service Finance Minister in the Pacific, Mr. Brown has held the portfolio since being elected to Parliament. Key achievements include overseeing the country’s economic growth leading to the Cook Islands graduating to OECD high-income status in 2020.

Mr. Brown’s leadership through the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated his ability to balance the economic survival of the country while safeguarding the health of his people.

Mr. Brown is an ocean and climate change champion within the Pacific and internationally, with a special interest in the Blue Economy given the Cook Islands large Exclusive Economic Zone and world class deposit of seabed minerals.

As at March 2024, Mr. Brown holds the following portfolios: Attorney General; Finance and Economic Management; Police; Public Service Commission; Seabed Minerals; Tourism; Telecommunication; Energy and Renewable Energy; Outer Island Special Projects.

Mr. Brown is the Chair of the Pacific Islands Leader Forum until August 2024.

Kurt M. Campbell was confirmed by the Senate on February 6, 2024, and sworn in as the 22nd Deputy Secretary of State on February 12, 2024. Prior to assuming this position, Deputy Secretary Campbell served as Deputy Assistant to the President and Coordinator for Indo-Pacific Affairs on the National Security Council. He was previously founding Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Asia Group, LLC, a strategic advisory and capital management group. From 2009 to 2013, Campbell served as the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. Earlier, he was the CEO and Co-Founder of the Center for a New American Security and concurrently served as the Director of the Aspen Strategy Group and Chairman of the Editorial Board of the Washington Quarterly. Among the other positions he has held during his distinguished career, Campbell served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Affairs, White House Fellow at the Treasury Department, and as Director of the Democracy Office at the National Security Council during the Clinton Administration. Campbell was an Associate Professor of Public Policy at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and served in the U.S. Navy Reserves. He is the author or editor of ten books including The Pivot: The Future of American Statecraft in Asia, Difficult Transitions: Why Presidents Fail in Foreign Policy at the Outset of Power, and Hard Power: The New Politics of National Security. He received his B.A. from the University of California, San Diego and his Doctorate in international relations from Brasenose College at Oxford University where he was a Distinguished Marshall Scholar. Campbell is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Secretary of State’s Distinguished Service Award.

Rep. Kathy Castor (FL-14) is a national leader in clean energy, environmental justice, coastal protection, and addressing the climate crisis. She was first elected to Congress in 2006 and represents Florida’s 14th Congressional district, which includes Tampa and parts of Hillsborough & Pinellas County.

Castor has a long-established track record of standing up for a clean and healthy environment, supporting clean energy jobs and promoting environmental justice. She started her professional career enforcing environmental and growth management laws to protect Florida’s wetlands, coastline, endangered species and sensitive lands. As a Hillsborough County Commissioner in Tampa, Florida, Castor served as chair of the Environmental Protection Commission (EPC), which is charged with protecting the air, water, wetlands and lands of the large and diverse county, including delegated elements of the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts.

In 2020 and 2022, led by Castor, Democratic members of the former House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis (SCCC) unveiled comprehensive plans to combat climate change, invest in the clean energy economy of the future and make our communities healthier and more resilient. The reports lay out detailed, ambitious, actionable and equitable climate solutions.

In 2022, Castor stood alongside President Biden as he signed the most ambitious climate legislation in U.S. history into law. The Inflation Reduction Act – which includes many climate solutions named in the SCCC reports – is helping lower costs, creating good-paying jobs and cutting U.S. carbon emissions.

Castor serves on the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has legislative jurisdiction over a range of energy and environmental issues. She is a native Floridian, a graduate of Tampa’s Chamberlain High School, Emory University, and Florida State University College of Law.

The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne was first elected in 2015 as the Member of Parliament for Saint-Maurice-Champlain. He has previously served as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, and Minister of International Trade.
Minister Champagne is a businessman, lawyer, and international trade specialist with over 20 years’ experience at large international companies in Europe, particularly in the fields of energy, engineering, and innovation.
Before entering politics, Minister Champagne was Vice-President and Senior Counsel of ABB Group, a leader in cutting-edge technology that operates in more than 100 countries. He also served as Strategic Development Director, acting General Counsel, and Chief Ethics Officer and Member of the Group Management Committee of Amec Foster Wheeler, a world leader in the energy sector.
In 2009, Minister Champagne was named Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. He has served on several boards over the years, and was notably President of the Canadian-Swiss Chamber of Commerce and the Banff Forum.
After his election in 2015, Minister Champagne served as a parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Finance until 2017, when he was appointed Minister of International Trade. During his time as Minister of International Trade, the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement entered into force, and Canada signed the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. In 2018, he was named Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, and oversaw the federal government’s ambitious $187 billion infrastructure investment plan. He was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs in 2019, and oversaw the creation of Canada’s Declaration Against Arbitrary Detention in State-to-State Relations, which more than 60 countries have endorsed.
Minister Champagne holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Montréal and a Master of Laws in American law from Case Western Reserve University. Minister Champagne also studied public and private international law at The Hague Academy of International Law, in the Netherlands.

Isaac Chan is a partner at Roland Berger, advising clients throughout the automotive value chain on issues related to growth strategy, transformation, sustainability and transactions. He leads the Automotive Supplier practice for the US, co-heads the Global Battery Team within the Advanced Technology Center, and is part of the Industrials Global Management Team for the firm. Isaac is based in Chicago, and holds a BS in Industrial Engineering and Economics from Northwestern University and an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Steve Clemons is Founding Editor at Large of Semafor, a digital global news platform that launched in October 2022. He is also the immediate past Editor at Large of The Hill, where he is now a contributing editor. Before joining The Hill, Clemons served as Washington Editor at Large of The Atlantic and served in senior editorial roles at National Journal and Quartz. He is also proprietor of the popular political blog,The Washington Note, and is a frequent commenter on American politics and global affairs across the spectrum of news networks. Clemons founded and served as Senior Fellow of the American Strategy Program at the New America Foundation where he previously served as Executive Vice President. Prior to this, Clemons served as Executive Vice President of the Economic Strategy Institute, was Senior Economic & International Affairs Advisor to Senator Jeff Bingaman, and was the founding Executive Director of the Nixon Center, now renamed the Center for the National Interest. Clemons is also a Member of the Board of Directors of GLOBSEC, a European security think tank based in Slovakia and is a member of the Board of the C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the International Experience at Washington College.

General James T. Conway retired from active duty in 2010 after serving our nation for 40 years. Since then, he has joined and consulted for numerous corporate and non-profit boards, including Textron Inc., Colt Defense and General Dynamics. He also co-chairs the Energy Security Leadership Council (Securing America's Future Energy), a non-partisan energy policy think tank.

Prior to his retirement, General Conway served as the 34th Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps for four years. As Commandant, he served as the senior uniformed Marine responsible for the organization, training, and equipping of over 250,000 active duty, reserve, and civilian Marines throughout the United States and overseas, as well as the management of the $30-$40 billion annual Marine Corps budget.

As a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Conway functioned as a military advisor to the Secretary of Defense, the National Security Council, and the President.

Among his numerous leadership positions, General Conway served as Commanding General of 1st Marine Division, and he was the commander of I Marine Expeditionary Force during two combat tours in Iraq. He initially led the invasion of Iraq in 2003 with 90,000 troops under his command, including Marines, soldiers, sailors, and British forces.

General Conway is married to the former Annette Drury of Ste Genevieve, MO. They have three children and seven grandchildren.

Governor Roy Cooper is serving his second term as North Carolina’s 75th Governor. The Governor is a lifelong North Carolinian, born and raised in Nash County, where he attended public schools and worked summers on the family farm before earning undergraduate and law degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Throughout his career, Governor Cooper has worked to build a stronger North Carolina where everyone has an opportunity to live in safe communities and get a quality education, a good job and access to affordable health care.

As Governor, Cooper has announced tens of thousands of new jobs, fought to boost public education, tackled the opioid crisis, revitalized rural communities and made sure North Carolinians have the training to fill the jobs of today and tomorrow. Governor Cooper has taken strong executive and legislative action to fight climate change, make North Carolina a more inclusive place and help families with policies like paid parental leave. Governor Cooper negotiated and signed landmark energy legislation that requires North Carolina utilities to reduce power generation carbon emissions 70% by 2030 and to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

He has led the state with a steady hand throughout a series of unprecedented crises. After hurricanes devastated parts of North Carolina, Governor Cooper established the NC Office of Recovery and Resiliency and fought for resources to help North Carolina recover smarter and stronger. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Governor Cooper’s decisive action and steady leadership helped North Carolina endure with among the fewest COVID deaths and job losses per capita in the nation.

Governor Cooper appointed the most diverse cabinet in North Carolina history, making good on his commitment to ensure state government looks like the people it serves.

Before his election as Governor, Cooper served four terms as state Attorney General, where he oversaw a sharp decrease in crime and fought for consumers by advocating for lower utility rates and putting predatory lenders out of business.

Governor Cooper got his start in public service in the North Carolina State House and State Senate, where he served as Majority Leader. Before that, he practiced law for 18 years and managed his law firm. He and his wife Kristin raised three daughters in Rocky Mount. Cooper’s mother was a public school teacher, which helped instill his deep commitment to public education.

As the state emerges from the pandemic, people and businesses are flocking to North Carolina in record numbers. Governor Cooper is focused on ensuring that our people and communities have the tools to grow and thrive and that our state’s best days are ahead.

Bryce Crocker joined Jervois Global in 2017 and has drawn together a high calibre team of experts across the nickel and cobalt value chain.
The team has successfully transitioned the business from a single nickel cobalt mine development project in Australia to a global company with assets in three countries, supplying advanced manufactured cobalt chemical and powder products to the world’s premier battery, car and industrial manufacturers.

Mr Crocker has led the vertical diversification of Jervois with the acquisition of the United States’ largest cobalt resource, Latin America’s only class 1 nickel cobalt refinery and a world leading advanced cobalt manufacturing facility in Finland.

Prior to joining Jervois, Mr Crocker was with Xstrata plc for over a decade. Mr Crocker was a Director on the Xstrata Nickel Board and an Xstrata nominee Director to the Nickel Institute Board (the global body representing the industry).

Robbie Diamond is the Founder, President, and CEO of SAFE. SAFE enhances energy security and supports U.S. economic resurgence and resiliency, by advancing transformative transportation and mobility technologies while ensuring that the United States and allies secure key aspects of the technology supply chain.

Diamond is also the Founder, President, and CEO of the Electrification Coalition, SAFE’s sister organization, which works with consumers, businesses, and policymakers, to launch award-winning “real-world” programs and enable the needed polices to accelerate transportation electrification.

Chris is the founder, CEO and Director of E3 Lithium, listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV: ETL). He is an innovator and entrepreneur, an aviator and a founder of emerging ideas and technology. He is passionate about collaboration and progressing innovation. Chris has a broad range of experience in capital raising and M&A. At E3 Lithium, Chris emphasizes risk management, developing and managing an exceptional technical team and well-strategized project development; with a clear focus on creating and capturing value for shareholders. Chris has successfully led E3 Lithium from the foundation of a private company with a handful of permits to what is now a public company with a global scale lithium resource. Chris is a co-founder of the Battery Metals Association of Canada and the former Chair of the Canada ISO mirror committee for TC333 (lithium standards).

Previously, Chris was the CEO of Revere Development Corp and VP Exploration of MinQuest. He has held a variety of technical positions with mineral and oil and gas development companies including Avalon Minerals (AUS), Suncor, Petro-Canada, Meridian Minerals and NovaGold Corp.

The Honorable Francis R. Fannon was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate to serve as the inaugural Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources.

In serving as "America's Energy Diplomat," Frank led whole-of-government initiatives around the world to open markets and build resilient supply chains. By partnering with governments and companies, Frank and his team advanced major energy and infrastructure deals worth tens of billions of dollars.

Frank elevated global awareness that minerals and metals are foundational to a clean energy transition. He led efforts to help countries responsibly develop their mining sector and fostered more transparent metals markets. Frank established the multi-country Energy Resources Governance Initiative, which remains a centerpiece of America’s foreign policy and the foundation of the Minerals Security Partnership.

As Managing Director of BHP, Frank established the company’s U.S. Corporate Affairs function. He created and led a comprehensive strategy to support the company’s evolving footprint, expand its American shareholder base, and shape its climate change strategy. Before BHP, Frank led Government Affairs for Murphy Oil Corporation where he facilitated new country entry in multiple nations and managed crisis communications and stakeholder engagements.

Frank helped to shape American energy policy while serving in senior positions on Capitol Hill. As counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works, he drafted and negotiated key sections of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, including the hydraulic fracturing provisions that unleashed the shale revolution. Frank also served as counsel to Senators Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-CO) and Pete V. Domenici (R-NM).

Frank is currently Managing Director of Fannon Global Advisors, a premier strategic consultancy helping business leaders find opportunities in the energy transition and geopolitics. He is a frequent public speaker and commentator on the geopolitics of energy and has served on multiple mining, energy technology, and financial industry advisory boards. Frank is a non-resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council and a non-resident Senior Advisor at the Center for Strategic & International Studies.

Jose W. Fernandez was confirmed by the Senate as Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment on August 6, 2021. He leads the State Department’s bureaus and offices that stand at the center of the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts on climate change, clean energy, health, supply chain security, and other economic priorities. Under Secretary Fernandez is also the United States Alternate Governor to the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the Inter-American Development Bank. From 2009 to 2013, he served as the Assistant Secretary of State for Economic, Energy, and Business Affairs, one of the bureaus he now oversees. Prior to his most recent appointment at the Department of State, Under Secretary Fernandez was a partner at Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP in New York. His practice focused on mergers, acquisitions, and finance in Europe and emerging markets, advising U.S. and foreign clients in the telecommunications, energy, water, banking, and consumer industries. He was named one of the “World’s Leading Lawyers” by Chambers Global for his M&A and corporate work, a “Highly Regarded” practitioner by the International Financial Law Review, and one of the “World’s Leading Privatization Lawyers” by Euromoney Publications. He has been chair of the Inter-American law committees of both the American Bar Association and The Association of the Bar of the City of New York, as well as of the Cross-Border M&A and Joint Venture Committee of the New York State Bar Association. Most recently, Fernandez was an adjunct professor at Rutgers Law School, where he taught the course on international business transactions. A life-long supporter of the arts and education, Under Secretary Fernandez has served as a trustee of Dartmouth College and NPR-station WBGO-FM, and on the Board of Directors of Acción International, the Council of the Americas, Ballet Hispanico of New York, the Middle East Institute, and the Partnership for Inner City Education. He was the Transition Policy Director for then-Governor-Elect Phil Murphy of New Jersey in 2017, and a director of Iberdrola S.A. until assuming his current position. The Under Secretary graduated from Dartmouth College and received an honorary degree from the College. He earned a Juris Doctor from Columbia University School of Law, where he was awarded the Charles Evans Hughes Prize and a Parker School Certificate of International Law with honors.

Alex Fitzsimmons is Head of Government Affairs at Sila, a next-generation battery materials company. In this role, Alex leads Sila's global government relations and public policy initiatives. Prior to that, Alex was Senior Director at ClearPath, where he managed a broad clean energy portfolio focused on energy storage, renewable energy, advanced manufacturing, and critical minerals. From 2017-2020, Alex held senior roles at the U.S. Department of Energy, including Deputy Assistant Secretary in DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). In this position, Alex led investments in a $1.1 billion portfolio of research and development (R&D) to improve the energy security, productivity, and competitiveness of America's homes, businesses, and industries. Prior to that, Alex served as Chief of Staff to the EERE Assistant Secretary.

Adam Goldstein has served as Executive Chairman of KNNX Corp. (formerly DLT Global Inc.) since 2020. KNNX’s blockchain enabled software platform provides Walmart Canada (WMC) with the world’s largest deployment of distributed ledger technology in B2B commerce. By utilizing the KNNX platform, WMC achieves real time control over multiple aspects of its supply chain and virtually eliminates transportation invoice disputes with its carriers across freight, e-commerce and last mile deliveries.

Adam also serves as a Director of Tarana Wireless Solutions, which offers state of the art wireless solutions for delivering broadband to the home, and as an Advisory Board member of SustainableH2O, which offers a breakthrough technology for industrial scale water purification.

Adam retired as Vice Chairman in 2020 after a 32 year career with Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCL). From 2014-2018 Adam served as RCL’s President & COO. From 2007-2014 Adam was President & CEO of the Royal Caribbean International brand. From 2014-2021, Adam served two terms as Global Chairman of Cruise Lines International and one term as Chairman of the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association. During his career at RCL, Adam was recognized as one of the Marketing 100 and has been inducted into the Travel Industry Hall of Leaders and the International Maritime Hall of Fame.

Adam currently serves as co-Chair of the Energy Security Leadership Council, the advocacy arm of SAFE. He also serves on the Board of Directors of INSEAD.

Adam and his wife Cheryl have two adult children and reside in Coral Gables, Florida.

Lindsey Graham has earned a reputation as a conservative problem-solver and one of the strongest proponents of a robust national defense.

A frequent visitor to American troops stationed overseas for on-the-ground assessments, Graham has consistently pushed for outcomes in the War on Terror which protect our long-term national security interests. One leading conservative recently wrote that when it comes to defending America, "[Lindsey] Graham has been right about more things on foreign policy for longer than just about anyone…if anyone has bragging rights on foreign policy, it is Graham."

Graham is also a leader in cutting spending, reforming entitlements, and getting government out of the way so businesses can create jobs. One national conservative organization called him a Taxpayer Hero who puts "the interests of the taxpayer ahead of politics by consistently voting to cut wasteful spending, reduce the tax burden, and make government more accountable to taxpayers."

Graham was elected to the United States Senate in 2002 and was re-elected in 2008, 2014, and 2020. He became the first person in South Carolina history to garner over one million votes in the 2008 general election.

Graham currently serves as the Ranking Member on the Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Graham also serves as a member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senate Committee on the Budget, and Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.

Prior to serving in the Senate, Graham was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994 as the first Republican from the Third Congressional District of South Carolina since 1877.

Before being elected to Congress, Graham compiled a distinguished record in the United States Air Force as he logged six-and-a-half years of service on active duty as an Air Force lawyer. From 1984-1988, he was assigned overseas and served at Rhein-Main Air Force Base in Germany. Upon leaving active duty Air Force in 1989, Graham joined the South Carolina Air National Guard where he served until 1995. During the first Gulf War in the early 90's, Graham was called to active duty and served state-side at McEntire Air National Guard Base as Staff Judge Advocate where he prepared members for deployment to the Gulf region.

In 1995, Graham joined the U.S. Air Force Reserves. During American military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, Graham put his experience in military law to use pulling numerous short-term Reserve duties in both countries over congressional breaks and holidays.

Graham retired from the Air Force Reserves in June 2015 having served his country in uniform for 33 years. He retired at the rank of Colonel.

A native South Carolinian, Graham grew up in a blue collar family in the small town of Central where his parents ran a restaurant and pool hall. The first member of his family to go to college, Graham earned his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of South Carolina. He lives in Seneca and is a member of Corinth Baptist Church.

Jennifer M. Granholm was sworn in as the 16th Secretary of Energy on February 25, 2021.

Secretary Granholm is leading DOE's work to advance the cutting-edge clean energy technologies that will help America achieve President Biden’s goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 while creating millions of good-paying union clean energy jobs and building an equitable economy. Secretary Granholm is also overseeing DOE’s core missions of promoting American leadership in scientific discovery, maintaining the nuclear deterrent and reducing nuclear danger, and remediating the environmental harms caused by legacy defense programs.

Prior to her nomination as Secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granholm was elected Governor of Michigan, serving two terms from 2003 to 2011.
After two terms as governor, Jennifer Granholm joined the faculty of the University of California, Berkeley as a Distinguished Professor of Practice in the Goldman School of Public Policy, focusing on the intersection of law, clean energy, manufacturing, policy, and industry.

Secretary Granholm is an honors graduate of both the University of California, Berkeley and Harvard Law School. She and her husband, Daniel G. Mulhern, have three children.

Admiral Jonathan W. Greenert, U.S. Navy (Ret.) is a native of Butler, Pa. (Western Pa.).

He attended the U.S. Naval Academy, majored in Ocean Engineering, and was graduated and commissioned an Ensign in the U.S. Navy in June 1975. Admiral Greenert completed studies in nuclear engineering and entered the nuclear submarine force. Subsequently, he was certified to operate and supervise naval nuclear reactor systems. His service in submarines culminated in command of the submarine USS HONOLULU (SSN 718) in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

His Navy career has given him the opportunity to serve as: Commander, U.S. Forces Micronesia; Deputy Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet; Deputy Comptroller, Dept. of the Navy; Chief Financial Officer, U.S. Navy; Commander, U.S. Seventh Fleet (Asia-Pacific); Commander, U.S. Atlantic Fleet; Vice Chief of Naval Operations (Deputy CEO/COO); and Chief of Naval Operations (CEO, 2011-2015).

Admiral Greenert and his family have enjoyed living in many different locations including Japan (2), Guam, Hawaii (3), Seattle, San Diego and Washington, D.C (6).

He retired from military service in October 2015 and currently serves as a consultant, advisor, and member of corporate boards. He is a member of SAFE’s Energy Security Leadership Council (ESLC) and serves as its Co-Chair.

Chris Helsel is Senior Vice President, Global Operations and Chief Technology Officer of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company.

Mindful of the inflection point in mobility, Helsel and his team operate with duality, working to enhance Goodyear’s core tire product while innovating “beyond” tires to enable the evolution and future of movement.

Applying this segregated but synced approach, Helsel is responsible for a global network of tire technology, innovation, research and product development operations, focused on creating industry-leading solutions for consumer, commercial and off-the-road vehicles, in addition to aviation and racing.

With a devoted emphasis on improving a legacy invention, Helsel’s team has concentrated on developing a global portfolio of products bolstered by a record amount of technology releases.

This focus has delivered a diverse set of products customized to consumer and customer needs garnering respected, third-party validation while concurrently increasing productivity and reducing complexity.

Upon taking this role in 2017, one of Helsel’s initial decisions was to establish an office in Silicon Valley to take advantage of an epicenter of mobility with intent to co-disrupt with like-minded partners. That office has grown exponentially since and additional “innovation labs” have been established in other global locations.

Goodyear’s innovation team is focused on enhancing connectivity, safety and solutions with respect to intelligence in tires, new architectures such as non-pneumatic tires and maintenance-free tires aided by sealant.

Guided by the trends he defines as FACE (Fleets, Autonomous, Connected, Electric), Helsel has established a long-term vision to develop great products and services that respond to and anticipate customer and consumer needs.

Helsel serves on the Exascale Computing Project Industry Council and is a lead executive partner with Sandia National Labs. He recently served as a keynote speaker at the American Automotive Summit and the Tire Society Conference and has been interviewed by the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, USA Today and Business Insider.

He joined Goodyear in 1996 and has worked in computer modeling, tire design and tire technology. He has deep experience in Goodyear’s commercial tire business, including leading the retread business in North America. His Goodyear tenure includes a stint in Luxembourg where he led project management and technology development.
Helsel earned his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from Cleveland State University and his Master’s from the University of Akron in the same discipline. He lives in Medina, Ohio with his wife and has 3 children.

An avid reader, Helsel’s favorite business book is Playing to Win by Lafley and Martin and The Theodore Roosevelt Series by Edmund Morris is his top biography pick.

Amos J. Hochstein is Senior Advisor to the President of the United States for Energy & Investment. From Special Presidential Coordinator for Global Infrastructure and Energy Security. He previously served as the Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State for Global Energy Security. He began his tenure with the State Department in 2011, when he was appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Diplomacy. From 2014 to 2017 he served as Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs and led the Bureau of Energy Resources. Hochstein has served in a variety of roles in the private sector and Capitol Hill. He was the Senior Policy Advisor to the Foreign Affairs Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives and also worked as an advisor to Senators Chris Dodd (CT) and Mark Warner (VA). Throughout his career, he has been a counselor for domestic and international energy companies, assisting in assessing potential new markets, the development of alternative sources of power, and the best strategies to bring them to market. Hochstein has served on the board of the Atlantic Council and as a Non-resident Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center.

Henrik Holland is SVP, Global Head of Mobility at Prologis. In this role, Henrik spearheads Prologis’ entry into the nascent Mobility industry through a robust Electric Vehicle (EV) charging offering where Prologis is uniquely positioned to provide customers with leading solutions at depots and hubs, in addition to workplace and OnDemand charging.

Before joining Prologis in July of 2021, Henrik was the Chief Operating Officer at Shell Greenlots, responsible for the company’s ongoing operations, project engineering, delivery, and end-to-end customer support. Greenlots provides end-to-end software and turnkey project solutions to a wide variety
of customers in the electric mobility space.

During his 18 years at Shell, Henrik has held a variety of commercial and operational roles. Prior to his role as COO at Greenlots, he spearheaded the Electric Mobility Corporate Development activities for Shell New Energies and led the acquisition of Greenlots.

He was the founder of Shell’s Connected Energy group serving as its Business Development and Products lead, developing a pipeline with more than 100MW of customer-sited distributed energy projects. Henrik started his career in New Energies in Venture Capital, by leading Shell Ventures’ efforts in cleantech investing in 2013.

Henrik serves on the Electric Vehicle Working Group, a federal advisory committee formed by the U.S. Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, as well as the Investor Advisory Board at NYSERDA and is a Techstars startup mentor. He has held positions at the Northeast Clean Energy Council, Greentown Labs, and Massachusetts Clean Energy Center.

Henrik holds a master’s degree in Electrical Engineering and Business Administration and is a Lean Six Sigma certified Black Belt.

Michelle J. Howard served 35 years in the United States Navy. She led Sailors and Marines multiple times in her career as the Commander of: a ship, an Expeditionary Strike Group, Task Force, and a Naval theater. Her last command was from 2016 to 2017 as U.S. Naval Forces Europe and U.S. Naval Forces Africa. She simultaneously led NATO’s Allied Joint Force Command Naples with oversight of missions from the Western Balkans to Iraq. Operations in her career include: NATO peacekeeping, West African Training Cruise, Indonesia Tsunami Relief operations, and the rescue of Maersk Alabama from Somali Pirates. Michelle J. Howard is a Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran.
In 1999 Michelle J. Howard became the first African-American woman to command a ship in the Navy. In 2014, she was the first woman to become a four-star Admiral in the U.S. Navy and the first woman to be appointed to the position of Vice Chief of Naval Operations (number two in a Military Service). She is the first African American woman to reach the rank of three-star and four-stars in the Armed Forces.

In April 2023 Abigail Hunter became Director of International Affairs and Partnerships, a new position within the SAFE Center for Critical Mineral Strategy. Previously, Hunter led federal government affairs for nearly three years as the senior attaché in Washington, D.C., for Quebec, Canada’s most mineral-rich province. In Hunter’s new role she will sustain existing SAFE partnerships and develop new ones to reduce – in a sustainable and ethical way – the free world’s critical mineral dependencies on the People’s Republic of China and other Foreign Entities of Concern. Hunter’s association with SAFE began as a student fellow in October 2022, when she began providing writing and research support to the SAFE Center for Strategic Industrial Materials, leading to C-SIM’s seminal report on aluminum supply challenges published in February.

Paul Jacobson joined General Motors as executive vice president and chief financial officer in December 2020.

Prior to joining GM, Jacobson served as CFO of Delta Air Lines, Inc., a company he helped transform into one of Fortune magazine's Top 50 Most Admired Companies for six consecutive years. He was named the airline industry’s best CFO eight times by Institutional Investor magazine’s poll of Wall Street analysts and investors.

Jacobson graduated from Auburn University with a bachelor’s degree in aviation management and later received a Master of Business Administration from Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management.

He serves on the board of trustees for the Auburn University Foundation, The Harbert College of Business Advisory Council at Auburn and The Owen Graduate School of Management Board of Visitors at Vanderbilt.

Iti Jain is a Vice President with Siemens Financial Services based in New York. Iti leads Siemens’ investments in the batteries, e-Mobility, energy transition and sustainability sectors. Iti is a mission-driven investor, with a belief that our capital can truly transform people’s lives for better. She led Siemens investment in Electrify America and is instrumental in creation and growth of Calibrant Energy, offering as-a-service solutions to help customers realized their unique energy transition vision.

Iti has over 12 years of experience in structuring and executing transactions and represents Siemens on the board of portfolio companies. Iti has worked in various countries including India, Germany, Denmark and the US. She is a certified Chartered Accountant and has received an MBA from INSEAD.

As CEO of Circulor, Doug has 25 years international experience as an Executive and Non-Executive Director, operating in TMT, Financial Services, IT and Management Consultancy sectors. Doug founded Circulor and has led its growth from the initial idea to its current position as a trusted partner of some of the largest manufacturing brands globally. His vision for traceability has led the creation of a new industry.
 
His leadership experience spans roles in large corporates (Barclays, BT, Serco, AIMIA), scale-ups (Cadence, ISD) and start-ups (Circulor, Snapdragon).
 
He has broad functional experience with consistent themes being innovation (both new product and to drive transformation), delivering growth and regulation.

Dr. Elsie S. Kanza is Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary for the Embassy of the United Republic of Tanzania to the United States of America and Mexico. Prior to taking on this role, she served as a member of the World Economic Forum's (WEF) Executive Committee and Special Adviser to its President. From 2011 to 2020, as Head of the WEF's regional agenda on Africa she led numerous public-private collaboration initiatives to solve complex systemic challenges related to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and African Union Agenda 2063. From 2006 to 2011, Ambassador Kanza served as economic advisor to the President of Tanzania. Between 1997 and 2006, she worked in various capacities in Tanzania's finance ministry and its central bank.

Ambassador Kanza has been recognized for her achievements in advancing economic development. In 2008, she became an Archbishop Tutu Leadership Fellow, and in 2011 a WEF Young Global Leader. In 2020, she was nominated as a Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow by the Robert Bosch Academy and the magazine Forbes Africa listed her as one of Africa's 50 most powerful women. She has served on various boards, including those of the African Leadership Institute - South Africa, Mercy Corps Europe, The Nature Conservancy Africa Council, and the Uongozi Institute.

In 2015, Ambassador Kanza was awarded a Doctorate of Business Administration (honoris causa) from the University of Strathclyde for her role in driving transformative impact in Africa. She also holds a MA in Development Economics from the Center for Development Economics - Williams College; a MSc in Finance from the University of Strathclyde; and a BSc (cum laude) in International Business Administration from the United States International University - Africa.

Scott Keogh began his career in 1995 as general manager of marketing communications for Mercedes-Benz USA. A decade later, Scott joined the Volkswagen Group in 2006 as chief marketing officer at Audi of America where he led the revival of the Audi brand with innovative marketing tactics that led to record awareness and brand strength. In 2012, he was appointed president, building on the momentum to help reach record customer satisfaction levels and double sales from 2010 to 2015.

In 2018, Scott was appointed president and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America and head of the Volkswagen Brand in North America. He led the company’s return to profitability for the first time in years, helping dealers realize substantial profit growth while navigating COVID-19 and supply chain challenges. He was key in implementing the Group’s electric mobility push and instrumental in bringing the VW ID.4, ID. Buzz and Audi e-tron to market in North America.

In 2022, Scott departed Volkswagen Group of America to assume the role of president and chief executive officer of Scout Motors where he leads the company’s efforts to revitalize an American icon and return manufacturing jobs to American shores. Scout Motors was formed to craft all-electric trucks and rugged SUVs rooted in the same tradition that made the original Scout a legend. Vehicle production is targeted to begin at the Scout Motors Production Center near Columbia, South Carolina, by the end of 2026, with the first retail sales occurring soon thereafter.

Scott is a native of Old Brookville, New York. He lives in McLean, Virginia, with his wife and three children.

Gabe Klein is the executive director of the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation. Previously, he served as the Department of Transportation commissioner in Chicago and director in Washington, D.C., where he revamped technology platforms and government processes while focusing on putting people (versus cars) first on city streets. This included launching two of the first and largest solar-powered bikeshare systems in the country and building protected bike lanes and better pedestrian infrastructure for vulnerable citizens citywide, as well as facilitating private services like carshares and rideshares to support city mobility goals.

He honed his creativity and leadership skills working in business, as vice president at Zipcar and national director of stores at Bikes USA. He also co- founded CityFi, a consulting firm to help city leaders, chief executive officers, and others understand the complexities of 21st century challenges, facilitate people- centric solutions, and use new models and technology-based tools to deliver optimized results. Clients ranged from foreign governments to cities, states, start-ups, and publicly traded companies.

In 2015, he published Start-Up City: Inspiring Private and Public Entrepreneurship, Getting Projects Done, and Having Fun. The book focuses on revamping how we innovate in cities and rethinking public-private partnerships as technology shapes a dramatically different future. He received a bachelor’s degree in marketing management from Virginia Tech’s Pamplin College of Business and an executive certificate in transportation/mobility management from The Wharton School. He also served on the 2020 Biden-Harris Agency Review Team for the U.S. Department of Transportation with a focus on innovation, including transportation electrification, and program delivery.

As the former Minister for Foreign Affairs of Denmark (2019-2023), a Member of the European Parliament (2014-2019), and a Member of the Danish Parliament (first elected in 1998), Jeppe Kofod brings over 25 years of extensive experience in international, EU, and national politics.

His professional journey encompasses top-level government roles, leadership positions in the European Parliament and the Danish Parliament, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.

He holds a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government (2007). He was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship (2006-2007) and was a Marshall Memorial Fellow (2004).

He is honored to hold the Order of Merit (1st class) of Ukraine, granted personally to him by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in September 2022. This recognition signifies his longstanding support for Ukraine against Russian invasions and aggression.

In May 2023, Jeppe Kofod established his own consultancy company (Kofod Global) and subsequently resigned from the Danish Parliament.

In December 2023, he was part of forming the European Initiative for Energy Security with SAFE and serves on the European Energy Leadership Council

Jeppe Kofod's expertise includes foreign affairs, geopolitics, national security, trade policy, the green transition, renewable energy, life sciences, innovative technologies, and business development.

Steve Kosowski is Manager, Long Range Strategy & Planning at Kia North America (KNA). Steve’s responsibilities are mainly focused on EV product planning and portfolio strategy, EV infrastructure, and pre-sale regulatory compliance, including ZEV (Zero Emissions Vehicles) compliance, but also some CAFÉ and GHG matters.

Steve joined Kia in November 2005 and brings 30+ years of automotive strategy experience to KNA. He joined Kia from Nissan North America, and also worked for Honda and Mitsubishi Motors in product planning and market research departments.

Steve has worked on numerous of vehicle programs and strategies at Kia, most recently the EV6, and also helped define and implement Kia’s U.S. electric vehicle strategy and related peripheral elements.

Steve is originally from Chicago, Illinois. He earned his Bachelor of Business Administration at Northwood University in Midland, MI, and a Master of Business Administration from California State University, Long Beach. Steve’s career in the automotive industry stems from his passion for automobiles and interest in the industry. Steve resides in Orange County, where he enjoys spending time with his wife, cycling (MTB, and road), reading, and travelling from time-to-time.

On February 9, 2022, the U.S. Senate confirmed Reta Jo Lewis as EXIM’s President and Chair of the Board of Directors. Chair Lewis was sworn in by Vice President of the United States Kamala Harris on February 16, 2022. Ms. Lewis is a senior executive with over 25 years of leadership experience in international affairs, legal, public policy, business and regulatory affairs, and subnational diplomacy.

Ms. Lewis was most recently a Senior Fellow and Director of Congressional Affairs at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. At GMF, Ms. Lewis led and oversaw initiatives, programs, and bipartisan exchanges for members of the U.S. Congress and their European counterparts, focusing on leadership development and subnational diplomacy efforts. Prior to her time at GMF, she served as the first-ever Special Representative for Global Intergovernmental Affairs under Secretary Hillary Clinton at the U.S. Department of State during the Obama-Biden Administration. As Special Representative, Lewis was the chief diplomat in charge of the international efforts to build and support strategic relationships between the federal government, state and local leaders, and their foreign counterparts. In 2013, she was awarded the Secretary’s Distinguished Service Award.

Ms. Lewis was the first Black woman to serve as Vice President and Counselor to the President at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. She led the Chamber’s initiatives focused on fostering strategic alliances between small businesses, especially women- and minority-owned businesses, entrepreneurs, and executives. She is a Life Member of the Council on Foreign Relations and former Member of the Board of the Leadership Council for Women in National Security. Ms. Lewis received a J.D. from Emory University School of Law, an M.S.A.J. from American University, and a B.A. from the University of Georgia. She is a native of Statesboro, Georgia.

Michael W. Lodge is a British national. He received his LLB from the University of East Anglia, and has an MSc in marine policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He is a barrister of Gray’s Inn, London. Prior to his election as Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority in July 2016, he had served as Deputy to the Secretary- General and Legal Counsel. Other professional experiences include serving as Legal Counsel to the ISA (1996-2003); Counsellor to the Round Table on Sustainable Development, OECD (2004-2007); Legal Counsel to the South Pacific Forum Fisheries Agency (1991-1995). He has also held appointments as a Visiting Fellow of Somerville College, Oxford (2012-2013), an Associate Fellow of Chatham House, London (2007) and a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Oceans (2011-2016).

With 28 years of experience as a public international lawyer, Michael Lodge has a strong background in the field of law of the sea as well as ten years’ judicial experience in the UK and South Pacific. He spent many years living and working in the South Pacific and was one of the lead negotiators for the South Pacific Island States of the 1995 UN Fish Stocks Agreement. He has also worked as a consultant on fisheries, environmental and international law in Europe, Asia, Eastern Europe, the South Pacific and Africa.

With extensive knowledge of the United Nations and other international organisations, Michael Lodge has facilitated high-level multilateral and bilateral negotiations at international and regional level. His significant achievements include his pivotal role in the ISA from its inception in 1996 and in helping to create and implement the first international regulatory regime for seabed mining. He also contributed to the future security of global fish stocks by leading the process to create the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission from concept to its establishment as the largest regional fisheries management organization in the world, also serving as the interim executive director of the Commission. He was instrumental in advising the Pew Charitable Trusts on their support for the Global Ocean Commission and also acted as an adviser to the Commission on international law of the sea and ocean policy. Mr Lodge has published and lectured extensively on the international law of the sea, with over 25 published books and articles on law of the sea, oceans policy and related issues. Mr Lodge has been reelected as Secretary-General of the members of the Authority in December 2020.

Helaina R. Matza is the Acting Special Coordinator for the Partnership on Global Infrastructure Investment (PGI), U.S. Department of State. Matza has most recently served as the Director of Energy Transformation in the Bureau of Energy Resources at the Department of State. In this role she led strategic engagement on clean energy and power sector issues, including the Department’s multilateral effort focused on securing clean energy supply chains. Helaina previously served as Director of Climate Diplomacy and Energy Transformation at the National Security Council in the White House. Helaina has spent the past 11 years at the Department of State developing and managing multi-million-dollar innovative initiatives related to energy, climate change and environmental issues. She has served in a diverse set of roles, including as a lead sustainability advisor developing the Department’s global air quality monitoring program, leading several Bureau of Energy Resources’ policy priorities overseas, and as a lead negotiator on the U.S. delegation at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Before joining the Department of State, she held positions focused on philanthropic engagement and trade promotion. Helaina holds an M.P.A. focused on global energy management and a B.A. in International Affairs, both from The George Washington University.

Governor Henry Dargan McMaster, a longtime public servant of South Carolina, was born May 27, 1947, in Columbia, South Carolina. He received a bachelor's degree in history from the University of South Carolina in 1969 and as an undergraduate was a member of Kappa Alpha Order and the South Carolina Student Legislature.

In 1973, he graduated from the University of South Carolina School of Law, where he was on the editorial board of the South Carolina Law Review. Later that year, he was admitted to the Richland County Bar Association. He also served in the U.S. Army Reserves, receiving an honorable discharge in 1975.

Upon graduation from law school, he was a legislative assistant to U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond in Washington, D.C., and joined the law firm of Tompkins and McMaster in 1974. He was later admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court, U.S. Court of Claims, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, and the Supreme Court of the United States. Governor McMaster practiced law for over 40 years, as a federal and state prosecutor and in private practice in both state and federal courts.

Governor McMaster was the first U.S. attorney appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1981, and his "Operation Jackpot" investigation into international drug smuggling resulted in more than 100 convictions.

In 1991, he was appointed to the state Commission on Higher Education and joined the Board of Directors of the nonprofit South Carolina Policy Council where he also served as chair. He chaired the state Republican Party from 1993 to 2002. He was elected attorney general of South Carolina in 2002 and reelected in 2006.

As attorney general, Governor McMaster made prosecution of criminal domestic violence a priority and led a crackdown on child internet predators. He extended the South Carolina grand jury's jurisdiction to environmental and gang crimes and broadened its authority to include securities crimes.
Following service on the South Carolina Ports Authority Board of Directors, he was elected lieutenant governor in 2014. As lieutenant governor, he led efforts to protect our state’s growing senior citizen population with social, economic, and health support services, which earned national recognition from AARP.

McMaster was sworn in as governor in January 2017 following then - Governor Nikki Haley’s appointment as United States Ambassador to the United Nations. He was elected to a full term as governor in November 2018 and re-elected in November 2022.

Governor McMaster has led a strong and vibrant South Carolina economy, announcing more than 83,000 new jobs and over $34 billion in new capital investment in the state. Under his leadership, the state has made transformative investments in the classroom by expanding full day four-year-old kindergarten, raising K-12 teacher pay, and placing a school resource officer in every school. Colleges and universities are becoming more accessible and affordable due to the governor’s tuition freeze and by his doubling of funding for needs-based financial aid for in-state students.

He has cut taxes on our state’s small businesses by $317 million and has returned over $1 billion dollars to the taxpayers. The governor has kept the commitment to our state’s military veterans, first responders, law enforcement, firefighters, and peace officers – through pay increases, retention bonuses, and exemptions on retirement income exemption. The governor’s limited, measured, and temporary COVID-19 actions – coupled with freezing all new state government spending during the pandemic – allowed South Carolina’s economy not only to survive, but to actually thrive and generate record surpluses.

Governor McMaster served on the Palmetto Health Foundation Board and is the recipient of the Order of the Palmetto, the state's highest civilian honor awarded to citizens of South Carolina for extraordinary lifetime service and achievements of national and statewide significance. He was previously named Public Servant of the Year by the Sierra Club and National Law Enforcement Officer of the Year by the Humane Society of the United States.

Governor McMaster and his wife, Peggy, have two adult children and two grandchildren.

Brian Menell is a British/South African businessman with over 25 years’ experience funding, developing and managing mining, energy, trading and agri-industry projects across Africa, Europe and the Americas.

He is the Chairman & CEO of TechMet Limited, a leading metals investment company with a portfolio of assets that responsibly produce, process, and recycle the metals that are critical to building the global energy transition.

TechMet’s portfolio of assets includes lithium extraction from both brine and hard rock sources, nickel and cobalt hydroxide production from laterite ores, vanadium chemical production from industrial waste feedstocks, rare earth production and processing, tin and tungsten mining, lithium-ion battery recycling, and high-performance cathode manufacturing. Brian serves as a Director of a number of TechMet’s investee companies, including: Trinity Metals Ltd., US Vanadium LLC, Brazilian Nickel Ltd. and TechMet-Mercuria AG.

Brian Menell is a member of the Wilson Center Global Advisory Council, a member of the RUSI’s National Security and Net Zero Transition Advisory Board, and serves on the US State Department Clean Energy Resources Advisory Committee (CERAC).

Dan Neil is the Pulitzer Prize-winning automotive critic and columnist for The Wall Street Journal and a passionate advocate for electric mobility. A native of North Carolina, Mr. Neil earned a BA in English at East Carolina University and MA in English Literature from N.C. State University (1986). Before joining the WSJ in 2010, Mr. Neil was the automotive columnist for the The Los Angeles Times and a senior editor at Car and Driver. In 2016 he was awarded the AltCar Disruptor Award for "jump-starting the auto industry with the power of prose." His hobbies include physics and math.

Jovita Neliupšienė became the Ambassador of the European Union to the United States on January 1, 2024. Before that, she was a Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania from September 2022, where she was responsible for the coordination of European Affairs, European bilateral and regional issues, as well as national sanctions coordinator.

From 2020-2022, she was Vice Minister of Economy and Innovation of Lithuania, tasked with investment and export promotion, international cooperation, including policy coordination of state-owned enterprises, as well as chairing the interagency commission for export control.

In 2020, she held the post of Chancellor and State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania. This position included responsibility for staff coordination, legal and consular affairs. Between 2015-2020, she served as Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Lithuania to the EU. These years were marked by the migration crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic.

From 2009-2015, she worked as an advisor and chief foreign policy advisor to the President of the Republic of Lithuania Ms. Dalia Grybauskaite. She was responsible for foreign policy coordination, inter-institutional relations, as well as the role of sherpa/EU advisor, and in this respect took a leading position in preparing and coordinating the Lithuanian presidency of the EU Council in 2013. In 2014, she was awarded the State Decoration Order "For Merit to Lithuania" Commander's Cross.

Mary Nichols served as Chair of the California Air Resources Board (CARB) from 2007 through 2020. She also served as Chair from 1979-1983. As CARB Chair, Nichols was the chief air quality policy spokesperson for the state and led a board of 16 members appointed by the Governor and approximately 1,700 professional staff including scientists, engineers, and regulatory experts. She oversaw the development and implementation of multiple globally recognized programs to cut air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions in ways that create jobs and support economic growth. These programs include California’s trailblazing diesel truck rules to cut harmful PM and NOx emissions; multiple sets of emissions standards for cleaner light, medium and heavy-duty vehicles; the most comprehensive economy-wide cap-and-trade program in the world; a Low Carbon Fuel Standard that has spawned a whole new generation of cleaner, low and zero carbon fuels; a comprehensive set of programs to cut methane and other short-lived climate pollutants; and a first-of-its-kind statewide Community Air Protection Program to slash pollution in the most impacted communities across the state.

While at CARB, Nichols led multiple efforts on behalf of California to collaborate with other states, the US federal government, and other countries and provinces to develop joint solutions to address climate change, including California’s joint effort with the US government to develop historic federal GHG standards for vehicles during the Obama Administration.

In addition to her tenure at CARB, from 1997-2003, she served as the California Secretary for the Natural Resources Agency, where she was responsible for the State’s activities relating to the management, preservation, and enhancement of its natural resources, and for the oversight of the state’s scenic, cultural, and recreational resources. From 1993-1997, Nichols served as Assistant Administrator of Air and Radiation for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under President Bill Clinton.

After law school, she worked as an attorney for the Center for Law in the Public Interest in Los Angeles from 1971-1974, where she brought cases on behalf of environmental and public health organizations to enforce state and federal clean air legislation. While there, she brought the first litigation under the then-recently-passed U.S. Clean Air Act.

Nichols has devoted her entire career in public and nonprofit service to protecting public health and the environment. Nichols received her B.A. from Cornell University and her J.D. from Yale Law School. She was one of the first female journalists hired by The Wall Street Journal.

With 19 years’ experience in the energy, transportation and logistics industries, Chris Nordh’s work focuses on advanced clean energy e-mobility technologies and the enabling people, structures and systems to support large scale commercial operators. In his current role at ABB E-Mobility, Chris leads the North American organization to expand upon strong products and services, guiding customers through the complex electrification transition process, focusing on large scale commercial e-depot enablement and efficient, cost affective operation. He previously worked as Vice President of Commercial Development at Workhorse Group Inc. developing maintenance, service, digital and fleet-as-a-service solutions for the last mile delivery industry. Before Workhorse, Chris spent 15 years at Ryder System Inc. (R - NYSE) in a number of leadership positions focused on developing alternative fuel vehicle leasing solutions, building up one of the largest fleets of advanced technology vehicles in North America.

Chris received his MBA in Management Science and Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Miami.

Keith Norman is the Chief Sustainability Officer of Lyten, a supermaterial applications company using materials innovation to profitably decarbonize the hardest to abate sectors on the planet. Lyten’s first product, the Lithium-Sulfur battery, targets mass market electrification of the mobility sector. He spent more than 20 years in the Energy industry and was formerly the Global Head of Safety, Health, and Environment for ExxonMobil Upstream. Keith led energy technology partnerships at Amazon Web Services and he is an active early stage investor in energy and cleantech startups.

Alejandra Nunez is the Deputy Assistant Administrator for Mobile Sources, Office of Air and Radiation at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Ale’s work at EPA focuses on reducing pollution from the transportation sector, including overseeing the development of emissions standards for light- and heavy-duty vehicles, implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Clean School Bus Program, implementation of the Renewable Fuels Standard Program, and the integration of environmental justice in climate policy. Prior to being appointed to her current position at the EPA, she served as a senior attorney at the Sierra Club’s Environmental Law Program, where her work focused on litigation and regulatory advocacy on federal climate regulations. Before the Sierra Club, Deputy Assistant Administrator Nunez worked as associate counsel at the World Bank’s Legal Vice Presidency, advising on public-private partnerships in the energy and water infrastructure sectors. She was also an associate at Morrison & Foerster, representing clients on public trust issues, carbon sequestration projects, and conservation easements, and she taught a seminar on Advanced Energy Law at the Washington College of Law at the American University in Washington, D.C. Deputy Assistant Administrator Nunez holds Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) and Masters of Law (LL.M.) degrees from Harvard Law School, and a law degree (LL.B.) from the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México. During her studies, she interned at UNESCO’s World Water Assessment Programme and was also a research fellow at Stanford University’s Program on Energy and Sustainable Development.

Morgan D. Ortagus has two decades of experience in global affairs, diplomacy, defense, and international finance. She is founder of POLARIS National Security and the host of “The Morgan Ortagus Show” on Sirius XM, a weekly Sunday show dedicated to American foreign policy and national security. She is also an active U.S. Navy Reserve Officer and venture capital investor. From 2019 to 2021, she served at the Department of State as the Spokesperson for the United States of America.

Morgan founded POLARIS to educate congressional candidates and the public about the need for strong national security policies that keep Americans safe. In 2023, Morgan hosted national security events in New Hampshire where she interviewed presidential candidates: Mike Pence, Nikki Haley, and Doug Burgum. Prior to the 2022 midterm elections, she led a five-state tour, hosting national security panels with local leaders, U.S. senators and congressmen, former cabinet secretaries, and intelligence officials.

Morgan founded POLARIS to educate congressional candidates and the public about the need for strong national security policies that keep Americans safe. In 2023, Morgan hosted national security events in New Hampshire where she interviewed presidential candidates: Mike Pence, Nikki Haley, and Doug Burgum. Prior to the 2022 midterm elections, she led a five-state tour, hosting national security panels with local leaders, U.S. senators and congressmen, former cabinet secretaries, and intelligence officials.

At the State Department, she worked closely with the White House on the historic Abraham Accords that brought the first ever peace deals between Israel and UAE, Bahrain, and Sudan. Traveling with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to more than 50 nations, she coordinated messaging campaigns and responses to sensitive and high-profile foreign policy actions, from hostage negotiations to the U.S. campaign against Huawei’s 5G expansion in the West. She led U.S. government efforts to push back against sophisticated Chinese, Russian, and Iranian malign influence campaigns, and was instrumental in the United States’ determination of the Chinese government’s genocide against the Uyghurs.

Morgan began her government service as a public affairs officer at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), where in 2007 she spent several months in Baghdad, Iraq. During the Obama Administration, she was an intelligence analyst at the U.S. Treasury in the Office of Intelligence and Analysis and from 2010-2011, was the deputy U.S. Treasury Attaché in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Morgan was the principal liaison from the U.S. Treasury to the financial sector in the Kingdom. Morgan also served as a national security contributor for Fox News, and she continues to appear regularly to provide analysis for top shows like: Special Report, Fox News Sunday, and Outnumbered.

Morgan serves in advisory roles for a range of organizations that align with her passions – including on the Advisory Council of the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue University, on the Advisory Board of the Vandenberg Coalition, as a senior advisor to Concordia, as a member of the Nixon Seminar on Conservative Realism and National Security at The Richard Nixon Foundation, as the secretary of the 21st Century Policy Institute, and as a board member of Aerial Recovery Group and the Bastion Institute. Morgan graduated with a bachelor's degree in Political Science from Florida Southern College, and she earned a dual Master of Arts in Government/Master of Business Administration from the Johns Hopkins University in 2013. Morgan and her husband, Jonathan, live with their daughter, Adina, in Nashville, Tennessee.

Neha Palmer is the CEO and co-founder of Terawatt Infrastructure, a company that’s focused on scaling commercial EV charging infrastructure across the U.S. Neha previously served at the Head of Energy Strategy at Google where she led the development of electric infrastructure and electricity procurement for the global data center fleet, helping to make Google the first company of its size to achieve 100% renewable energy for operations. Previously, Neha held leadership roles at Pacific Gas and Electric, and worked as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs. Neha holds an MBA in Finance from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and a B.S. in Civil Engineering from California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo.

Duncan joined Hydro several years ago as an analyst and has served with Hydro in a variety of positions. These include a tenure in Oslo managing the commercial activities associated with Hydro’s joint ventures in Qatar and Slovakia, and as the Head of Strategy and Business Development for North America in Hydro’s Aluminium Metal business unit, charged with growing Hydro’s investments in recycling and aluminum manufacturing in North America. In his current position, Duncan now leads that business unit and additionally has responsibility for Aluminium Metal’s commercial activities in Central and South America. Prior to joining Hydro, Duncan served as an Assistant Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Virginia where he represented the Commonwealth in environmental enforcement actions, real estate transactions, and other regulatory matters. Duncan also worked for several years as an attorney in Kentucky and served as a clerk for the Hon. Thomas B. Russell of the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. Duncan received degrees from Centre College (BA), Washington and Lee University School of Law (JD, magna cum laude, Order of the Coif), and University of Richmond (MBA).

Jonathan Price was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Teck on November 1, 2023, and has been a member of Teck’s Board of Directors since July 26, 2022.
Previously, Mr. Price was Chief Executive Officer, having been appointed to that role in September 2022. He has also held the roles of Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Price joined Teck in October 2020 and brings extensive experience in the resources sector through a variety of finance, commercial and business development roles spanning Europe, Asia and Australia, with a focus on strategy, transformational change and business improvement.
Prior to joining Teck, Mr. Price was employed by BHP from 2006 to 2020 where he was Chief Transformation Officer, Vice President Finance and Vice President Investor Relations working in Asia, Australia and the UK. He has also worked in the Metals and Mining team at ABN AMRO Bank and held various production and technical roles with INCO.
Mr. Price holds a Master of Engineering (Honours) in Metallurgy and Materials Science from the University of Oxford and a Master of Business Administration from Cardiff University.

Ben Prochazka has been with the Electrification Coalition since 2013, serving as its executive director since 2021. At the EC, he founded and created one of the nation’s first deployment communities in Northern Colorado and replicated it in New York, created the nation’s first electric rental car program in Orlando, led the Smart City Challenge as the lead implementation partner with the USDOT, helped create the nation’s first EV purchasing collaborative, and served as one of the technical leads for the American Cities Climate Challenge. He has testified at the local, state, and federal levels, been quoted in major publications, and spoken at many conferences on issues related to transportation electrification. He also increased the EC’s annual budget from $1 million to $5 million and increased the staff from one person to over 30 people.

As a successful leader with a demonstrated ability to deliver mission-critical results, Ben has spent over 25 years working on environmental, human rights, and voter engagement efforts. His experience includes leadership roles as Vice President at FieldWorks, the Campaign Director for the Save Darfur Coalition, the Legislative Director for the Colorado Environmental Coalition, the Colorado State Director for the New Voters Project, and numerous public interest campaign efforts as the Western States Field Organizer for U.S.PIRG. 

Prior to working at the Electrification Coalition, Ben served as Vice President at FieldWorks, a national political consulting firm. During his time at FieldWorks, he led projects for a diverse group of corporate, non-profit, academic, and political clients. This included programs with SolarCity, the Environmental Defense Action Fund, and a joint pilot with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of California at Berkeley – Haas School of Business – to test encouragement models for federally funded low income weatherization. 

Before joining FieldWorks, Ben served as the lobbyist for the Colorado Environmental Coalition (CEC), a statewide group that represents over 100 environmental, public health, and religious organizations. As a lobbyist, Ben was responsible for coordinating the development and implementation of the conservation community agenda at the legislature. During his two years with the CEC, the conservation community passed over 100 “pro-conservation” bills, including several first-in-the-nation efforts.  

Adept at creating strategic alliances, Ben also directed successful field and fundraising programs for national campaigns on behalf of The Genocide Prevention Project, the Human Rights Campaign, Dream for Darfur, and many other national organizations. Ben also led numerous large-scale rallies, grassroots advocacy campaigns, volunteer activities, and visibility events involving as many as 100,000 people. 

The Rt Hon Dominic Raab has joined Appian as Senior Strategic Advisor, Global Affairs. He will provide strategic advice and support on Appian’s international engagement activities, primarily with government or government affiliated institutions and initiatives, most importantly around the topic of critical minerals.

Mr Raab is a former Deputy Prime Minister for the British Government serving in this position under both Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak.

Mr Raab started his career as an international lawyer at Linklaters, a law firm in the City, working on project finance, international litigation and competition law. He also spent time on secondments at Liberty (the human rights NGO) and in Brussels advising on EU and WTO law.

In 2000, Mr Raab joined the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO). He advised on a wide range of briefs, including UK investor protection, maritime issues, counter-proliferation and counter-terrorism, the UK overseas territories and the international law of outer space. He headed up a team focused on bringing war criminals to justice and also advised on the Arab-Israeli conflict, EU law and Gibraltar.
Mr Raab left the FCO in 2006 and worked for three years as Chief of Staff to respective Shadow Home and Justice Secretaries, advising in the House of Commons on crime, policing, immigration, counter-terrorism, human rights and constitutional reform.

In 2010, Mr Raab was elected to the UK House of Commons as the Member of Parliament for Esher and Walton. In 2015 Mr Raab was appointed Minister for Human Rights in David Cameron’s government. In 2017, Mr Raab was appointed Minister of State for Justice in Theresa May’s government. In January 2018, Mr Raab was made Minister of State for Housing. In July, he was appointed Brexit Secretary. In July 2019, Mr Raab was appointed Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, and made First Secretary of State under the new Prime Minister, Boris Johnson. In September 2020, the FCO merged with the Department for International Development, with Mr Raab becoming the Secretary of State for the new Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. In September 2021, Mr Raab was appointed as Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice under Prime Minister Boris Johnson until September 2022. He was re-appointed as Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in October 2022, serving in this position until April 2023.

Chris Reinbold is the current President of the Mining Products Business Line of FLSmidth and member of the company executive management. He joined the company in October 2020 and is responsible for the Capital products that FLSmidth provides primarily to the mining industry. The Products Business Line pro-vides mine and process engineering consulting, capital product design and execution including a full flow-sheet offering of mineral processing solutions from primary crushing to tailings management including overland conveying.

Chris previously held various managerial positions at ABB from 1989-2020 including Group Vice President, Global Product Group Manager; Region Division Manager, Southeast Asia; Senior Vice President, Head of US Power Sales; Senior Vice President, HV Products North America.

Chris, who was born in 1967, holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and an MBA Finance degree from the Indiana University.

Pat Risner, President of South32’s Hermosa project since 2019, leads the only advanced mine development project in the United States to date that could produce two federally designated critical minerals—manganese and zinc—both of which are essential minerals for powering the nation’s clean energy future. He is a mining executive with 30 years of industry experience and an exceptional background in defining and executing strategy while establishing a strong culture for maximized productivity and safety in complex, highly regulated global environments. He has held executive roles across the United States and Australia including Group Health Safety Environmental Officer for BHP where he had direct accountability to the company’s sustainability committee of the board of directors.

HE the Hon Dr Kevin Rudd AC is Australia’s Ambassador to the United States of America, taking up his posting in Washington in March 2023.

Ambassador Rudd served as Australia’s twenty-sixth Prime Minister from 2007 to 2010, then as Minister for Foreign Affairs, before a second term as Prime Minister in 2013. He was Member for Griffith in the Australian Parliament from 1998 to 2013.

Since leaving government, Ambassador Rudd has resided in the United States where he is recognised as a leading analyst of China. In 2015, he became inaugural President of the Asia Society Policy Institute in New York. In 2020, he was appointed President and CEO of the Asia Society globally and, in 2022, he founded the Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis. In 2019, Ambassador Rudd was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia for eminent service to Indigenous reconciliation, innovative economic initiatives, and major policy reform, and through senior advisory roles with international organisations. Ambassador Rudd holds honorary positions at the Atlantic Council and Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC; the Asia Society, Schwartzman Scholars and Bloomberg New Economy Forum in New York; the Paulson Institute in Chicago; the Paris School of International Affairs at Sciences Po in Paris, France; the Chancellor Helmut Schmidt Foundation in Hamburg, Germany; and Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House in Canberra. He is founder and co-chair of an Australian charity, the National Apology Foundation, and a trustee of the Cathedral of St John the Divine in New York City.

Ambassador Rudd started his diplomatic career in 1981 with postings to Beijing and Stockholm. In 1988, he was appointed Chief of Staff to the Hon Wayne Goss and served him as Premier of Queensland. He was Director-General of the Cabinet Office in Queensland from 1991 to 1995, and Senior China Consultant for KPMG from 1996 to 1998.

Ambassador Rudd graduated with Honours in Asian Studies from the Australian National University and received his PhD from Oxford University in 2022. He also studied at National Taiwan Normal University in Taipei.

Ambassador Rudd is accompanied on his posting by his wife, Thérèse Rein.

Jim Schaefer is Senior Managing Director and Head of Guggenheim’s Power, Utilities and Renewables team and covers a number of electric and gas utility and renewable energy accounts for Guggenheim Securities. Mr. Schaefer brings to Guggenheim extensive expertise in energy‐related mergers, acquisitions and financings, developed over his 28 years in the financial services industry. Since 1998, Mr. Schaefer has covered all areas of clean energy and related supply chains, and he has completed more than $120 billion of strategic M&A assignments and over $90 billion of lead managed financings.

In addition to his role at Guggenheim Securities, Mr. Schaefer is active in a number of industry organizations. Currently, he serves on the Board of Directors for United States Nuclear Industry Council (USNIC). Recently, he served on a Board with the Department of Energy (DOE) to determine the awardees of $4.0 billion of grants through the DOE’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP).

Ernest Scheyder is a senior correspondent for Reuters covering the energy transition and the minerals that undergird it. He is also the author of The War Below: Lithium, Copper, and the Global Battle to Power our Lives, which debuted in January 2024. He previously covered the U.S. shale oil revolution, politics, and the environment, and held roles at the Associated Press and the Bangor Daily News. A native of Maine, Scheyder is a graduate of the University of Maine and Columbia Journalism School.

Paul Segal is the Chief Executive Officer of LS Power and a member of the Firm’s Management Committee, overseeing one of the largest independent power and transmission developers in the United States. Since its inception in 1990, LS Power has consistently been at the leading edge of the industry’s evolution, often introducing or commercializing new technologies and developing new markets.

To date, LS Power has developed, constructed, managed, or acquired more than 46,000 MW of power generation, including utility-scale solar, wind, hydro, natural gas-fired, and battery storage projects, and 660 miles of transmission. Additionally, LS Power actively invests in businesses and platforms focused on distributed energy resources and energy efficiency. Through its greenfield businesses and investment partnerships, LS Power has raised over $49 billion in debt and equity financing to support North American infrastructure.

Prior to becoming CEO, Mr. Segal oversaw LS Power’s asset management and renewables development activities. Prior to LS Power, Mr. Segal founded Luminus Management in 2002, a hedge fund that invested across the capital structure of publicly-traded power, energy, utility, and related companies. He served as President and Portfolio Manager until 2011 and then sold the business in 2017. Mr. Segal began his career at Smith Barney as a generalist in the Mergers and Acquisitions Investment Banking group.

Mr. Segal is a member of the Mount Sinai Department of Medicine Advisory Board, the Weill Cornell Medicine Dean’s Council, the board of the Digestive Disease Research Foundation, and the Advisory Board of the NYU Law School’s Institute for Policy Integrity.

Mr. Segal graduated with the highest honors from the Rutgers College of Engineering with a B.S. in Bio-Chemical Engineering.

Jigar Shah was most recently co-founder and President at Generate Capital, where he focused on helping entrepreneurs accelerate decarbonization solutions through the use of low-cost infrastructure-as-a service financing. Prior to Generate Capital, Shah founded SunEdison, a company that pioneered “pay as you save” solar financing. After SunEdison, Shah served as the founding CEO of the Carbon War Room, a global non-profit founded by Sir Richard Branson and Virgin Unite to help entrepreneurs address climate change. Originally from Illinois, Shah holds a B.S. from the University of Illinois-UC and an MBA from the University of Maryland College Park.

Jaiwon is responsible for building the company’s strategic and operational direction globally. For 11 years, Jaiwon led NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, where he shaped the agency’s aeronautics research and development efforts. Jaiwon also co-chaired the White House National Science and Technology Council’s Aeronautics Science and Technology Subcommittee and the USAF /NASA Executive Research Committee. He is an internationally recognized leader in the aviation community and has been awarded the Presidential Rank Award twice (2008 and 2016), the highest accolade presented to public officials.

Mr. Simon is the Director of the Transportation and Climate Division of the Office of Transportation and Air Quality at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. His portfolio includes implementing recent clean and zero-emission funding programs, voluntary initiatives like SmartWay and Ports, and forecasting of mobile source emissions trends and future scenarios. He previously served as Director of the Compliance and Innovative Strategies Division and other roles in EPA’s transportation office as well as an engineer at Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company.

Mr. Simon holds an Aerospace Engineering degree from the University of Notre Dame and law degrees from George Mason and George Washington Universities.

Olav Skalmeraas has joined Norge Mining Limited and Norge Mineraler AS as Non-Executive Director, having held various high profile positions at international energy giant Equinor and aluminum and renewable energy company Norsk Hydro. With deep ESG experience, Olav was integral in positioning Equinor in the gradually liberalizing gas market. He was VP of Midstream Value for Oil and Gas (Brazil), VP of Governmental and Regulatory Affairs, and VP of Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage. Olav was responsible for engaging key German energy decision makers, and assessing the impact of regulatory frameworks for natural gas and offshore wind auction systems. At Norsk Hydro he was VP of its aluminum activities in South America and VP of gas marketing and transport. Olav has a Master of Science in Marine Engineering from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).

Mr. Smith has over 40 years of experience in operating, developing, and financing mining and strategic materials projects in the Americas and abroad. In September 2013, he was appointed CEO and a Director of NioCorp. From April 2015 to September 2019, Mr. Smith served as the President and Director, and later as CEO, for Largo Resources Ltd. Mr. Smith has also served on the board of directors of IBC Advanced Alloys Corp., a leading beryllium and copper advanced alloys company, since May 2016, and as CEO of IBC since July 2020. From October 2008 through December 2012, Mr. Smith served as President, CEO and Director of Molycorp, Inc., a rare earths producer, where he was instrumentally involved in taking it from a private company to a publicly traded company with a producing mine. Prior to Molycorp, Mr. Smith was the President and CEO of Chevron Mining Inc. He also served for over seven years as the shareholder representative of Companhia Brasileira Metalúrgica e Mineração, a private company that currently produces approximately 85% of the world supply of niobium. Mr. Smith is a Registered Professional Engineer and serves as an active member of the State Bars of California and Colorado. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Engineering from Colorado State University in 1981 and his Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Western State University, College of Law, in 1990.

Born in 1944 in Marks, Mississippi, Frederick W. Smith, Yale College 1966, is the founder of FedEx Corporation and Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors. The original analyses about the logistic needs of a highly automated future society were done during his tenure as an undergraduate.

After four years of service in the Marines, including two tours of duty in Vietnam, he launched the original air-ground Federal Express network, which began operations in 1973 to serve the rapidly growing high-tech, high-value-added sectors of the economy Smith had predicted. The company has since grown into a $90 billion global enterprise that serves more than 220 countries and territories.

As Executive Chairman, Smith focuses on Board governance, as well as issues of global importance, including sustainability, innovation, and public policy. FedEx operations include 711 aircraft, more than 210,000 vehicles, and approximately 4,800 operating facilities. More than 500,000 team members worldwide currently handle approximately 14.5 million shipments each day.

FedEx has been widely acknowledged for its commitment to total quality service. FedEx Express was the first service company to win the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 1990.
FedEx has been recognized by Time magazine as one of the “Time100 Most Influential Companies” and has consistently been ranked on FORTUNE magazine’s industry lists, including “100 Best Companies to Work For” and “World’s Most Admired Companies.”

Smith is a trustee for the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Director of the American Battle Monuments Foundation, and a member of the Business Council. He served on the Business Roundtable for more than 30 years. He also served as chairman of the U.S.-China Business Council and co-chair of the French-American Business Council. Smith has served on the boards of several large public companies — Malone and Hyde (AutoZone), First Tennessee, Holiday Inn, EW Scripps, and General Mills — and charitable organizations including St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the Mayo Foundation. He was formerly chairman of the Board of Governors for the International Air Transport Association and chaired the executive committee of the U.S. Air Transport Association.

Smith has received several honorary degrees and numerous civic, academic, and business awards including the Global Leadership Award from the U.S.-India Business Council; the George C. Marshall Foundation Award; the Atlantic Council’s Distinguished Business Leadership Award; the Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy; the Circle of Honor Award from the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation; and the Freedom Award from the National Civil Rights Museum.
In addition, Smith is a member of the Aviation Hall of Fame and the Business Hall of Fame. He served as co-chairman of both the U.S. World War II Memorial project and the campaign for the National Museum of the Marine Corps. He was cited in Forbes “100 Greatest Living Business Minds” and has been named a top CEO by both Barron’s and Chief Executive magazines.

Kate Sommerville has over 30 years of experience in the mining industry, with deep expertise in open cut and underground operations. Throughout her distinguished career, she has assumed roles spanning technical, operational, management, contractor, consulting, and corporate domains, contributing her skills globally across a wide variety of commodities.

As the General Manager of BHP’s Legacy Assets portfolio, Kate is responsible for the Operational oversight of 24 diverse legacy mine sites, representing several commodities at different stages of closure across the US and Canada, including the management of 60% of BHP’s tailings dams.

In her previous role as Vice President Mining at Gold Fields, Kate held functional and strategic oversight of assets in Ghana, South Africa, Australia, Peru and Chile.

Originally from Australia, Kate holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering, a Post Graduate Diploma in Mining, a Master’s in Business Administration, a First Class Mine Managers Certificate and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Kate is a Fellow and Chartered Professional of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM), and for six years, she has served as their Director. Additionally, Kate is a Board member of the Arizona Mining Association.

Beyond her professional achievements, Kate finds joy in spending time outdoors and embraces the challenge of competing in triathlons.

JB Straubel is the Founder and CEO of Redwood Materials, a company creating a circular supply chain to drive down the environmental footprint and cost of lithium-ion batteries by producing domestic battery components from recycled content. Prior to founding Redwood, JB Co-founded Tesla and spent 15 years as Chief Technology Officer and currently serves on Tesla’s Board of Directors. As CTO at Tesla, JB built one of the best engineering teams in the world, and among many topics, led cell design, supply chain and led the first Gigafactory concept through the production ramp of the Model 3. JB had a direct role in both R&D, team building and operational expansion from prototype cars through to mass production and GWh-scale. JB holds a Bachelor of Science in Energy Systems Engineering and a Master of Science in Energy Engineering from Stanford University.

Raef Sully has 30 years of experience in a variety of industries including construction, mining and resources, and chemicals. Prior to joining Lilac Solutions, he was the Executive Vice President at Nutrien (NYSE: NTR; ~$27bn market cap company) and CEO of their ~$10 billion dollar nitrogen and phosphate business. He oversaw 4,500 employees, over twenty mining and chemicals sites, and a similar number of warehouse and distribution terminals globally. Prior to Nutrien, Raef worked first in engineering on tall buildings and large infrastructure projects and then for twelve years for the management consultancy Bain & Company. He also served 17 years in the Australian Army Reserve. He holds a BE and PhD in Engineering from the University of Sydney.

Jim Tankersley is the White House economics reporter at the New York Times, where he covers the Biden administration’s economic policies and how those policies affect the country and the world. Mr. Tankersley has covered economic policy in Washington for more than a dozen years, with a focus on the stagnation of the American middle class and the decline of economic opportunity in wide swaths of the country. He is the author of a book about those themes: “The Riches of This Land: The Untold, True Story of America’s Middle Class,” published in 2020. Earlier in his career, he worked at newspapers including The Oregonian, the Rocky Mountain News, The Blade (in Toledo, Ohio) and The Washington Post. In 2007, he and a colleague won the Livingston Award for Young Journalists for a series of stories exploring why the Ohio economy declined drastically over the course of a generation. Mr. Tankersley grew up in McMinnville, Oregon, and has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Stanford University. He lives outside Washington with his wife and two children.

Julian Treger currently serves as President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of CoTec Holdings Corp, an ESG focused company, acquiring innovative technologies which fundamentally change the method with which minerals can be extracted, processed and utilized.

He began his career working for Lord Rothschild as an in-house corporate financier, managing a portfolio of public and private equity investments before co-founding Active Value Advisors Ltd. to invest in undervalued, predominantly UK-listed companies. From there he served as Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director at Anglo Pacific Group where he restructured the operations to take advantage of opportunities in the royalty sector. Until recently, Julian also served as Non-Executive Chairman of Audley Capital Advisors LLP, an investment advisory firm which he co-founded in 2005, which specialised in managing value-orientated, special situations investment strategies through hedge fund and co-investment vehicles, with a principal focus on the natural resources sector.

Julian has a BA from Harvard College and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He holds external non-executive directorships with MagIron llc, and BSL plc.

Emily Wilkins is a CNBC correspondent for the network’s Washington, D.C. bureau, covering Congress, key regulatory issues and policies that impact American businesses and the economy.

Prior to CNBC, Wilkins, an award-winning journalist, served as a reporter for Bloomberg Government, where she covered breaking news coming out of Washington and Congress with a focus on House leadership. She previously reported on education and labor for both Bloomberg Government and CQ Roll Call.

Wilkins graduated from Michigan State with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and political science. She currently serves as the Vice President of the National Press Club and she lives in D.C. with her fiancé.

Congressman Rob Wittman is the vice chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, which he has served on since his election to Congress in 2007. He concurrently serves as chairman of the Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee and previously led the subcommittees on Seapower and Projection Forces, Readiness, and Oversight and Investigations.

As vice chairman of the full committee, Congressman Wittman helps the committee navigate America’s national security enterprise, advocating for a strategy that addresses the defense of the homeland and U.S. interests abroad. In his leadership role, he balances the demands of America’s immediate threats with modernization efforts for long-term great power competition—while always putting servicemembers first.

As chairman of the Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee, he oversees a vast portfolio of modernization programs that impact the future capabilities of the U.S. military's ground and air forces and munitions stockpiles. Through authorizing procurement and R&D programs, Congressman Wittman ensures that American servicemembers are well-equipped to carry out their missions.

In the 118th Congress, Wittman was appointed to the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. In this capacity, he collaborates with colleagues from both parties to counter the CCP's malicious agenda, military build-up, and its use of diplomatic and economic coercion globally.
 
Through his previous leadership role and current seat on the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, Congressman Wittman advocates for the growth of the Naval fleet and the recapitalization of Air Force assets to enhance the military's ability to deter adversaries, support allies, and respond to threats worldwide.

Committed to fiscal responsibility, Wittman believes in being good stewards of taxpayer dollars while maintaining military strength and readiness. Recognizing the critical role of a robust defense budget for national security and the economy, he underscores the importance of supporting the military and workforce, particularly in Virginia.