Addressing the critical issues facing the EV supply chain

In the context of a rapidly evolving market, with Trump's tariff announcements, Northvolt's bankruptcy, low commodity price cycles, and China's increasing EV market share, the hands-on industry-leading experts addressed critical questions, such as:

• How can battery supply chains be financed amid tightening capital markets, increasing geopolitical risk, and a low commodity price cycle?
• Can Europe realistically meet its ambitious 100% EV target by 2035, if so, how?
• How might the rush for regional supply security affect the distribution of battery technology developments?
• What could emerging lithium extraction innovations such as DLE be impacted by geopolitical uncertainty?
• How might the lithium, nickel, and cobalt markets be impacted by Trump's tariffs?

The event brought  together leading experts from across the sector, including speakers from SQM, CATL, Porsche Consulting, BMO Capital Markets, Standard Chartered, EV Volumes, Techmet, Eramet, CleanTech Lithium, UKBIC, Critical Minerals Africa Group, and SC Insights. 

The Oxford Battery Metals Lectures offers unique opportunities to network with major players from across the battery value chain.

Expert speakers from across the battery metals value chains

Stefan Debruyne
Director of External Affairs, SQM

Stefan joined SQM in 2005 and is currently responsible for stakeholder engagement as Director of External Affairs. He has previously held the position of Sales Director for lithium and iodine in the Asia-Pacific region. He has a Master's degree in commercial engineering and an Executive MBA.

Stefan is poised to delve into the groundbreaking innovations driving the lithium sector forward, highlighting SQM's contributions to shaping the future of electrification. From advancements in lithium extraction techniques to the development of high-performance lithium-ion batteries, Stefan's insights promise to offer a compelling vision of how lithium innovation is revolutionising the way we power our world.

Lóránt Juhos
Senior Government Relations Advisor, CATL

An expert in foreign relations, Lóránt is a highly experienced international government relations and corporate public affairs specialist, with a distinguished career spanning over 20 years as a diplomat. His extensive expertise includes engaging with governments, international organisations, and corporate entities to navigate complex geopolitical landscapes, foster diplomatic relationships, and shape public policy.

Dr Niklas Kronemeyer
Senior Consultant Advanced Technologies, Porsche Consulting

Dr. Niklas Kronemeyer is a strategy consultant specialising in battery aftermarket and battery recycling. His focus includes market dynamics, process technologies, and their business implications for players in the cell, component, and upstream (mining & refining) industries. Additionally, he brings particular expertise in defining footprint strategies, supporting clients in aligning their global operations and service models with evolving market requirements.

Rohit Kumar
Director Investment Banking, Standard Chartered

Rohit is the Director for EV, Energy Storage, and Battery value chain at Standard Chartered for Investment Banking and Transition Finance function. He is responsible for origination and execution of both financing and M&A activities. He is an experienced industry professional who served at Johnson Matthey in corporate strategy in Battery Materials and commercial in Battery Recycling businesses in the UK. He also served in strategy and operations roles at Bosch Mobility Solutions in China and India and in consulting for EV and Battery sector.

George Heppel
Vice President Commodities Research, BMO Capital Markets

George Heppel joined BMO in July 2024 as Vice President, Commodities Analyst, and is based in London as part of BMO's Commodity Strategy team. He focuses on providing thought leadership and market intelligence to both base metals and battery raw materials. Before joining BMO, George was Head of Commercial and Market Analysis at BASF plc and is well-regarded as a global battery raw materials expert. Prior to BASF, he was a senior consultant at CRU Group and held roles at ICD Group and Shell.  George holds a MEng. (Materials Science, Economics and Management), from the University of Oxford.

Simon Gardner-Bond
Chief Technical Officer, Techmet

Simon is a geologist by training but has spent the last 23 years in the world of mining finance: analysing, researching, and investing in various sectors of the natural resource space. Having graduated from the Royal School of Mines (Imperial College), he moved into mergers and acquisitions in the metals and mining sector before spending time as a Mining Analyst for two stockbrokers, and a stint as part of the Natural Resources team at Investec Asset Management (now Ninety One) managing multi-billion dollar natural resource funds. He believes that the move to the electrification of transportation will be transformative for the metals and mining space and is excited to be part of a team that is creating the supply chain to feed it.

Ludovic Donati
Project Director, Eramet

Since May 2023, Ludovic Donati has served as Director of the French Lithium Project, a joint initiative between Eramet and Electricité de Strasbourg. Eramet is a global mining and metallurgical group with revenues of €5 billion, employing approximately 10,000 people across 15 countries.

Since 2018, Ludovic has held the role of Digital Correspondent for the French Mining and Metallurgy Sector and sits on the board of the Afnet association, a digital think tank focused on driving transformation and growth within industrial sectors. 

Nick Baxter
Head of Communications & ESG, CleanTech Lithium

CleanTech Lithium is advancing sustainable lithium projects in Chile by developing Direct Lithium Extraction DLE – a transformative technology which removes lithium from brine with higher recoveries, short development lead times and no extensive evaporation pond construction.

Nick is a strategy and corporate communications experience, having worked with start-ups to FTSE100 and NASDAQ companies across media, environment, social and manufacturing industries. Previously held senior roles at award-winning ESG consultancy Blurred, the Natural History Museum and Freuds Communications.

Andrew Britton
Business Development Manager, UKBIC

Andrew Britton is Business Development Manager for the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC), with responsibility for Module and Pack line, and training. Andrew, who joined UKBIC in 2019, has extensive experience of business development of products and services in the automotive and industrial equipment sectors and working with technology developers looking to bring their innovative products to market. His previous experiences include working for more than 15 years internationally with Perkins Engines, as part of its consultancy division, and prior to joining UKBIC, worked at Millbrook Proving Ground managing crash testing and its component test laboratory.

Veronica Bolton-Smith
Chief Executive Officer, Critical Minerals Africa Group

Veronica holds a solid background of 20 years of Africa-focused trade and investment experience. She brings extensive knowledge of African trade relations and has advised African heads of state on their foreign direct investment approach to create and broaden opportunities for investment in Africa. Veronica has advised and led Africa investment strategies for several FTSE 100 companies, including De Beers, Anglo-American and Vodafone, among others.

Thomas Chandler
Principal Lithium Analyst, SFA (Oxford)

Thomas is an experienced critical metals analyst at SFA (Oxford), with a decade of extensive client consulting and market research experience across lithium-ion battery metals and materials and platinum group metals, gaining deep knowledge of these value chains. Tom leads the development of SFA’s lithium supply research for clients analysing the battery precursor supply chains, and new demand uses. He heads SFA’s lithium supply analysis of brine deposits across the Lithium Triangle, hard rock lithium producers and projects worldwide. Tom’s helps SFA’s clients across the battery metals value chain with peer-group benchmarking and producer economics, providing the analytical link to support strategic efforts and investment decision-making.

Jon Mulcahy
LiB Supply Chain Specialist, SC Insights

Jon Mulcahy is a seasoned expert in battery raw materials with a deep background spanning market strategy, procurement, and pricing mechanisms. He currently serves as a LiB Supply Chain Specialist at SC Insights, where he leverages his extensive experience to support supply chain optimisation for lithium-ion batteries.

Previously, Jon held the role of Team Lead for Lithium & Manganese Procurement at PowerCo SE, managing critical supply partnerships, including with Volkswagen. He also served as Head of Supply Market Strategy at Britishvolt, where he spearheaded initiatives to expand sourcing channels and secure long-term material supply.

Pablo Cortegoso
Independent DLE Expert

Pablo is a seasoned leader in the energy sector, known for seamlessly combining deep technical expertise with strategic financial insight. With extensive experience spanning technical due diligence on lithium brine projects to financial planning for companies listed on the NASDAQ, Pablo brings a holistic perspective to the industry’s most pressing challenges. His background in battery technology and renewable energy enables him to manage complex projects with technical precision.