With commodity prices out of the doldrums, putting primary suppliers back into the profit zone and greenlighting projects and expansions, we are witnessing the beginnings of a New Battery Materials Cycle, this year's theme for the Oxford Battery Metals Lectures.

At the other end of the supply chain, over 50 new EV models are set to be launched across the UK and Europe in 2026, including a raft of more affordable B-segment vehicles. This is despite a softening of the 100% EV deadlines by 2035. Add to this the significant uptick in battery storage demand and supply chain disruptions in the DRC and Indonesia, suggesting an incredibly difficult period for supply chain incumbents, end users, and investors to navigate. 

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Henk de Hoop
CEO, SFA (Oxford)

Henk de Hoop joined SFA (Oxford) in 2022 as Chief Executive Officer. Widely recognised as a top-ranked investment analyst, he is also known to many of SFA’s clients as an early champion of SFA’s analytical coverage.

He brings nearly three decades of experience in mining engineering and mining finance. Before joining SFA, Henk served as Business Development Director at RMB Investment Bank. Earlier in his career, he spent 12 years as a Mining Analyst with several leading broking firms.

Andrew Leyland
Managing Director, SC Insights

Andrew has advised many leading OEMs and oil and gas companies on responding to the rapid growth of lithium-ion battery deployment across both electric vehicles and energy storage systems. His work has included guidance on contract structures, commercial terms, and direct investment in the sector.

He brings more than 20 years of experience in the metals, mining, and chemicals industries as both an analyst and consultant. His previous roles include Head of Forecasts & Consulting at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, Director at Wood Mackenzie, and Associate Director and Senior Commodities Analyst at VTB Capital.

Through Supply Chain Insights, Andrew helps maintain industry-wide models and forecasts, delivering data and advisory solutions to organisations active in, or considering investment in, the battery sector. This work includes support for Lenders Market Reports, due diligence assignments, and feasibility studies.

He holds an MA in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from the University of Oxford.

Thomas Chandler
Principal Lithium Supply Analyst, SFA (Oxford)

Thomas is an experienced critical metals analyst at SFA (Oxford), with extensive client consulting and market research experience across lithium-ion battery metals and materials. Tom leads the development of SFA’s lithium supply research for clients, analysing battery precursor supply chains, new demand uses, and monitoring ESG developments across the sector. He heads SFA’s lithium supply analysis of brine deposits across the Lithium Triangle, hard rock lithium producers and projects worldwide. Tom’s analysis underpins the investment merits of evaluating acquisition targets. 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.

Tom joined SFA having completed a Master’s of Earth Sciences degree (with Honours) at the University of Manchester. 

Stefan Debruyne
Director of External Affairs, Novandino (SQM–Codelco JV)

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.

Hannu Hautala
Senior Vice President Keliber Lithium, Sibanye-Stillwater

Hannu Hautala is Senior Vice President, at Keliber, part of Sibanye‑Stillwater, where he is responsible for the leadership of the Keliber Lithium Project in Finland. He oversees mining, concentrator, and refinery operations, supporting the development of one of Europe’s most significant lithium projects. His work focuses on operational readiness, commissioning, safety performance, and the establishment of stable, responsible production to serve the growing battery materials market. Based in Kokkola, Finland, Hannu Hautala brings extensive experience in industrial operations and large‑scale project execution. Before his current role Hannu Hautala worked among other roles as Executive Vice President at Outokumpu and as CEO of Nordkalk.

Varshan Gokool
Chief Financial Officer, Cornish Lithium

Cornish Lithium is developing both a lithium from hard rock mica and a geothermal brine project in Cornwall.  It’s hard rock Trelavour Project has an operational demonstration plant producing battery-grade lithium hydroxide, a completed Definitive Feasibility Study, planning and permitting well underway, with targeted commercial-scale production from 2030 onwards. On the geothermal brines side of the business, Cornish Lithium has geothermal well drilling planned for this year at its fully permitted Cross Lanes site to demonstrate lithium extraction from brines and ultimately move to commercial production at this site. With more than two decades of experience, Varshan has guided development mining companies from early project definition through to construction and production across multiple international jurisdictions.

He has arranged and led over US$1.5 billion in funding transactions across the entire capital structure, from equity to senior secured project finance debt, for mining projects. Varshan’s strategic financial leadership is central to advancing Cornish Lithium’s mission to deliver a domestic, low-carbon lithium supply for the UK, strengthening the UK’s industrial competitiveness and delivering the UK’s Critical Mineral Strategy.

Owen Williams
Head of Lithium Strategy & Business Development, Equinor

Owen Williams is Head of Lithium Strategy & Business Development at Equinor, where he leads the company’s lithium strategy, business development, and commercial activities, including offtake and finance. His work is focused on advancing lithium assets in Europe and the United States, with the goal of supporting commercial production and building sustainable battery materials platforms.

He has developed his career over more than two decades across strategy, business development, market analysis, and corporate venture building in the energy sector. At Equinor, he has played a central role in shaping new growth platforms, first through his work in corporate strategy and innovation, then as a founding member of the Future Business team, where he helped incubate and scale zero-carbon businesses beyond oil and gas. Earlier, at Statoil, he held a series of senior strategy roles, including VP Corporate Strategy, where he led teams analysing external trends, competitor positioning, and the strategic implications for the business.

Before joining Statoil, Owen worked as a consultant at Wood Mackenzie in Edinburgh and Singapore, focusing on upstream oil and gas. Prior to that, he led analytical services at Infield Systems, building and managing a multidisciplinary team delivering market due diligence and sector studies across the energy supply chain. He began his professional career at Douglas-Westwood, supporting consulting engagements on technology commercialisation and market entry in the energy industry.

Richard Taylor
Chief Executive Officer, Battery Britain

Richard is a visionary leader and entrepreneur at the forefront of the energy transition. As the Chief Executive Officer of Battery Britain, Founder of Green Lithium, and Chairman of the Institute of Directors Natural Resource Group, his work focuses on developing domestic battery supply chains and critical mineral infrastructure across the UK and Europe. Green Lithium is developing the UK’s first lithium refinery. He previously led Green Lithium from inception through to a strategic partnership with Rio Tinto before founding Battery Britain. Earlier in his career, he spent a decade in the energy and natural resources sector with Petrofac, Maersk Oil and Deloitte. Richard has spoken at COP26 and the World Economic Forum in Davos on the transition to net zero.

Dr. Hadi Moztarzadeh
Head of Technology Trends, Advanced Propulsion Centre

Dr Hadi Moztarzadeh is a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, with over 20 years’ experience across academia and industry. He joined the Advanced Propulsion Centre as Head of Technology Trends, leading technology strategy and roadmaps to support innovation, collaboration and growth across UK manufacturing and transport.

Previously, Hadi was Director and Associate Dean of Research, Innovation and Enterprise at the University of Salford, where he reshaped the research and innovation portfolio and helped establish the industry advisory board for the North of England Robotics Innovation Centre. He also spent nine years at WMG, University of Warwick, leading cross-Catapult work on Net Zero Transport and contributing to UK Manufacturing Forum digital technology roadmaps.

Hadi holds a PhD in Engineering from the University of Warwick and an MSc from the University of Sheffield. He is also Vice-Chair of the IMechE Midland Region.

Dominic Schreiber
Head of Communications, Altilium Metals Ltd

Dominic Schreiber is head of communications for Altium, a UK clean technology company focused on sustainable recovery of critical battery materials. He joined the company in 2022 and leads on corporate communications, media relations and stakeholder engagement, working closely with the senior leadership team and industry partners to support the scale-up of next-generation battery recycling technologies. Dominic brings over 15 years’ experience in strategic communications and international media, having previously worked with leading media groups, trade organisations and consultancies in the UK, Europe and US. A graduate of the University of Westminster, his first job was with global accounting firm KPMG.

Henry Sanderson
Associate Fellow, RUSI, and visiting fellow at the Oxford Institute of Energy Studies

Henry Sanderson is a journalist and author based in London, focusing on critical minerals, China and clean energy. He is an associate fellow at the RUSI think-tank, and a visiting fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies. He also writes a weekly newsletter, Volt Insight.

He is the author of Volt Rush, the Winners and Losers in the Race to Go Green, which was chosen as a book of the week by the Observer, and one of the best science and environment books of 2022 by The Times.

He previously worked as a journalist for the Financial Times for seven years, covering commodities. Before that, he was a reporter in Beijing for seven years, including for Bloomberg News.

While in China, Henry co-wrote a book on China's state capitalist financial system: China's Superbank: Debt Oil and Influence: How China Development Bank is Rewriting the Rules of Finance.

Henry has testified to the UK parliament, presented to the US State Department, and been interviewed by the BBC, Al Jazeera, France 24, NPR, the Financial Times, The Wire China, among other outlets.

Lakshya Gupta
Senior Market Analyst: Battery Materials and Technologies, SFA (Oxford)

At SFA, Lakshya is responsible for the battery metal demand forecasting, tracking mid- and downstream players and their relationships, and also tracking battery technology developments. He has completed various consulting projects focused on alternative battery metal sourcing strategies to help clients improve the ESG credentials of their battery supply chain- from looking at alternatives to DRC-sourced cobalt to forecasting the global potential of metal volumes from battery recycling.

Lakshya joined SFA (Oxford)’s battery team eight years ago, after completing his Master’s in Chemical Engineering from Imperial College London. In 2025, Lakshya completed his MBA from Imperial College London.

Dr Xiaohan Wu
Strategic Consultant, Porsche Consulting

Dr. Xiaohan Wu is a strategy consultant specialising in battery technology. His focus includes market dynamics, technology disruptions, and their business implications for players in the cell, component, and upstream (mining & refining) industries. His expertise positions him as a leader in identifying and evaluating emerging battery technologies, notably solid-state batteries.

Ed Hollings
Specialist Process Engineer, Hatch

Edward has worked for over 20 years in the minerals processing and metallurgy sector. He works for Hatch in London, and his role covers both Study Manager and Lead Process Engineer on a range of metals and mining projects. In recent years his focus has been on the emerging lithium, battery metals, and rare-earths sector. In the past he has worked in a range of operations and projects in both base and precious metals, including lithium, gold, copper, cobalt, nickel, lead, zinc, tin, rare-earths, and uranium.  He has a diverse range of experience across multiple process circuits, including milling circuits, concentrators, leaching, gravity, and smelting operations. He is particularly interested in cross disciplinary projects such as geo-metallurgy and other big picture value improvers.

Tom Drabble
Global Sustainability Manager, International Lithium Association

Tom Drabble is Global Sustainability Manager at the International Lithium Association, where he leads work on responsible lithium production, product carbon footprints, sustainability guidance and industry engagement across the global lithium value chain. He supports members in navigating evolving frameworks such as the EU Battery Regulation and Battery Passport, with a focus on responsible sourcing, due diligence and supply chain transparency. Previously, Tom was Senior Sustainability Analyst at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, where he specialised in critical raw materials and lithium supply chains, led lithium sustainability analysis, and contributed to Benchmark’s Sustainability Index. He holds an MSc in Environment, Development and Politics from the University of Birmingham.

Olimpia Pilch
Chief Strategy Officer, Critical Minerals Africa Group

Olimpia Pilch is Chief Strategy Officer, with a focus on advocacy, geopolitics, and critical minerals. A trained exploration geologist, she has become a respected global voice in critical minerals policy. Her work combines technical expertise with a practical, policy-driven approach to addressing supply chain challenges.

She is a Director of the Critical Minerals Association Australia, and also works as a consultant and strategist for critical minerals companies around the world. In addition, she is the author of The Critical Minerals Pragmatist.

Across these roles, Olimpia brings together deep technical understanding and pragmatic strategic thinking to help shape solutions in a rapidly evolving global critical minerals landscape.

George Heppel
Vice President Commodity 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 Ltd

Simon Gardner-Bond is Chief Technical Officer, with 20 years of experience as a geologist and mining analyst.

His career spans technical, financial, and strategic roles across the mining sector. He has served as a senior metals and mining analyst at Investec Asset Management, where he helped manage multi-billion-dollar natural resources funds. He has also held senior mining analyst positions at Ocean Equities Limited and Peel Hunt, and worked as a mining analyst at Argent Partners Limited, a boutique M&A advisory firm focused on the metals and mining sector.

Earlier in his career, Simon worked as an exploration geologist in Spain and Ireland, giving him practical, on-the-ground industry experience that complements his capital markets and advisory background. He also serves on the boards of Cornish Lithium and REEtec.

Simon holds a BSc (Hons) in Geology and Physical Geography from the University of Liverpool, and an MSc in Mineral Deposit Appraisal (Mineral Exploration) from the Royal School of Mines, Imperial College.

Richard Horrocks-Taylor
Global Head, Metals & Mining, Standard Chartered Bank

Richard has over 25 years’ experience as a corporate finance adviser to companies in the Metals & Mining sector. Before joining Standard Chartered in August 2018, Richard was the Regional Head of RBC Capital Markets' Metals & Mining Group in London, where he spent 13 years advising clients on M&A and capital markets transactions.

Prior to RBC, Richard worked for 8 years at Flemings/JPMorgan in London, Johannesburg and Hong Kong. Richard was also one of the founders of Hatch Corporate Finance in 2003. Richard has extensive advisory experience with large to mid-cap clients, including Glencore, ArcelorMittal, Barrick, First Quantum and Orion Mine Finance.