Check out our next upcoming event
Benchmark Summit Cape Town 2026 - South Africa
Monday 9th February, 2026
60 Colinton Rd
In Person
Giga USA 25
Time and Location
3rd - 4th June, 2025
Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington DC, United States
In Person Event
Lead Sponsors
Tuesday 3rd June, 2025
08:00 - 08:30
Networking Breakfast
08:30 - 09:00
Words of Welcome
- Simon Moores, Executive Chairman, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence
- Professor M. Stanley Whittingham, Nobel Laureate,
09:00 - 09:20
America First in the Battery Race: Leadership, Security, and Strategy
- A national security perspective on the critical mineral supply chain—underscoring the strategic imperative to reduce dependence on adversarial nations and reassert American leadership in mineral sourcing, processing, and manufacturing.
- Senator Tom Cotton, Senator for Arkansas, U.S. Senate
- Andrew Miller, Chief Executive Officer, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence
09:20 - 09:40
Advancing Battery Innovation and Strengthening America's Supply Chain
- As the automotive industry accelerates toward electrification, securing a stable and scalable supply of critical minerals has become a top priority. In this session, GM shares insights on sourcing strategies, upstream partnerships, and the role of automakers in reshaping the mineral supply chain.
- Kurt Kelty, Vice President, Battery, Propulsion, and Sustainability, General Motors
- Andrew Miller, Chief Executive Officer, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence
09:40 - 10:00
Price Transparency in Critical Minerals
- Caspar Rawles, Chief Operating Officer, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence
- Jean-Luc Amos, Director, Market Development, ICE
10:00 - 10:20
Networking Break
10:20 - 10:40
Unlocking America’s Potential: Building a Resilient Critical Mineral Strategy
- Senator John Hickenlooper, Senator for Colorado, U.S. Senate
- Bryan Bille, Policy & Geopolitical Principal, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence
10:20 - 11:40
US Regional Spotlights
- State-level policy initiatives supporting production
- Leading states in critical mineral production and processing
- Economic benefits of localized supply chain investments
- Collaboration between state governments and private industry
- Brent Wilson, CEO, Galvanic Energy
- Noemi Gallardo, Commissioner, California Energy Commission
- Cristina Paredes, Executive Director of SC Nexus, South Carolina Department of Commerce
10:40 - 10:55
Bridging America’s Raw Material Disconnect
- Graham Kerr, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, South32
- Daisy Jennings-Gray, Head of Prices, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence
10:55 - 11:10
The Turbulent but Certain Path Towards Electrification
- Philip Lienert, External Affairs/Government Relations Manager, LG Energy Solution
- Iola Hughes, Head of Research, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence
11:10 - 11:35
Securing Copper for a Resilient Energy Future
- Copper demand growth for EVs, grid storage, and renewables
- Expanding US copper mining and refining capacity
- Addressing supply constraints and price volatility
- Daan De Jonge, Lead Analyst - Copper Demand & Prices, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence
- Jonathan Absolon, VP of Commodity Strategy, Anglo American
11:35 - 11:50
U.S. Policy in 2025 and the Shifting Landscape of Trade and Investment
- Chris Berry, Founder and President, House Mountain Partners
- Frank Fannon, Managing Director, Fannon Global Advisors
11:40 - 12:00
Building Project Resilience for a Stronger U.S. Supply Chain
- Fiorella Sist, Project Director, Hargrove Engineers and Constructors
11:50 - 12:05
Navigating Global Markets and Critical Mineral Trade
- Andrew Miller, Chief Executive Officer, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence
- Mehdi Lemsagued, Managing Director, Manatrade AG
12:05 - 13:00
Networking Lunch
13:00 - 13:20
Cathode & Battery Innovation
- Chirranjeevi Gopal, Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder, Mitra Chem
- Daisy Jennings-Gray, Head of Prices, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence
13:00 - 13:30
Finance Spotlights
- Anticipating battery value chain bankability issues early on to best position a project for financing
- Different pools of investors at different stages
- Timeline and sequencing
- Will Talbot, Research Manager, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence Ltd
- Chloe Tacconi, Director - Battery, Mining and Industries, Societe Generale
- Tim Van Pelt, Global Lead Batteries & Charging, Sustainable Value Chains, ING
13:20 - 13:40
What It Takes to Build Mineral Supply Chains for Energy Security
- Kunal Sinha, SVP Marketing and Global Head, Recycling, Glencore
- Beatrice Browning, Battery Recycling Technology Lead, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence
13:30 - 14:00
Addressing the Permitting Barrier
- Addressing permitting pain points for gigafactories and mineral facilities
- Finding efficiencies and utilizing tools like FAST-41 to accelerate the permitting process to meet urgency and scale
- The limits of executive orders and need for Congressional action
- Understanding state and federal dynamics
- Learning from recent success stories (and cautionary tales) in the U.S. and abroad
- Peter Stahley, Senior Vice President, Cassidy and Associates
- Manisha Patel, Acting Executive Director, Permitting Council
- Rebecca Konolige, Director of Federal Affairs, ZETA
- Thomas Hochman, Director of Infrastructure Policy, Foundation for American Innovation
13:40 - 14:15
Navigating Tax Credits, Trade Policy, and U.S. Manufacturing Goals
- Donald Davidson, Head of Federal Affairs and Political Strategy, Volkswagen Group of America
- Samm Gillard, Executive Director, BATT Coalition
- Jennifer Safavian, President and CEO, Autos Drive America
- Dan Anziska, Partner, Troutman Pepper
- Phillip Sherman, Senior Manager, International and Industry Affairs, Mercedes-Benz
14:00 - 15:30
Supply Chain Innovations
- Hear from energy transition innovators on new projects and technologies to build a strong battery supply chain
- Paramita Das, Senior Advisor to the CEO and Chief Strategy Officer, Stardust Power Inc
- Julian Dunn, Vice President, Sudeep Advacned Materials
- Steve Cotton, Chief Executive Officer, President and Director, Aqua Metals
- Ian Rodger, CEO, Jindalee Lithium
- John Busbee, CEO & Founder, Xerion Advanced Battery
- Erez Ichilov, Founder, Cedrus Arbor LLC
14:15 - 14:30
The Smackover Formation: Unlocking Lithium’s Strategic Value for Texas and Beyond
- Ken Biberaj, Executive Managing Director, Savills
- Congressman Nathanial Moran, U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman from Texas
14:30 - 14:50
Building a Sustainable Supply Chain
- Enhancing transparency and accountability across the supply chain
- The importance of bipartisan support in creating a sustainable domestic supply chain
- Albert Gore, Executive Director, ZETA
- Abigail Hunter, Executive Director, Center for Critical Mineral Strategy, SAFE
- Alexis Georgeson, Vice President, Government Relations, Communications, and Consumer Recycling Programs, Redwood Materials
- Tina Jeffress, Group Manager for Energy and Sustainability, Panasonic Corporation of North America
- Stefan Debruyne, Director of External Affairs, SQM Lithium
15:05 - 15:30
Powering the Future: Chile’s Lithium Strategy and the Path Forward
- Beatriz Herrera, Investment Commissioner, InvestChile
- Juan Gabriel Valdes S, Ambassador of Chile to the United States of America, Embassy of Chile
15:30 - 15:45
Networking Break
15:45 - 16:15
Deep Sea Mining: Unlocking New Frontiers for Critical Minerals
- Exploring the potential of deep sea resources to meet growing demand for critical metals like nickel and cobalt
- Addressing environmental, regulatory, and technological challenges to responsible seabed extraction
- Industry perspectives on project readiness, innovation, and the path to commercial viability
- Ernest Scheyder, Reporter, Reuters News
- Craig Shesky, Chief Financial Officer, The Metals Company
- David Anonychuk, Global VP Metallurgy & Consulting, SGS
- Oliver Gunasekara, CEO & Co-Founder, Impossible Metals Inc.
16:15 - 16:25
From Battery Scrap to Battery Grade - How the Recycling Industry is Evolving
- Beatrice Browning, Battery Recycling Technology Lead, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence
16:25 - 17:05
The Business and Policy Case for Battery Recycling
- The role of battery recycling in building a circular economy
- The Importance of policy and regulatory support for scaling up battery material recovery
- Emma Bishop, Vice President, Venn Strategies
- Beatrice Browning, Battery Recycling Technology Lead, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence
- David Fauvre, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer, Blue Whale Materials
- Shane Thompson, EVP Strategy & Business Development, Cirba Solutions
- Chao Yan, CEO, Princeton NuEnergy
17:05 - 17:15
US Battery Storage in a Shifting Policy Landscape
- Iola Hughes, Head of Research, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence
17:15 - 18:00
Scaling Storage for a Resilient Energy Future
- Scaling up domestic production of grid-scale energy storage solutions
- Overcoming cost and efficiency challenges in large-scale deployment
- Paul Dorsey, Associate General Counsel - Regulatory and External Affairs, Samsung SDI America
- Vikash Venkataramana, President - US Sales & Business Development, REPT.
- Suzanne Leta, VP, Policy and Advocacy, Americas, Fluence
- Iola Hughes, Head of Research, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence
- Katie Clasen, Principal, Prelude Ventures
18:00
Networking Reception
Wednesday 4th June, 2025
08:00 - 08:45
Networking Breakfast
08:45 - 09:10
Words of Welcome
- Adam Panayi, Chief Research Officer, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence
09:10 - 09:30
Powering the Nation: Critical Minerals and U.S. Competitiveness
- Senator Lisa Murkowski, Senator for Alaska, U.S. Senate
- Simon Moores, Executive Chairman, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence
09:30 - 09:50
Building a Vertically Integrated Lithium Ecosystem
- Bari Bean, Deputy CEO of Natural Resources, County of Imperial
- Jesus Eduardo Escobar, Supervisor, Imperial County
- Ryan Kelley, County Supervisor, County of Imperial
- Congressman Raul Ruiz, U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman for California
09:50 - 10:30
How U.S. Policy and Global Tensions Are Redrawing Trade Lines
- Addressing the impact of geopolitical tensions on supply chain stability
- Gracelin Baskaran, Director, Critical Minerals Security, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
- Sarah Bianchi, Senior Managing Director, Chief Strategist of International Political Affairs and Public Policy, Evercore
- Chris Berry, Founder and President, House Mountain Partners
- David Abraham, Director, Three Legged Capital LLC
- Jeff Gaulin, Vice President of Corporate Affairs & Communications, Vale Base Metals
10:30 - 10:50
Building a Secure Lithium Supply Chain in North America
- Andrew Miller, Chief Executive Officer, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence
- Eric Norris, EVP and Chief Commercial Officer, Albermarle
10:50 - 11:05
Networking Break
11:05 - 11:30
The Defense Case for Critical Mineral Security
- This session offers a defense community perspective on how critical minerals directly enable advanced military systems, and the operational risks posed by supply disruptions—highlighting the need for coordinated procurement, stockpiling, and industrial base planning.
- Eric Shields, Senior Battery Advisor - Policy, Analysis, & Transition OASD, Industrial Base Policy, OUSD for Acquisition & Sustainment, U.S. Department of Defense
- Joe Bryan, Principal, Muswell Orange
- Rodrik Cave, Publisher, CTO Countertrade & Offset
11:30 - 11:50
Navigating Tariffs
- The impact of tariffs on raw material costs and supply chain resilience
- Navigating global trade dynamics while securing reliable supply sources
- Strategies for mitigating tariff-related risks in battery manufacturing
- Zhiwei Chen, Counsel, Crowell
- Iola Hughes, Head of Research, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence
11:30 - 12:00
Mobilizing Federal Investment for Energy Independence
- Mahnaz Khan, Vice President of Policy for Critical Supply Chains, Silverado Policy Accelerator
- Pat Risner, President, Hermosa, South32
- Adam Burstein, Technical Director for Strategic and Critical Materials, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy, U.S. Department of Defense
11:50 - 12:20
Minerals in Focus: Nickel
- Parvin Adeli, Manager, Batteries, Nickel Institute
- Robert Seguin, Market Development, Vale Canada Limited
12:00 - 12:10
Powering American Industry Through Innovation and Mineral Security
- Carolyn Schnyder, Deputy Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Energy
12:10 - 13:00
Next Generation of US Mining and Refining
- Innovations in extraction and refining processes for critical minerals
- Advancing US-based refining to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers
- Sharad Dubey, Global Business Development Manager, SLB
- Venkee Sharma, Executive Chairman, Aquatech
- Jesse Edmondson, Director of Government Relations, Standard Lithium
- Jason Muller, Head of Public Policy, Equinor
- Daisy Jennings-Gray, Head of Prices, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence
12:20 - 12:40
Evaporation Reinvented: From Doubling Pond Output to Halving DLE Energy Use
- Sean Zheng, CEO, Princeton Critical Minerals
12:40 - 13:00
Preserving 45X for Critical Minerals: What Stakeholders Need to Know
- KaLeigh Long, CEO, Westwin Elements
13:00 - 13:50
Networking Lunch
13:50 - 14:00
Minerals in Focus: Cathode & Anode Raw Materials
- Will Talbot, Research Manager, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence Ltd
13:50 - 15:10
Rare Earths and the Race for Resource Security
- Securing domestic rare earth mining and refining capabilities
- Reducing US dependence on Chinese rare earth supply chains
- Applications of rare earths in defense, EVs, and electronics
- Ramon Barua, CEO, Aclara Resources
- David Petitjean, Director, Sales Critical Minerals, Rio Tinto
- Christine Burow, Chief Marketing Officer, Torngat Metals
- Zac Komur, Executive Director – Project Delivery of Kangankunde Rare Earths, Lindian Resources
- Daan De Jonge, Lead Analyst - Copper Demand & Prices, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence
14:00 - 14:45
Lithium in the Lead: Supply, Innovation, and the Global Race for Scale
- Roland Chavasse, Secretary General, International Lithium Association
- Ken Brinsden, Chief Executive Officer, PMET Resources
- Rock Hoffman, Equity Research Analyst, Bank of America
- Leigh Clarke, VP, Government and Regulatory, E3 Lithium
- Ashish Patki, Director, Business Development and Market Intelligence, Rio Tinto
14:45 - 15:00
Expanding US Government Advocacy in Critical Minerals
- Hiro Rodriguez, Executive Director of the Advocacy Center, U.S. Department of Commerce
15:00 - 15:30
The DRC's Role in Critical Mineral Production
- Mike Blakeney, Head of Government and Public Affairs, Cobalt Institute
- Marie-Chantal Kaninda, President of Glencore DRC, Glencore
15:10 - 15:30
North American Lithium Supply in a Global Context
- Opportunities and Pressures Across the Value Chain
15:30 - 15:45
Networking Break
15:45 - 16:00
Inside the EV Supply Chain - What it takes to build at scale
- Caspar Rawles, Chief Operating Officer, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence
- Tara Berrie, Director of Battery Cell Materials & Rare Earth Sourcing, Rivian
16:00 - 16:30
Financing the Future: Aligning Public and Private Capital for Mineral Projects
- Understanding the US public funding structures for international projects
- Learning from international successes; what role have sovereign wealth funds played?
- Optimizing the relationship between public and private sectors to secure funding for critical mineral projects
- Kristi Rogers, PRISM, Co-Founder & President
- Rierens Loupatty, VP of Investments, INA
- Tom Haslett, Director for Energy and Critical Minerals Policy, U.S. International Development Finance Corporation
- Andrew Jory, Minister Counsellor, Embassy of Australia
16:30 - 17:10
The Role of Geopolitics in the Global Critical Mineral Supply Chain
- Understanding how to strengthen domestic supply chains through international partnerships
- Addressing growing global demand for lithium and how to meet this
- Navigating policy and investment risks
- Mike Blakeney, Head of Government and Public Affairs, Cobalt Institute
- Septian Hario Seto, Member of National Economic Council, Republic of Indonesia
- Diego von Vacano, Professor, Texas A&M University
- Bryan Bille, Policy & Geopolitical Principal, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence
- Johanna Kruger, Counsellor and Head of Section, Environment and Energy, Embassy of Canada to the US
- Maria Fernanda Avila, Congresswoman, Congress of Argentina
18:00
Close of Conference and Networking
Upcoming Events
Benchmark Summit Cape Town 2026
Monday 9th February, 2026
60 Colinton Rd
Copper Prices Unpacked: What Peak Margins Mean for Profits, Projects and M&A
Tuesday 24th February, 2026
Online Event
Benchmark Summit Toronto 2026
Monday 2nd March, 2026
1 King Street West
Giga Europe 2026
11th - 12th March, 2026
Parc du Cinquantenaire 11, Nord-Est
Giga US 26
9th - 10th June, 2026
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Giga Africa 2026
29th - 30th September, 2026