Giga US 26

Registration & Networking Breakfast

Benchmark Opening Keynote: Welcome to Giga US 2026

• -Andrew Miller , Chief Executive Officer , Benchmark Mineral Intelligence

US Government Keynote: Bolstering Critical Mineral Independence

• -Bruce Westerman , Congressman , Representative of Arkansas

US Government Keynote: Supply Chain Resilience and Defense Readiness

• -James Mismash , Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Growth , US Department of War

Fireside Chat: Operationalizing the 2030 Supply Chain Roadmap

• -Jeff Morrison , Senior Vice President & Global Chief Procurement Officer , General Motors
• -Andrew Miller , Chief Executive Officer , Benchmark Mineral Intelligence

Public Private Partnership: Strengthening Industrial Resilience and Economic Security

• -Brian Greeley , Chief Banking Officer , EXIM Bank
• -Nicholas Snowdon , Chief Metals & Minerals Economist , Mercuria
• -Caspar Rawles , Chief Operating Officer , Benchmark Mineral Intelligence
• -Mark Kristoff , CEO , Traxys
• -Danielle Montgomery , Vice President, Office of Infrastructure & Critical Minerals , DFC

Networking Coffee Break

Lithium Keynotes: Benchmark

• -Daniel Fletcher-Manuel , Director - Indexing & Derivatives , Benchmark Mineral Intelligence
• -Jonathan Evans , CEO , Lithium Americas

Lithium Keynotes: Lithium Americas

Lithium Supercycle Panel: Aligning Global Extraction with Western Manufacturing Ambition

• -Jonathan Evans , CEO , Lithium Americas
• -David Park , CEO , Standard Lithium
• -Robert Winans , Vice President of Supply Chain , Panasonic
• -Austin Devaney , North American Representative Director , ILiA
• -Teague Egan , CEO , EnergyX

DLE Panel: From Promise to Scaled Supply

• -Chris Reed , Managing Director & CEO , Neometals
• -Matthew McCowan , US Lithium Manager , ExxonMobil
• -Siddarth Subramani , Global Director, Lithium , Hatch
• -John Worth , CEO , Geo40
• -Manish Backliwal , Senior Director , Aquatech

Fireside Chat: The Critical Minerals Dominance Act

• -Pete Stauber , Congressman , Representative of Minnesota
• -Caspar Rawles , Chief Operating Officer , Benchmark Mineral Intelligence

Networking Lunch & Lunch Workshop: De Risking Critical Mineral Projects and Building Resilient Supply Chains

• -Bryan Bille , Lead Policy and Geopolitical Analyst , Benchmark Mineral Intelligence
• -Daniel Fletcher-Manuel , Director - Indexing & Derivatives , Benchmark Mineral Intelligence

Copper Keynotes: McEwen Copper

Copper Keynotes: Benchmark

• -Albert Mackenzie , Copper Analyst , Benchmark Mineral Intelligence
• -Darias Jonker , Head of Government & International Relations, Americas , Anglo American Plc
• -Michael Meding , Managing Director , McEwen Copper

Copper Panel: The Conduit of the Transition

• -Darias Jonker , Head of Government & International Relations, Americas , Anglo American Plc
• -Turner Caldwell , Co-Founder & CEO , Mariana Minerals
• -Cristobal Undurraga , CEO , Ceibo
• -Albert Mackenzie , Copper Analyst , Benchmark Mineral Intelligence
• -Stefan Spears , VP Corporate Development

The Cathode Matrix: Managing the Supply of Nickel, Cobalt, Manganese & LFP

• -Pat Risner , President, Hermosa , South32
• -Stefan Debruyne , VP Sustainability and Global Affairs , Novandino Litio
• -Tara Berrie , Director of Battery Cell Materials & Rare Earth Sourcing , Rivian
• -Daniel Fletcher-Manuel , Director - Indexing & Derivatives , Benchmark Mineral Intelligence
• -Craig Weich , Operating Advisor , Breakthrough Energy

Afternoon Coffee Break

Deep Sea Mining in 2026: From Exploration to Decision Point

• -Craig Shesky , CFO , The Metals Co.
• -James Deckelman , CEO , Deep Sea Minerals Corp
• -Bryan Bille , Lead Policy and Geopolitical Analyst , Benchmark Mineral Intelligence
• -Megan Carr , Associate Director for Strategic Resources , Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

Benchmark Outlook Presentation: Graphite

• -George Ingall , Price Analyst , Benchmark Mineral Intelligence

Rare Earths Benchmark Briefing

• -George Ingall , Price Analyst , Benchmark Mineral Intelligence

Rare Earths & Securing Magnet Supply Chains Panel: From Strategic Vulnerability to US Resilience

• -George Ingall , Price Analyst , Benchmark Mineral Intelligence
• -Melvin Hill , Vice President , GE Chaplin
• -Ken Biberaj , Executive Managing Director , Savills

Evening Networking Reception

Networking Breakfast

Benchmark Opening Keynote: Global battery demand trends in 2026 and beyond

• -Adam Panayi , Chief Research Officer , Benchmark Mineral Intelligence
• -Iola Hughes , Head of Research , Benchmark Mineral Intelligence

Lifetime Achievement Award

Keynote Data Presentation: ESS - Stabilising the grid in the age of AI and Data Centers

• -Iola Hughes , Head of Research , Benchmark Mineral Intelligence
• -Forrest Levy , Solar and Storage Analyst , SEIA

Panel: Powering the Surge: Energy Storage at the Center of America’s Grid Transformation

• -Iola Hughes , Head of Research , Benchmark Mineral Intelligence
• -Bob Lee , CEO, North America , LG Energy Solutions
• -Andrew Waranch , Founder , Spearmint Energy
• -Paul Dorsey , Deputy General Counsel and Head of Federal Affairs , Samsung

Fireside Chat: Managing Critical Shifts in EV, ESS & Defence Demand

• -Eric Norris , EVP & Chief Commercial Officer , Albemarle

Critical minerals in Defense Tech: The Hidden Backbone of Military Power

• -Stacy Newstead , Materials Strategy & Risk Manager , Lockheed Martin
• -James Trevey , Chief Technology Officer , Forge Nano
• -Daniel Fletcher-Manuel , Director - Indexing & Derivatives , Benchmark Mineral Intelligence
• -Eric Shields , Senior Battery Advisor - Policy, Analysis, & Transition OASD, Industrial Base Policy, OUSD for Acqui , U.S. Department of Defense
• -Mark Smith , Executive Chairman , NioCorp

Morning Coffee Break

Ministerial Keynote: Argentina's Role in the Critical Minerals Supply Chain

• -Luis Lucero , Minister of Mining , Embassy of the Argentine Republic in the United States

Panel: Driving Demand: What’s Powering the Next Phase of the U.S. EV Market?

• -Stephen Kosowski , Manager, Long Range Planning & Strategy , Kia USA
• -Adam Panayi , Chief Research Officer , Benchmark Mineral Intelligence
• -Leah Nodvin , Director of Government and External Affairs , BMW

Regional Focus Presentation: The growing role of Brazilian critical minerals in securing global supply

• -Marc Fogassa , CEO , Atlas Lithium Corporation

Regional Focus: The Growing Role of Australian Critical Minerals

• -Salim Bhabhrawala , Senior Critical Materials Advisor , Bondi Partners (Former DoE)

Investment Panel: Accelerating investment in critical mineral supply chains crucial for economic competitiveness and national security

• -Chip Dunn , Founder & Chairman , M2Graphite
• -Christopher Robb , Principal , Robb Commodity Consulting
• -Kenan Arkan , Managing Director , JP Morgan
• -Daniel Anziska , Partner , Troutman Pepper Locke
• -Hasan Nasar , Head of Policy , Crux Climate

Closing Lunch