Giga US 26

- Andrew Miller, CEO, Benchmark

- Congressman Bruce Westerman, Representative of the 4th District of Arkansas

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

- Jeff Morrison, Senior VP, Global Chief Procurement Officer, General Motors
- Moderator: Andrew Miller, CEO, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence

How are the US government is working with the private sector, across financing, mining and processing, to reduce dependence on foreign supply chains, whilst accelerating domestic production, strengthening economic resilience and improving national security.

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

- Benchmark presentation: Lithium Market Outlook
- Daniel Fletcher-Manuel, Director - Indexing & Derivatives, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence
Key producer lithium presentation

- Jonathan Evans, CEO, Lithium America

Examining how the US can accelerate lithium projects from resource development to battery-grade chemicals by aligning technology, capital, and international collaboration.

- Robert Winans, VP of Supply Chain, Panasonic Energy
- Jonathan Evans, CEO, Lithium Americas
- David Park, CEO, Standard Lithium
- Teague Egan, Founder & CEO, EnergyX
- Moderator: Austin Devaney, North American Representative Director, ILiA

Examining whether DLE can move from pilot projects to scaled, commercial supply, and what that transition means for cost, sustainability, and global battery supply security.

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

- Congressman Pete Stauber
- Caspar Rawles, COO, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence

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

- Benchmark Presentation: Copper Market Outlook, Albert MacKenzie, Copper Analyst, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence (10 mins)
- Producer Presentation: Michael Meding, Managing Director, McEwen Copper (15 mins)
- Producer Presentation: Darias Jonker, Vice President of Government & International Relations, Anglo American (10 mins)

As US electrification accelerates, this panel examines the projected US copper supply and manufacturing gap.

- Darias Jonker, Vice President of Government & International Relations, Anglo American
- Turner Caldwell, CEO, Mariana Minerals
- Cristobal Undurraga, CEO, Ceibo
- Stefan Spears, VP Corporate Development, McEwen Copper
- Moderator: Albert MacKenzie, Copper Analyst, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence

Examining how the accelerating shift toward LFP and diversified cathode chemistries is reshaping global supply chains, geopolitics, and strategies for securing resilient, domestic production.

- Pat Risner, President, Hermosa, South 32
- Stefan Debruyne, VP Sustainability and Global Affairs, Novandino Litio
- Craig Weich, Operating Advisor, Breakthrough Energy
- Tara Berrie, Director of Battery Cell Materials & Rare Earth Sourcing, Rivian
- Moderator: Daniel Fletcher-Manuel, Director - Indexing & Derivatives, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence

This panel will discuss whether deep sea mining can transition from promise to practice while balancing critical mineral demand with environmental and regulatory realities.
- Craig Shesky, CFO, The Metals company
- Robbie Diamond, Executive Chairman, Glomar Minerals
- James Deckelman, CEO, Deep Sea Minerals Corp
- Megan Carr, Associate Director for Strategic Resources, Bureau of Ocean Management, US Department of the Interior
- Moderator: Bryan Bille, Lead Policy & Geopolitical Analyst

- George Ingall, Senior Price Analyst, Rare Earths & Battery Minerals, Benchmark

- George Ingall, Senior Price Analyst, Rare Earths & Battery Minerals, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence

Examining how the US can reduce reliance on non-US rare earth and magnet supply chains by accelerating domestic production critical to defence systems and next-generation EV motors.

- Melvin Hill, Vice President, GE Chaplin
- Ken Biberaj, Executive Managing Director, Savills
- George Ingall, Senior Price Analyst, Rare Earths & Battery Minerals, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence

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

Presenting the report findings from SEIA & Benchmark’s proprietary grid and behind the meter data on US energy storage deployment

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

From exponential demand to supply chain sovereignty, energy storage is becoming the backbone—and bottleneck—of the U.S. energy transition.

- Robert Lee, President North America, LG Energy Solutions
- Paul Dorsey, Deputy General Councel & Head of Federal Affairs, Samsung
- Andrew Waranch, Founder, Spearmint Energy
- Iola Hughes, Head of Research, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence

- Eric Norris, EVP & Chief Commercial Officer, Albemarle
- Moderator: Andrew Miller, CEO, Benchmark

Assessing the US critical minerals stockpile and its role in stabilizing volatile Western prices, & the role of the government in price exchanges

- Stacy Newstead, Materials Strategy & Risk Manager, Lockheed Martin
- Eric Shields, Senior Battery Advisor, OUSD Industrial Policy
- James Trevey, CTO, Forge Nano
- Mark Smith, Chairman & CEO, NioCorp
- Daniel Fletcher-Manuel, Director - Indexing & Derivatives, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence

- Luis Lucero, Minister of Mining, Argentina

This panel unpacks how policy, pricing pressures, and shifting consumer behaviour are shaping the next wave of EV adoption.

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

- Marc Fogassa, CEO & Chairman, Atlas Lithium Corporation

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

- Chip Dunn, Chairman & Founder, M2Graphite
- Hasan Nasar, Head of Policy, Crux Climate
- Chris Robb, Founder, Robb Commodities Consulting
- Gordon O'Brien, Director, MUFG Project Finance, MUFG
- Kenan Arkan, Managing Director, Commodities Origination, JP Morgan
- Moderator: Daniel Anziska, Partner, Troutman Pepper Locke