Maroš Šefčovič (born in 1966) is a Slovak diplomat, who since 1 December 2019 has served as Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight. He leads the Commission’s work on interinstitutional relations, better policymaking, strategic foresight and the European Battery Alliance. He also co-chairs the EU-UK Partnership Council and the EU-UK Joint Committee. Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of Interinstitutional Relations and Administration, and then the Energy Union (2010 – 2019); Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Youth (2004 -2009). Elected as a Member of the European Parliament in 2014. Before, he was the Permanent Representative of the Slovak Republic to the EU. As a diplomat he served in Zimbabwe and Canada and as Ambassador to Israel (1992-2004). He graduated from the University of Economy (Bratislava) and the Moscow State Institute for Foreign Relations. He holds a degree as Doctor of Law and a PhD of European Law (Comenius University, Bratislava). He wrote a book "Driving the EU forward – talks with Maroš Šefčovič".

Jani is Development Manager at Finish Minerals Group. Before joining FMG Jani has been working as a consultant focusing on new business development, public funding proposal preparation and arranging open innovation ecosystems to create disruptive solutions within battery, mining, and the circular economy field. He holds a M.Sc. from Aalto University, Materials Engineering.

Dr. Suni Aranda is the inventor of the AlSiCal technology and Project Coordinator of the H2020 AlSiCal project. She has been working in Applied Research and Innovation in industrial processes for 19 years, on several minerals and energy industries. Her background is on chemical processes and materials. She works at Institute for Energy Technology (IFE) in Norway since 2010, currently as Business Developer and Principal Scientist for Sustainable Minerals and Metals portfolio.

Head of Unit in the DG INTPA, in charge of Trade, Investment Climate, Entrepreneurship, Raw Materials & Value Chains. She has been working for the EC for more than 15 years, holding various positions related to health, climate, development and trade, a position in the Cabinet of the former EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström. Before joining the EC, Cécile BILLAUX worked in the private sector as a Consultant in public affairs for major international companies. She holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

Dr. Antoine Boubault is a member of the Mineral Intelligence team at BRGM. He has an Engineer’s degree in Thermal Sciences and a Ph.D in Engineering Sciences from the University of Perpignan, France. He is now studying material criticality and the socioeconomic metabolism.

Ms Brinnen works as corporate lawyer and Head of Regulatory Affairs at the Swedish mining company LKAB, that mines 85% of the iron ore produced in Europe and is set to lead the transformation of the mining industry towards sustainability. Together with partners, LKAB has developed the HYBRIT technology for fossil free steel. In January, LKAB announced the discovery of Europe’s largest known deposit of REEs in the vicinity of its Kiruna mine in North Sweden. Ms Brinnen has a background as a lawyer in environmental law and environmental permit procedures.

Carlo holds a Ph.D. in metallurgy and materials from the University of Birmingham, UK, and is scientific director at the STI–Institute for Precious and Technology Metals, Pforzheim University.

He is professor of manufacturing technologies at Pforzheim University (Germany) and professor of materials at the Jozef-Stefan International Postgraduate School in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

He coordinates the H2020/HORIZON projects SUSMAGPRO and REEsilience and is co-founder of two University spin-offs: HyProMag GmbH (Magnet recycling) and MetShape GmbH (Additive Manufacturing).

Dina Carrilho holds a PhD and has been working in the raw materials field for over 10 years. She works as senior science officer at the Department of International Relations of the Portuguese national Research Funding Organisation (FCT- Foundation for Science and Technology). Dina is currently coordinating the EU project ERA-MIN3 on raw materials for the sustainable development and the circular economy, following the coordination of ERA-MIN2. Presently, Dina is a Board member of the not-for profit association International Raw Materials Observatory (INTRAW) representing FCT.

Position: Business Development Manager (Global)

Industry Experience: 16 years

Nationality: British

Education: Honors Degree in Business Law and Finance, Batchelor of Arts (1995), Strathclyde University, Glasgow.

Specialisms: Commercial and contractual negotiations, execution of contracts, establish strategic alliances with complementary technologies; interface with private, governmental and corporate investors and funding institutions.

Milan Grohol, PhD is a Policy Officer in the Unit of Energy intensive industries, Raw Materials, Hydrogen at the Directorate-General for Internal market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW), European Commission. Since 2004, he contributes to the EU raw materials policy and initiatives, including the programming of Horizon funding on raw materials. He leads the EU assessment of the Critical Raw Materials and the organisation of the EU Raw Materials Week since 2016. He represents DG GROW in the Bureau of the UNECE Expert Group on Resource Management since 2018.

Karen is the Director of the British Geological Survey and a geologist with vast experience in research, innovation management and the minerals and metals industry. She is passionate about understanding complexities of resource management, environmental and social sustainability and the role of geoscience in finding solutions to societal challenges. Following her PhD, she has worked with research on geological processes in the lower crust and mantle and their associated minerals deposits before taking senior leadership roles in research and innovation.

Walburga Hemetsberger has been the CEO of SolarPower Europe since 2019. She has over 20 years of professional experience in Brussels, working for a utility, a trade association, the European Parliament and the European Commission. Walburga has spent most of her career in the energy sector, covering in particular renewable energies and hydrogen.

Janne Hokka is a Senior Specialist acts as the leading technical specialist in UNFC classification for minerals in Geological Survey of Finland (GTK). In 2022 he was the primary reviewer for the UNFC Guidance Europe and has now been part of the expert group updating the CRIRSCO-UNFC Bridging Document.Janne is a EurGeol and member of Minerals Working Group (UNECE) and PERC (The Pan European Reserves and Resources Reporting Committee) through the Fennoscandian Association for Metals and Minerals Professionals (FAMMP).

Erika is Head of Division, Mineral Information & Mining Industry at SGU since 2015. Her division runs the Mineral information office in Malå, statistics on mining, exploration, raw materials, government commissions, and also runs international capacity building projects. Among other things, Erika is part of the team that negotiated the CRMA during the Swedish EU Presidency, and one of the experts contributing to the Swedish government FIMM inquiry on securing innovation critical raw materials.

Åsa Jackson is the Executive Vice President People and Sustainability and a member of the executive management team at the metals and mining company Boliden since 2019. Before joining Boliden, Åsa was the Executive Vice President HR and Health & Safety at Ahlstrom-Munksjö, a company within the pulp and paper industry, and before that she had different senior positions within ABB, mainly within HR and Sustainability. Åsa holds a MSc in Business and Economics from the School of Business, Economics and Law at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

Asko Käpyaho has more than 20 years of work history in various fields of geology. Currently, he works as the Head of Mineral Economy Solutions Unit at the Geological Survey of Finland (GTK). He has a PhD in geology and mineralogy (2007). His work history and scientific career covers broad field of geosciences, including mineral exploration, scientific research on the evolution of the Fennoscandia Shield, mineral systems research, science and innovation management as well as geological research related to the final disposal of spent nuclear fuel.

Ben Katz leads the sector team on mineral supply chains at the OECD's Centre for Responsible Business Conduct, looking after implementation of the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas. Their work encompasses research, convening and international cooperation across energy transition, base and precious minerals. Ben has more than a decade of experience at the nexus of development and natural resources, including in field projects to improve conditions in the informal mining sector.

Sara-Elvira Kuhmunen is the president of Sáminuorra, the Sámi national youth organization in the Swedish part of Sápmi. Sáminuorra aims to promote and protect the interests and rights of Sámi youth.

Olivia Lazard is a fellow at Carnegie Europe. Her research focuses on the geopolitics of climate, the transition ushered by climate change, and the risks of conflict and fragility associated to climate change and environmental collapse.

Dario is the Director of Sustainable Energy at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). Prior to joining UNECE, Dario was the Chief Underwriting Officer at SACE, responsible for export credit, the EU Green New Deal and the guarantees under the EU Temporary Framework. Before joining SACE, Dario spent more than a decade with General Electric (GE), at the Council of Europe Development Bank and with the European Commission. His career started at Cargill.

Victoire de Margerie, PhD, held management roles in the chemicals and metal industries in Canada, France, Germany & the USA until 2002. She then became Professor of Strategy and Technology at Grenoble School of Management until 2011. Since 2012, she is CEO of Rondol and a Board Director at Eurazeo. Since 2014 she is also Founder of World Materials Forum, since 2019 a Member of the National Academy of Technologies of France, since 2021 a Board Director at Mines ParisTech and since 2022 a Board Director at Ivanhoe Electric (USA).

Jan Moström, President and CEO of LKAB and President of Euromines since 1 January 2023. LKAB mines 85% of the iron ore produced in Europe and is set to lead the transformation of the mining industry towards sustainability. Together with partners, LKAB has developed the HYBRIT technology for fossil free steel. In January, LKAB announced the discovery of Europe’s largest known deposit of REEs in the vicinity of its Kiruna mine. Mr. Moström joined LKAB in 2015. Prior to that he was President Mining Operations for Boliden and has extensive experience in senior positions in the mining industry.

Karin Nutti Pilflykt is born and raised in Gällivare, Swedish part of Sápmi. She is from a reindeer herding family in Sirges Sami village.

Nutti Pilflykt holds a Degree of Bachelor of Science with a major in Forest Science and a master's in Land Use and Environmental Law. She is also currently pursuing a master’s degree in Forestry.

Karin is working as an advisor at the Sami council in the EU unit, mainly with forest issues.

Karen Oldhoven is an event host, moderator, public speaker and Personal Branding entrepreneur. She is an enthusiastic, well-prepared to perfection moderator who, above all, is energized and committed to creating a positive impact that sets professionals into motion.

Henrik Ørskov Pedersen is Group Vice President, Head of Technology Innovation at GRUNDFOS. He is an experienced technology and innovation leader with a strong background in motor technologies, energy efficiency and sustainability.

Senior Geologist, with 22 years of experience in exploration projects and country managing, with a recognised track record in the industry, including for several listed companies on exploration and mining projects. Skilled in exploration, earth science, mining, engineering geology, minerals, project Evaluation and due diligence.

Since 2020, Ch.Poinssot is the Deputy Director General and Scientific Director of the French Geological Survey, in charge of the overall strategy on mineral and water resources, natural hazards, geoenergies and geological data. He also chairs EuroGeoSurveys, the association of the EU geological surveys. He previously worked during 25 y. in CEA both as expert and in management position. He holds a PhD in material science and a HDR in nuclear chemistry. He serves in numerous scientific committees.

Michael Reckordt is a trained geographer and works since 2008 on mining and trade issues. Since 2013 he has been working for the German NGO PowerShift and deals with natural resource policies and the impact of mining on human rights and the environment.

Cilia is the Head of the Metals, Mining & Fertilizers EMEA team of ING Bank N.V., based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The EMEA team works closely together with the New York and Singapore MMF teams to create a truly global mining franchise. She has >17 years of experience in leading teams and managing complex, multi-stakeholder, multi-time-zone projects and arranging and structuring a wide variety of financings in the mining and energy industry.

Jones is the Director of the KU Leuven Institute for Sustainable Metals and Minerals (SIM²) and co-founder of KU Leuven’s SOLVOMET R&I Centre that focuses on circular hydrometallurgy. Jones has been a coordinator or partner in more than 30 EU-funded projects on sustainable metallurgy and critical raw materials. Jones is the author of several books and presenter of documentaries (e.g. Responsible mining in Europe (2022), Made in Europe: from mine to Electric Vehicle (release: Nov’ 2023)).

Dr. Antti Vasara is the President & CEO of VTT Ltd since 2015. VTT is a visionary research, development and innovation partner with over 2200 people and turnover exceeding 260 MEUR. He is president of EARTO (European Association of Research and Technology Organisations) and a non-executive director of Elisa Oyj (largest communications operator in Finland). He has served on several high-level groups on industrial and innovation policy of the European Commission in addition to several groups in Finland on artificial intelligence and research policy.