The 6^th Biennial AZ China Conference

Ron Knapp was appointed Secretary General of the International Aluminium Institute, London in December 2008.

Prior to this, Ron held senior roles in the Australian Aluminium Council, the World Coal Institute (London) and the Minerals Council of Australia.

As the global forum of the world’s aluminium industry, the International Aluminium Institute aims to promote a wider understanding of the value of aluminium and that of its products to society – and industry responsibility in relation to all key sustainability issues . . . environmental, health, safety and recycling.

John R. Auers (jauers@turnermason.com), is a 38 year veteran of the petroleum refining industry.  He is currently the Executive Vice President of Turner, Mason & Company, an international energy consulting firm located in Dallas, TX.  He is the team leader of TM&C’s subscription products, including The Crude and Refined Products Outlook and the Worldwide Refinery Construction Outlook. He also leads assignments in the area of refining economics and planning, LP modeling, downstream asset valuation, crude oil valuation and capital investment and strategic planning.  Auers joined the firm in 1987 after 7 years with Exxon Corporation, where he held various positions at its Baytown, Texas, refinery.  He holds a BS (1980) in chemical engineering from the University of Nebraska and an MBA (1984) from the University of Houston-Clear Lake.  He speaks frequently at various national and international industry workshops and conferences regarding developments in the petroleum industry.  Auers is a licensed professional engineer in Texas and Nebraska and is a member of TSPE and AIChE.

Anne Stevenson-Yang is research director of J Capital Research, which generates investment ideas for fund managers. She writes on the Chinese macro economy and listed companies around the world, specializing in tech and internet. Before co-founding J Cap in 2007, Anne was co-founder of a group of Online Media Businesses called Blue Bamboo Ventures. She also founded and operated a CRM software company, Clarity Data Systems, and a publishing company whose flagship magazine is City Weekend. Over 25 years in China, Anne has also worked as an industry analyst and trade advocate. Anne authored the 2013 monograph China Alone: China’s Emergence and Potential Return to Isolation and was a guest lecturer on the Chinese economy at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

Monte Zhang, AZ China China Branch Office Manager, has nearly 7 years of experience in non-ferrous metal industry, and has been leading the national development and Reform Commission(NDRC)’s price monitoring center for the compilation of nonferrous metal price index , and has made a speech at the industry conference several times.

June Wang, officially working with AZ China Limited Company in 2013 and closely monitoring China raw materials markets of aluminium, researching and tracking market for over five years. Writing and proposing physical and feasible insight report for customs. Prior to this, June Wang have over three years’ experience on coal tar and pitch market researching.

Yisha Xue worked in the commodity and financial world in the heart of London since the 1990s. She worked in London Metals Exchange’s member company for 3 years and French Bank Credit Lyonnairs for 8 years. She worked for the Alcoa and China’s 30-year long term alumina contract. Yisha set up a commodity brokerage company in 2003, and ever since had successful business results each year. Yisha worked with Alcoa, Alcan, Shwein, Glencore, Gerald Metal, VITOL, etc. She has also worked with producers and traders in the international and domestic markets on FOB and CIF sales. In the recent years, Yisha Xue has handled a large number of alumina warehouse tonnage sales to traders in China. Yisha became freeman of city since this year and will receive the freedom of city on 23rd of July. Aside from trading work Yisha is a member of IOD and National Liberal Club and help with various charities such as Islington Chinese Associations.

Liu Tao was a part of Sinopec International from 1995 to 2001. He was then elected the Chairman and CEO of Sinoway International, and headed the company from 2001 to 2011.

He is currently the Chairman of Sinoway Carbon Co. Ltd, which is mainly engaged in production and sales of calcined petroleum coke (CPC) and steam with registered capital of USD 15,500,000 and total investment of RMB690 million.

Dr. Zhang graduated from Xi’an Jiao Tong University School, and he achieved his doctoral degree in management. At present, Mr. Zhang is responsible for the operation and market service of aluminum and tin futures, as well as the variety research and development of alumina futures and market. Dr. Zhang has rich experience in the supervision and research and development of futures derivatives.

Graduated from China Foreign Affairs College and majored in Business English.  20 years experiences of all kinds of carbon business, including Met Coke, Foundry Coke, Green Coke, Calcined Coke, Coal Tar Pitch, Anode, Cathode, Needle Coke, Graphite Electrode and recarb etc.  Heavily involved in Steel, Coke, Aluminum, and Chemicals industries.  Have tremendous understanding of technical knowledge of carbon industry and also possess vast experiences in logistics.

1992 – 2005, worked as a key staff in Nichimen and JECT Corporation, a Japan based trading company, and positioned as General Manager of the Beijing Office 2002-2005.  Also, set up a J/V tar distillation plant in China for JECT in 2003, and worked as VP responsible for Pitch sales for both domestic and export markets.  2005, set up own company, focusing on consulting services for the carbon and chemical industry.

Les Edwards is Chief Technology Officer at Rain Carbon Inc. responsible for technical support and product development activities in the Carbon and Advanced Materials businesses. Les is a regular contributor at industry conferences and has published more than 25 technical papers and been awarded three TMS best paper awards. This will be his 20^th year with Rain Carbon and he has recently relocated from the US to Rain Carbon’s Belgium office in Zelzate. Prior to joining Rain, Les spent 11 years working in an R&D role in the aluminum industry in Australia. He has a B.Sc. degree from the University of Western Australia and an MBA from Tulane University in New Orleans.

Gu Songqing，Ph.D. & Professor, is working for Chalco as a Technology Consultant.

Dr. Gu graduated from Tsinghua University majoring in Chemical Engineering in 1968. He received Master Degree of Physical Chemistry for Metallurgy in 1982 and Ph.D. of Non-ferrous Metals Metallurgy in 1986.

Dr. Gu’s working experiences mainly focus on R & D for alumina and aluminum production processes, especially energy saving technologies and new processes for the low grade bauxite, sandy alumina production from diasporic bauxite and energy saving aluminum reduction technology etc.

Dr. Gu’s major technology achievements include: High Temperature Double Stream Digestion Process for Bauxite Flotation Concentrates, Lime Bayer Process for High Silica Bauxite, Sandy Alumina Production Technology, Efficient & Intensified Bayer Process, Energy Saving Reduction Technology with Advanced Cell Cathode Structure etc.

Ether Yin is a co-founder of Trivium China, an advisory firm for corporations and asset managers. He heads the company’s policy research.

Previously, Mr. Yin was a China analyst at BowerGroupAsia, a US government affairs and public policy consulting firm focused on the Asia-Pacific region. Prior to that, he was a senior consultant at North Head, a Beijing-based public affairs and government relations consultancy.

Mr. Yin is experienced in analyzing the dynamics of China’s political economy and its policy mechanisms, and has advised multinational companies investing and operating in China in a diverse range of sectors, including energy, manufacturing, and healthcare.

He holds two bachelor’s degrees – one in Diplomacy from China Foreign Affairs University, and one in English from Beijing Forestry University.

Jing Hao is currently working as Assistant to the President (Export) in MC Zhenjiang Anode Solutions Co., Ltd. (MZAS).

Previously, he was in the Petroleum Coke Division of Mitsubishi Corporation (Tokyo) from 2012 to 2016, and afterwards worked for one year in Mitsubishi International GmbH (Germany) from 2016 to 2017.

Ralph is the General Manager of Klaveness Shipping Shanghai Co, Ltd a Norwegian shipping company that is well known within the freight market for its innovative shipping solutions for more than 70 years. Klaveness has been servicing the Asian Alumina and Caustic Soda markets for more than 20 years.

Ralph has a Bachelor of Business in Transport Economics & Logistics Management from RMIT (Australia) & is a Member of The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, Singapore (ex-Australia).

Ralph has an extensive knowledge of the Asia-Pacific shipping markets with his main focus being centred around regional coal markets.

Gerard (Gerry) Sweeney is President of Rain Carbon Inc., a leading vertically integrated global producer of carbon-based and advanced material products that are essential raw materials for staples of everyday life. The company is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, USA, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of RAIN Industries Limited, a publicly traded company based in Hyderabad, India.

Mr. Sweeney has more than 30 years of experience with leaders in the industrial carbon industry. Since 2000, he has been instrumental in the global expansion of calcined petroleum coke production throughout Asia and the Middle East, especially China, India and Kuwait. Mr. Sweeney sits on the board of Rain Commodities (USA) Inc., Rain Carbon Inc., and Rain CII Carbon LLC. He also serves on the boards of several local charities and non-profit organizations.

Mr. Sweeney aspires to build the world’s most Resourceful, Reliable and Responsible industrial organization. He leads Rain Carbon Inc. with the belief that leadership means more than being recognized for industry accomplishments and rankings; it means stepping forward and doing the right things for customers, suppliers, employees, the environment, and the communities where we live and work.

Mr. Sweeney holds a bachelor of science degree in accounting and finance from Rowan University (formerly Glassboro State College).

After graduating from the University in 1987, Mr. Pan entered the non-ferrous metal industry and has more than 40 years of experience. Mr. Pan has been the director and vice president of the Aluminum Inc. He has published academic papers on national journals and won many awards in the field of science and technology. Mr. Pan is now the executive secretary of the Xinjiang non-ferrous metal industry association, a member of the expert group of the Xinjiang autonomous region security department, Changji. A member of the expert group of the state industry information group.

Peter Deneen is a director of EV-Metals Resources, a consulting & investment advisory group based in Hong Kong, focusing mainly on upstream supply of cobalt and other metals used in making electric vehicle batteries and other energy storage devices.

Prior to founding EV-Metals in October 2017, Peter was Senior Vice President in charge of trading and overseas assets at Jinchuan Group International Resources Co. Ltd, a HK-listed subsidiary of Chinese mining conglomerate Jinchuan Group. In addition to covering cobalt, copper and other base metals, Peter served on the board of Metorex Limited, an African mining company with operating copper and cobalt mines in Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Peter has worked in and around the metals industry of China for more than 25 years, formerly based in Beijing as Chief Representative of Cometals, a division of Commercial Metals Company (NYSE: CMC), and later headed up Samsung America’s global alumina team, a major supplier to the Chinese aluminium industry. Peter was also a former board member, and Director of Sales at Erdmin, Mongolia’s only refined copper and wire rod producer.

Peter holds a Masters Degree in International Management (M.I.M.) from the American Graduate School of International Management (Thunderbird), and an undergraduate degree in China Studies from Hampshire College in Amherst MA. Peter speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese.

Sharon Ding joined Deutsche Bank in April 2014, covering major Chinese aluminum names and is part of the Asia Metals & Mining research team. Prior to joining Deutsche Bank, she was focusing on HK/China Metals & Mining for 4 years. Sharon has a bachelor degree from Shanghai Fudan University, majoring in Finance.

Howard Childs is BP’s Coke Business Development Manager North America with 30 years of experience in the oil and carbon industries.  He has spent the past 15 years as part of the leadership team of BP’s North American coke business located in Huntington Beach, California.  He is a graduate from the University of Kent at Canterbury with a BSc in Chemistry and from the University of Redlands California with an MBA.  Howard is a key contributor to BP’s vision to deliver value that is aligned with customer needs both now and into the future.

BP markets over 1.5 million tons of calcined coke produced primarily from its refineries in Europe and North America as well as over 2 million tons of green coke with full technical service to assist customers maximize value from BP offers.

Scott McLean is BP’s Director of Coke Products North America with  30 years of experience in the oil and carbon industries.  He has spent the past twelve years on the leadership team of BP’s North American coke business located in Huntington Beach, California.  He is a graduate from the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business.  Scott leads BP’s vision to deliver value that is aligned with customer needs both now and into the future.

BP markets over 1.5 million tons of calcined coke produced primarily from its refineries in Europe and North America as well as over 2 million tons of green coke with full technical service to assist customers maximize value from BP offers.

Bernard Allais joined Aluminium Pechiney, now part of Rio Tinto, in 1983 as an engineer in the Australian operations at the time of the Tomago AP18 project. He then moved to France and took part in the stabilisation of the new potline equipped with the AP28 pots at Saint Jean de Maurienne. From 1989 to 1992 Bernard was the Head of the Potline in the Aluminium Dunkerque Smelter project in France until the stabilisation of operation. From 1993 to 1995, he was at the R&D Center (LRF – France) involved in the development of the AP50 pot technology. In 1996, Bernard joined the Technology Sales Group where he looked after the implementation of AP18 and AP30 technology on smelter projects around the world. He was also involved in the technical assistance to many plants using AP technology as well as the development of the ALPSYS pot control system. In early 2009 Bernard was appointed Director, Technology Sales & Marketing – Smelters at Rio Tinto Aluminium. Bernard has an Engineering degree from the French engineering school Ecole Centrale de Paris (1979) and a Master of Science from the University of Wisconsin (USA-1980).

Mr. Tang Changting graduated from Northeastern University in master of metallurgical engineering.

From 1999 to 2011, he worked in Chalco Guizhou. From January 2011 to the present, he has been the director, assistant general manager, chief engineer and deputy general manager of No. 3 and No. 4 electrolysis plant of Shandong Nanshan Aluminum Co., Ltd. He is also the executive deputy general manager of Xinjiang Jiarun Resources. Mr. Tang is mainly engaged in aluminum electrolysis technology, operation and management of the company and other aspects of work, focusing on the electrolytic aluminum industry market analysis and research.

Matthieu Arlettaz holds a degree in Electrical Engineering and Mechanics. He developed his IT skills through continuous education. He joined R&D Carbon in 2002 as baking furnace process engineer. After years of development of automation, IT systems and baking furnace startups, he became responsible for carbon production in China. He leads R&D Carbon’s activities for the trader Aminco through carbon plant process optimization, quality control and customer services. His goal is the export of Swiss quality anodes made in China to the western world. He acts as director of the ICSOBA conference committee. His large industrial knowledge in optimization of carbon production gives him a broad understanding of raw materials and anode production processes.

Jason Moodley has 20 years’ experience in heavy industry significantly  weighted in Aluminium Smelting. In his current role as Supply Chain Manager, Jason brings a wealth of administrative and leadership experience to Sohar Aluminium Company. He has been instrumental in establishing and optimizing organizational processes, measurement systems and infrastructure with proven efficiency in maximizing business results. He has served as Strategy and Business Improvement Manager, Operations Manager and has plant experience in many areas of Aluminium Smelting. Jason holds a post graduate degree in Business Management from University of Kwa-Zulu Natal and has a degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Sohar Aluminium was formed in September 2004 to undertake a landmark Greenfield aluminium smelter project in the Sultanate of Oman and is jointly owned by Oman Oil Company, Abu Dhabi National Energy Company PJSC – TAQA and Rio Tinto (RTA). By implementing decades of industry insight in its design, specification and construction Sohar Aluminium has been created to ensure efficiency, environmental protection and the utmost safety of its workforce. The smelter has an annual production capacity of 390,000 tonnes of high quality Aluminium.

Mr. Wen is currently the vice chairman and Standing Committee of the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association. He held the master degree major in engineering and he is the senior professorship engineer.

Roy Cahill started in the aluminium business in 1996 with Reynolds Metals Company. Since that time he has had positions within Alcoa, Rio Tinto, and now Pacific Aluminium. Roy has worked in areas ranging from alumina production, coke calcination, carbon anode production, and spent cathode treatment processes. He is currently the Principal Carbon Consultant for Pacific Aluminium.

Song has 13 years’ experience in research and development, technical support, new technology development and project management for the primary aluminium smelting industry. Her main experience is within aluminium smelting environments in primary aluminium smelters, focusing on advanced process control strategies and innovative technologies design, development and implementation; operational optimisation; human decision making optimisation; automation improvement — all with the goal to improve current efficiency, energy consumption, carbon consumption, operational excellence and work safety. Her project work has allowed her to gain valuable practical experience in a number of smelters and technologies in Australia, North America and China. She manages the projects and clients for centre’s Business in China. Song also leads the design, development and implementation of Gen3 Potline Control and Management System for LMRC. This allows her to gain significant experience of managing complex projects which involves team members from multiple parties with very different cultures. She works effectively and directly with smelter staff from the operators to general managers.

Foster Lee, MCIPS, is currently the chief advisor of Sunstone Development Co., Ltd for two and half years after 14-year service in Rio Tinto (including ex Alcan) as director of China carbon industrial analytic and business development, manager of global sourcing-China, Commercial and procurement director of Alcan Ningxia Aluminum Company, and 16-year service in Qinghai Aluminum Co., Ltd of Chalco (including China Non-ferrous Metals Cooperation “CNNC”) as assistant general manager & director of commercial and procurement.

Foster Lee is involved in CAPEX of Qinghai Aluminum Project (Phase 1 & 2), Anode-Out JV Initiative of RTA Kitimat Modernization Project, RTA CPC JV Initiative for NA and RTIO Simandou BFS, sales and marketing of primary metal and VAP, sourcing & procurement of alumina, GPC, caustic soda and other commodities applied for smelter and refinery in different time.

Foster Lee complied a book “Operation and Maintenance Manual for HV & Rectifier Units” published by Qinghai People’s Press and two papers “factors impacting import equipment operation” and “Influence on China aluminum industry after China joining WTO” issued in China Nonferrous Metals Magazine.

Alexey has an Environmental Protection Engineering Background.

Since 1998 Alexey worked in Det Norske Veritas and led Environmental management system consulting and certification activities. He worked with UC RUSAL plants on ISO 14001 standard implementation.

Since 2006 Alexey has joined UC RUSAL as Climate project director. He has organized GHG Inventory, setting of climate goals, PFC measurements, GHG emissions reporting and measurement system, and running JI projects in accordance to article 6 of Kyoto protocol.

In period 2009-2015 he worked in different Oil, Gas and petrochemical companies as project leader in several projects for improving of operational and energy efficiency.

Since August 2015, he continue to work with UC RUSAL as Head of Greenhouse Gases Emissions Regulation Department.

Alexey is responsible for implementation of climate strategy of UC RUSAL.

He is a chairman of Environmental and Energy committee of International Aluminium Institute and one of the Lead Authors of IPCC for updating of 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories in Aluminium sector. He is also leading an Aluminium Stewardship Initiative implementation project in UC RUSAL.

After returning to China in 2004 from America, Angela Chen entered the family carbon company Tuhai Carbon as the deputy general manager, in charge of sales and finance. In 2009, she joined DQ Carbon Group as the vice president and was responsible for business operation. From 2012 to 2014, she worked as the deputy manager in a big calcined petroleum coke company, Weifang Lianxing Technology, and was in charge of calcined petroleum coke sales. She has worked for DQ Carbon Group since 2015.