Rare earths and the high performance magnets they make have long been a major supply chain vulnerability for the US electric vehicle and offshore wind turbine industries. That vulnerability was thrown into sharp relief in April when China introduced export restrictions on certain rare earth materials and magnets, driving up prices for what little material is already stockpiled outside China. The US government is now showing more willingness than ever to support the development of a US rare earth supply chain, with July’s groundbreaking deal between the Department of Defense and MP Materials. So is the US now finally on course to break its reliance on China for these critical materials, or will rare earths remain a vulnerability in the years ahead? What are the implications for energy transition?
This event will be a virtual session via Zoom Webinar from 12:00 PM until 1:30 PM ET. Additional details will be provided to registered attendees prior to the session. The event will be as part of Climate Week NYC program.
SPEAKERS
Debra Bennethum
Debra Bennethum is a results-driven leader with a rich background in global sourcing, purchasing, and chemical engineering. She is currently the Director of Critical Minerals & Strategic Supply Chain at Energy Fuels Resources, where she spearheads the development of a new Rare Earth Element (REE) business, focusing on establishing a robust US-based supply chain with strategic partnerships. Previously, Debra spent more than a decade at General Motors in multiple roles, including EV Critical Minerals Manager and Program Purchasing Manager. She played a critical role in developing a resilient EV raw material supply chain and managed over $1.5 billion in investment projects. Debra's career began with BP Corporation, where she honed her skills as a Process Design Engineer, Logistics Specialist, and Logistics Consultant.
Debra is a graduate of Michigan State University with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering, and currently serves on the Advisory Board of Westwin Elements, soon to be the first Nickel refinery in USA.
John Ormerod
Dr. Ormerod is the principal and founder of JOC LLC which provides business and technical expertise to the global magnetics and metals industries. He holds BSc, MSc, and PhD degrees in metallurgy from the University of Manchester, UK. With over forty years’ experience in research, product development, and manufacturing involving metals and magnetic materials, he has made notable contributions at Philips in Europe and SPS Technologies in the United States.
His experience covers the rare earth magnet supply chain, including mining, production, and application. His clients include intellectual property law firms, magnet manufacturers, suppliers of magnetic equipment, medical device research and development companies, motor manufacturers, tier 1 automotive suppliers, and organizations engaged in research and development of magnetic materials.
Additional speakers to be announced soon.
MODERATORS
Ellie Saklatvala
Ellie Saklatvala is the Global Editorial Lead for Metals at Argus Media. Based in London, she oversees global price assessments and news/analysis for the metals group and has editorial oversight of six publications: Argus Nonferrous Markets, Argus Battery Materials, Argus Global Steel, Argus Steelmaking Raw Materials, Argus Scrap Markets and the Argus Indonesian Nickel Index. Ellie has been with Argus since 2013, initially looking at thermal coal and the energy complex before moving across to the metals group. Prior to this, she graduated from Cambridge University and began her career at Euromoney Institutional Investor, producing conferences for the coal and renewable energy industries.
Louise Burke
Louise Burke is currently working for Argus Media on strategic business initiatives. Prior to this, Ms. Burke was President and before that Executive Director of the NY Energy Forum, and president of J.C. Energy, an energy consulting firm. She has worked extensively in the energy sector analyzing pricing and markets for Mobil Oil Canada, Alberta Energy Company and Petroleos DeVenezuela. In addition, as Vice-President, Marketing for the New York Mercantile Exchange she supervised major energy and metals futures and options product launches and was closely involved in the successful growth of energy commodity markets. Ms Burke has also been affiliated with the SIPA energy program at Columbia University, New York as an instructor in the area of petroleum markets trading since 2008. Ms. Burke holds a BA honors economics degree from the University of Alberta and an MBA from New York University.
PROGRAM
12:00 - 1:30 PM ET: Presentation and Discussion
COST
This session is complimentary for all attendees. Registration is required for event link details.