Speakers

Initially an electrical engineer in the steel industry, Simon spent several years in the US as a business and technology analyst, consultant and CEO of a publicly traded software company. He began his renewable energy career in 2008, co-founding a solar cell technology startup. Two years later he co-founded a solar manufacturing facility design and integration business. In 2015, Simon established Exawatt to provide cost, performance and market forecasting in sectors including solar energy, battery storage, electric vehicles and power transmission. Simon joined CRU in early 2023 when the company acquired Exawatt

She has been working as a researcher at NORCE since August 2025, mainly within the fields of metallurgy and other process industry.

Prior to joining CRU in 2013, she served for seven years as a steel consultant at Hatch Beddows, providing specialized advisory services to industry clients. she also spent two years at Ping An Bank, where she offered expert guidance on steel asset portfolio management. At CRU, Li dedicates to silicon metal market analysis and conducts comprehensive cost research across the steel value chain. She holds a Master’s degree in Metallurgical Engineering from the University of Science and Technology Beijing.

Jim is a proven results getter with many diverse accomplishments leading to substantial bottom line impacts for his companies or employers. He has over 15 U.S patents to his credit. His companies have developed and implemented various solar energy projects in the USA including supplying process technology, commissioning and startup services.

His educational credentials include completing the MBA program for Senior Executives in MIT’s (Sloan Business School) in 1989, an MS in Metallurgical Engineering from the University of Michigan in 1972 and a BS in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science from the General Motors Institute in 1971.

He has been noted for his ability to correctly evaluate developing companies and to react quickly and effectively to crises and short-lived opportunities for profit. A strong team builder, he has formed lasting, mutually beneficial relationships with customers and suppliers.

He is a sought-after speaker. He has presented at over 100 international conferences on the global silicon and solar industries over the last 30 years.

Well traveled, he has been to over 100 countries including working on silicon projects in China, Brazil, Germany, Norway, Australia, Japan, U.A.E., Saudi Arabia, Bolivia, France, Italy, Austria, Russia, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Spain, Portugal, Holland, Switzerland, Bahrain, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Chile, and Argentina. He has conversational fluency in Mandarin Chinese and several other languages in the countries he has worked.

Arnoud advises clients on all aspects of trade law, including trade remedies, customs, trade compliance, and trade agreements. With over 30 years of experience, he is a trusted adviser to entrepreneurs, executives, and diplomats with an unparalleled network. Arnoud deeply understands how trade rules shape global flows of capital, investment, goods, technology, and services, especially with respect to competitiveness, and the application of trade rules to various sectors. He helps clients navigate complex rules, manage their risks, and become more successful in their long-term strategy.

Arnoud has assisted complainants, respondents, associations, governments, importers, and users in more than 200 high-profile anti-dumping, anti-subsidy, safeguard, and anti-circumvention investigations. Along with representing clients in such cases before the European Commission, national and EU courts, he has worked on several third-country cases (Russia, China, Türkiye, Philippines, Indonesia, Brazil). Arnoud’s cases often involve pan-European strategies with simultaneous litigation in several countries.

Regarding customs matters, Arnoud has broad experience in advising clients on EU customs issues, including entry, classification, valuation, origin, tariff suspensions, authorizations, audits, refunds/remissions and fraud allegations, notably OLAF and EPPO. A key aspect of his practice concerns working with EU and national authorities to help clients unlock customs issues or assist with resolving differences in approach between various EU member states.

Regarding trade agreements, Arnoud advises clients on leveraging market access and enforcement tools provided by trade rules in the WTO, free trade, investment, and other agreements. With these tools, Arnoud has helped companies address key trade and regulatory barriers affecting their ability to move, sell and protect goods, services, and intellectual property across borders. To conclude, Arnoud has assisted governments and companies in negotiating trade agreements, especially in making them concrete, and by creating so-called gold standards by leveraging best practices.

She joined CRU in 2025 as the editor of Silicon Metal Market Outlook and Silicon Cost Service, where she leads analysis on global silicon metal market supply-demand dynamics, price trends, and cost structures.

Prior to CRU, Sabrina worked as an Equity Research Associate at Jefferies, focusing on European Chemicals and Polysilicon market and company analysis. Sabrina holds an MSc degree in Risk Management and Financial Engineering from Imperial College London and a BSc degree in Quantitative Finance from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

She is currently working in metal production and recycling in SINTEF as a research scientist, focusing on electrolysis approaches, including production of Si and Mn by electrowinning. She also specializes in carbon for metallurgical processes, including the use of bio-carbon.

She worked for 15 years in R&D at Elkem Solar/REC Solar, with significant experience in product development, qualification processes and technical customer support. In 2021 she joined ReSiTec AS focusing on the development of recycled silicon products targeted for advanced powder applications

He has worked extensively with silicon and ferrosilicon processes in industrial and pilot-scale environments. He is currently leading the development of the silicon reactor step in the Elkem Sicalo® project.

He also has 5 years of research experience from SINTEF, where he worked and published in the field of industrial energy efficiency and heat recovery. His work is part of the FME Zero Emission Metal Production research centre, and aims to facilitate efficient carbon capture from future silicon production.

Currently working with raw materials and process support at the Holla site in Kyrksæterøra.

He has spent his entire career in the raw materials purchasing department and since 2014 has led the scrap and silicon metal purchasing team.

He joined Elkem in 2005 and has held several senior leadership roles, including EBS, Finance, Plant Manager, and SVP of two divisions. In 2003, he published the book “Lean Production in Continuous Process”, sharing practical lessons from implementing lean manufacturing in process industries.

He has 19 years of industrial experience, including 14 years at Elkem across different divisions and international environments. He is currently a Silicon Specialist at Elkem, based in Trondheim (NO). He is supporting polysilicon customers using Direct Chlorination (DC) and Hydrochlorination (HC) processes, focusing on product development, product qualification, and sustainable silicon solutions.

His work has largely focused on customer processes within the polysilicon and silicones segments, using lab-scale studies to build understanding and support product development. He is also responsible for the development, construction, and maintenance of laboratory equipment and specialized test setups.

She joined Elkem in 1997 and has held several senior leadership roles, including R&D, Laboratory management and product development.

He has lead a wide range of activities related to Silicon and its metallurgical, chemical and solar applications, including product development and laboratory activities, technical marketing and investment projects. In recent years focus has been more on process safety including fundamentals in dust explosion hazards.

Caroline Sindland is an Industrial PhD candidate and Research Engineer at Elkem ASA, working on silicon carbide behaviour in industrial silicon furnaces in collaboration with NTNU. She holds an MSc from NTNU and has experience from Elkem as both a laboratory apprentice and a Process Engineer.

He has over 20 years of experience in the development of nanotechnology for transport and energy applications, first at the University of Cambridge, then as a Principal Investigator at IMDEA Materials for 15 years and since 2021 in Floatech, leading public and private R&D programs exceeding €13 million. He is the author of over 20 patents, 140 scientific publications and supervisor of 17 PhD theses. His research through the prestigious ERC program laid the groundwork for the industrial processes employed by Floatech.

Richard Rast is President and CEO of Highland Materials, a US based polysilicon manufacturer. Richard leads the Highland team and partners who are focused on product validation, engineering/construction, plant operations, supply and offtake, and financing/funding. Highland is developing an innovative polysilicon production facility in Northeast Tennessee that provides significant reductions in capital and operating cost vs. incumbent processes. Importantly, the Highland process also offers the opportunity to recycle silicon saw kerf generated during the wafering process, using the purified polysilicon that is wasted in this process. Prior to Highland, Richard started, developed, and subsequently sold three successful businesses in the industrial facilities development space. His technical expertise includes planning, design, construction, and operation of large-scale manufacturing, industrial and commercial facilities; facility decarbonization, renewable energy development; environmental compliance and remediation. Financial expertise includes debt, tax equity, incentives, venture and private equity. He is a graduate of Georgia Tech.

Dr. Wolfgang Herbst is Co-Founder and Executive Director of Viridis.iQ, an international engineering and consulting firm focused on the photovoltaic and silicon industries. He has more than 25 years of experience in photovoltaics, with a strong business and technical background across the entire PV value chain—from silicon metal and polysilicon production through to solar module manufacturing. His expertise spans international business development, technology assessment, and strategy, with extensive experience in due diligence, financial modeling, and large-scale industrial project development. In addition, his earlier work in market research and technology evaluation has provided him with a solid analytical foundation that continues to inform his strategic and investment decisions in the industry.

He has worked at NORCE for over a decade, mainly working on modelling towards the metallurgical industry.

Over 15 years of experience in the ferroalloys industry, with expertise in investment project execution, ore beneficiation, sensor-based sorting technologies, by-product valorization, and REACH compliance. Actively involved in innovation projects for manganese and silicon alloys under Horizon Europe Programme

His career spans the complete silicon value chain—from quartz beneficiation and metallurgical silicon production to polysilicon, crystal growth, photovoltaics, semiconductors, advanced materials such as silicon anodes for battery application and circular silicon technologies.

With more than 30 years of experience in the global metals and chemicals sector, he has developed extensive expertise in international sourcing, market development, and supply chain management. In the silicon metal market, BIT Metals works closely with producers, primarily in Asia and Africa, through long-term supply and off-take agreements, and supplies customers globally. Through these partnerships, Doron has gained broad insight into global market dynamics, trade flows, and the supply and demand fundamentals shaping the silicon metal industry.

He graduated in 1973 as a Ferrous and Non-Ferrous Metallurgical Engineer from Armando Alvares Penteado Foundation in Sao Paulo – Brazil.

Today, RIMA is the 2nd largest independent Silicon Metal producer in the world and the only primary magnesium producer in the Western world and Southern Hemisphere.

Mr. Vicintin has devoted a lot of time and attention to bring economic development to underprivileged areas in Brazil through the Vicintin Foundation.

In conclusion, Mr. Vicintin’s extensive experience and entrepreneurial spirit grew a company from 4 employees to 5,600 in a 55-year period.

With a background in economics and space engineering and over 15 years as a serial entrepreneur, he thrives in building businesses that match market demand with technical solutions. Kore Metals has secured €14 million of funding in 2026 and is on track to build an industrial pilot plant by 2028.preqin+6 Joost is also Founder & CEO of Maana Electric, an Space industry contracting company specialised in In Situ Resource Utilisation, which developed the original molten salt electrolysis platform used as the basis for Kore Metals’ silicon technology. Having lived and worked in more than a dozen countries, he now leads Kore Metals and Maana Electric from Luxembourg, working to bring their technologies to the global market.

He has been working in Elkem since 2001 where the main responsibilities has been related to raw materials, external environment, sustainability, supplier development and research projects. Viktor is also part of the board in the Norwegian Ferroalloy Producers Research Organisation (FFF)

During the summer of 2025, she worked as a summer student at Elkem Silicon Products Development in Kristiansand, where she carried out the work presented in this paper. During the 2025/2026 academic year, she completed both their project work and master’s thesis in collaboration with Elkem, focusing on the chemical characterization of oxide layers on silicon powders. In August 2026, they joined Elkem ASA as a Technical Trainee, continuing the research project initiated during their summer internship

His master thesis was on the preparation and characterization of catalysts for aircraft air purification. He is currently working on the characterization of feedstock for additive manufacturing as part of his PhD at the Dept. of Materials Sciences and Engineering at NTNU within the SFI PhysMet (Centre for Sustainable and Competitive Metallurgical and Manufacturing Industry.

She has extensive experience in risk management, energy markets, finance and treasury. Before joining Landsvirkjun, Unnur worked in treasury and analysis at Reykjavik Energy, and prior to that she spent 17 years at Arion Bank in risk management and finance. Unnur holds an MBA from Reykjavík University and serves on the board of Women in Energy Iceland. Her work focuses on customer relationships, power-intensive industries and the role of renewable electricity in long-term industrial competitiveness.

Dr Agasti has an excellent academic carrier and a degree in Metallurgical Engineering. He has more than 36 years of experiences in Ferro Alloys industry producing silicon metal, Fesi and other ferro alloys along with greenfield project set up & commissioning in the Middle East (KSA & BAHRAIN), India & Bhutan. He has worked at different furnace design suppliers such as DEMAG, ELKEM & Others. Dr Agasti has an in-depth knowledge in the ferro alloys business starting from project handling, operations management, resources of raw materials worldwide. He has a doctorate degree in business management and administration from USA. He has pioneered and revived many Ferro alloys industries from the state of banruptcy to the profitable units. He is very much specialized in Silicon metal operations along with indepth knowldge in best reductants worldwide.

Her work integrates kinetic and thermodynamic study of the process and hydrogen plasma reduction mechanisms, contributing to next generation sustainable metallurgical processes. Her broader interests include sustainable metal production, hydrogen and plasma mediated reaction processes.

He is currently a fellow researcher in the CESAR project (Centre of Excellence for Safety Research) at VSB–Technical University of Ostrava, Czech Republic, studying safety aspects of clean energy processes

Dr. Wang has authored over 155 publications indexed in Scopus, achieving an h-index of 36, and has served as a project manager or sub-project leader for more than 15 regional, national, EU, and international projects.

Comprehensive knowledge of domestic process design and mainstream equipment suppliers enables robust support for overseas metallurgical projects, including technical assessment, vendor selection, project coordination and cross border commercial liaison. Sound command of international trade practices connects China based technical resources with global market requirements.

He has presided over the design and construction of more than 200 sets of ferroalloy and silicon metal projects, with profound insights into China’s full spectrum ferroalloy market and relevant state of the art technologies.