Agenda Themes 2026

Chenfei joined CRU in Feb 2019 as an Analyst within the Wire and Cable Team and is the current editor of CRU’s Wire and Cable Market Outlook. Prior to CRU, Chenfei spent 4 years working at Rolls-Royce in a variety of engineering leadership roles, with a focus on aeroengine technology development and process improvement. He holds an MSc in Advanced Materials Science and Engineering (Distinction) from Imperial College London, and a BEng (Hons) in Chemical and Materials Engineering (First Class and Dean’s List) from the University of Auckland.

He is the Vice General Manager & CTO of Jiangsu ShangShang cable group, Ltd, China . He has twenty years experiences on wire and cable industry. He has more 20 scientific papers published and is co-author of book Global cable industry-materials/markets/products. His research interests include HV&EHV power cable, nanocomposites polymer dielectrics, HFFR cable compounds.

Zaid is head of aluminium products at CRU, leading a global team of analysts. Prior to joining the aluminium analysis team, Zaid spent six years with CRU’s consulting division as a principal consultant, leading the aluminium consulting practice area. Before CRU, he worked for several years at Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) in the UAE where he led the market research unit and held various positions within marketing and sales, corporate strategy, and finance. He previously worked in London for a number of commodity-focused firms as an analyst, including Thomson Reuters and Diapason Commodities Management, where he managed the precious and base metals research unit. He began his commodities research career in 2002 as an economist with AUPEC, an oil and gas consultancy firm. Zaid holds an MA in Economic Science from the University of Aberdeen and an MSc in Economics from the University of Amsterdam. Zaid is fluent in Arabic and French.

David Leah leads the outlook for automotive demand, production and electrification at CRU. He is a narrator of the unprecedented change in the automotive industry and its significance for commodity markets. David has 10+ years' experience working at leading automotive forecasting and analysis firms. He holds a MSc in International Business Economics from Oxford Brookes University.

Chenfei joined CRU in Feb 2019 as an Analyst within the Wire and Cable Team and is the current editor of CRU’s Wire and Cable Market Outlook. Prior to CRU, Chenfei spent 4 years working at Rolls-Royce in a variety of engineering leadership roles, with a focus on aeroengine technology development and process improvement. He holds an MSc in Advanced Materials Science and Engineering (Distinction) from Imperial College London, and a BEng (Hons) in Chemical and Materials Engineering (First Class and Dean’s List) from the University of Auckland.

Carlos Perez Linkenheil is in the role of Head of Reports at AFRY, where he leads the company’s global long-term power market forecasts and projections. With more than 10 years of experience in energy market consulting, he works with utilities, investors, industrial players and developers, helping them navigate energy market uncertainty through long-term market outlooks, commercial assessments and strategic advisory. His work supports investment decisions, cost and competitiveness planning, and the development of strategies in rapidly evolving global power markets.

Sebastian Glatz has a Master’s degree in Political Science, International Law and Modern History. He has more than a decade experience in political lobbying for the cable industry. His master thesis on energy security in the Federal Republic of Germany was published. He is an expert on all issues relating to power cables, industrial and building wire, fiber optic cables and automotive suppliers. As a political scientist, he is intensively involved with the impacts of the energy transition in Germany.

Simon Price is CEO of Exawatt, which provides strategic consulting, detailed cost forecasting and supply-chain analysis in sectors that are united by common theme: decarbonisation through electrification. These include energy storage, electric vehicles (EV), power electronics and solar PV. Exawatt’s customers span the entire supply chain, from mining companies to major solar/storage developers and EV manufacturers. The company was acquired by CRU Group in early 2023. Prior to founding Exawatt in 2015, Simon was the co-founder of a PV module factory design and integration company. In 2008, he was part of the founding team of a startup technology company dedicated to improving the efficiency of crystalline silicon solar cells. An electrical engineer by first degree, Simon began his career in the UK steel industry and spent time in the US as a business and technology journalist, management consultant and CEO of a publicly traded US software company, before making the move into renewable energy in 2008. Simon holds a master’s degree in Science Communication from Imperial College London, and an undergraduate degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.

Simon Price is CEO of Exawatt, which provides strategic consulting, detailed cost forecasting and supply-chain analysis in sectors that are united by common theme: decarbonisation through electrification. These include energy storage, electric vehicles (EV), power electronics and solar PV. Exawatt’s customers span the entire supply chain, from mining companies to major solar/storage developers and EV manufacturers. The company was acquired by CRU Group in early 2023. Prior to founding Exawatt in 2015, Simon was the co-founder of a PV module factory design and integration company. In 2008, he was part of the founding team of a startup technology company dedicated to improving the efficiency of crystalline silicon solar cells. An electrical engineer by first degree, Simon began his career in the UK steel industry and spent time in the US as a business and technology journalist, management consultant and CEO of a publicly traded US software company, before making the move into renewable energy in 2008. Simon holds a master’s degree in Science Communication from Imperial College London, and an undergraduate degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.