Speakers

He has played a key role in advancing VSB's energy solutions for commercial and industrial clients.

He is the Founding Partner of Al Zayani Investments Group, and serves as Chairman of Midal Cables, Bahrain Welding Wire, Bahrain Specialist Hospital, and Midal Solar. He is also the President of the Arab Cable Manufacturers Association and the International Cable Federation (Vienna).He also holds the positions of Managing Director of Metal Form and Aluwheel.

Elcowire is one of the leading suppliers in Europe of products based on Sustainable copper, producing and supplying wire rod, bunches, strands, profiles and conductor materials made of copper and copper alloys for the electrical and infrastructure industry. Elcowire contributes to the energy transition and electrification of our society.
Paul Gustavsson is also a board member of Norex AB, a Sweden based, steel trade and service company.

STRATEGIC ACHIEVEMENTS & INDUSTRY MILESTONES:
• B2B & Channel Transformation at Polycab: Progressed from Vice President Sales to Executive President & CBO Cables, scaling channel and institutional sales ecosystems during multiple tenures.
• Cable Solutions Growth at APAR: As CEO - Cable Solutions (2022-2026), drove manufacturing excellence and market expansion, earning recognition as a "Manufacturing Hero."
• Channel & Institutional Sales Pioneer: Over three decades, built high-performance sales teams at Polycab, Arc Electrics, and BICC Bahrain, focusing on customer-centric innovation in wires and cables.
• IEEMA NEC (National Executive Council ) member: Steering national policy advocacy, technological advancement, and industry growth for electrical manufacturers.
• Career-Long Scalability Focus: Progressed from Nicco Corporation (1989) through senior P&L roles, consistently delivering revenue growth in competitive B2B segments.
• Elected as Vice Chairman of ELECRAMA 2027

A Mumbai-based executive at 59 years young, Mr. Shashi Amin has completed his Bachelor of Technology (Electrical Power System) from Amravati University and master’s in marketing management from Welingkar Institute of Management, Mumbai still energizing the industry like it's day one. Prior to rejoining Polycab, he excelled at APAR Industries as CEO - Cable Solutions and as Director at Arc Electrics Pvt. Ltd. He also maintains an active presence on LinkedIn with over 8,000 followers and continues to be a prominent voice in conversations around infrastructure, power, and renewables-adjacent sectors.

Prior to VEIR, Tim was a member of the investments team at Breakthrough Energy Ventures (BEV), investing in companies that leverage innovative technologies to significantly address climate change. He served as Deputy Chief Scientist at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), where he helped lead technology scouting and research and development activities on behalf of the 900 non-profit, member-owned electric utility members.

He served as a Fellow and Program Director at the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), leading the development of 3 new programs and managed a portfolio of over 75 research projects, focusing on approaches for controlling and optimizing the transmission and delivery of electric power and managing programs focused on high-efficiency power electronics.

Jay joined MetOx in 2022 as Vice President of Strategy working on fundraising, business development and project management for the Houston plant. In 2024, Jay took over the Business
Development group. At MetOx, he applies his experience to assist in fund raising initiatives, market research, financial modelling, and other strategic initiatives. Jay has 10 years of experience in the energy industry working for banks, renewable project
developers, infrastructure debt funds and large electricity retailers. Jay has worked in physical commodity operations, energy project finance, electricity product innovation and business development. Jay has a BA, Master’s in Environmental Management, and an MBA from Duke University.

With over 25 years of experience in Business Unit Management, Transformation of organisation, Management of the Innovation, Yann has been instrumental in scaling up business activities and driving company’s growth and profitability and.

He holds an MSC from Grenoble Ecole de Management (GEM). Yann is also a Board Member of CurrENT and animated by “Making a dent in the Universe”. Prior to joining Nexans, he has spent 11 years at Cavotec and was an Executive Member of the company as Chief Sales & Marketing Officer.

He focuses on digital monitoring solutions, with a particular interest in turning multi-sensor data into actionable insights for asset reliability and risk mitigation. His work spans product strategy, market intelligence, and customer engagement across the power cable industry. Siddharth regularly engages with industry stakeholders to explore how integrated data and analytics can enhance subsea cable monitoring and decision-making

Prior to joining SuperNode, Rob was a member of the commercial team at Sefaira, subsequently acquired by Trimble SketchUp. He holds an MBA from IE Madrid and a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. Rob has been a member of the executive leadership and strategy teams at SuperNode for over 7 years. He also serves as a member of the company’s Board of Directors.

He leads the full portfolio of products analysing key trends and developments spanning metallic wire & cable (copper and aluminium downstream markets), electricity transmission (HV & EHV land and submarine cables), optical fibre & cable, carbon products, silicon, and tin industries. Chenfei joined CRU in early 2019 as an Analyst within the Wire & Cable team. At CRU, Chenfei has held editorship roles across the full wire & cable services portfolio. He spent four years in CRU London office and he is now based in CRU Shanghai office.Prior to CRU, Chenfei was working at Rolls-Royce in a variety of engineering leadership roles, with a focus on aeroengine technology development and manufacturing process improvement.

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.

He spent 4 years with Outotec as Vice President Supply before joining ZF Global Commodity Director / Global Director House of Competence Casting. In 2022 he became a Senior Expert within MM Sustainability for ZF Friedrichshafen AG.

Prior to this role, he headed the Strategic Product Portfolio Management Department for Medium Voltage Switchgears. Earlier in his career, he worked within the Business Excellence organization of the Power Transmission and Distribution Division, as well as in various internationally oriented sales departments for medium-voltage components. Furthermore, Mr. Weiss developed in-depth expertise in the cable commodity through his assignments at Siemens cable factories in Berlin and Mudanya, Turkey, where he held several positions in R&D and Quality Management. He also gained experience in the high-voltage cable business of Siemens.

He is primarily responsible for the performance testing of superconducting materials and cables, as well as research on welding processes and properties of superconducting materials and cable joints. As a key research member, he has contributed to multiple projects, such as the Shanghai Strategic Emerging Industries Project titled "Kilometer-scale Domestic High-temperature Superconducting Cables Demonstration Project" and more.

Her work involves analysing trends and developments across the global metallic wire and cable industry. Before joining CRU, Aisling worked as a market research analyst within the platinum group metals (PGM) industry, with an emphasis on the environmental, social and governance performance of the PGM producers. She has also worked as a base and precious metals exploration geologist with field experience in East Africa. Aisling holds a MSci in Geology from the University of Southampton and is a member of Women in Mining UK.

Her work involves analysing the market of High-Voltage (HV) and Extra High-Voltage (EHV) submarine and land cables for offshore wind, submarine interconnector and electricity grid applications. Her primary focus is in the EMEA region. She joined CRU in 2025 after two years’ experience working as a sustainability analyst in the rare earths industry, where she evaluated the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices of upstream mining and refining companies. Chi holds a Bachelor’s degree in Politics and International Relations from the University of Hertfordshire in the UK and spent a study-abroad year at the Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in Japan.

After six years in management roles at the Anders Group, where he led the furniture panels trading division, he returned to Aurubis in 2002.
Over the past two decades, he has held several leadership positions, including Key Account Manager and Head of Sales for Bars+Profiles. A strong advocate for sustainability, he was instrumental in the 2021 launch of Aurubis' sustainability promise ‘Tomorrow Metals’, reflecting his commitment to environmentally responsible business practices.

He focuses on the technologies and materials that will drive decarbonisation, including solar power and lithium-ion batteries. An electrical engineer, Simon began his career in the steel industry before spending several years in the US as a journalist, analyst, and latterly CEO of a software developer. In 2008 he made the switch into renewable energy as a co-founder of a solar cell technology startup, and two years later he co-founded a solar module factory design business. In 2015, Simon founded Exawatt to forecast the cost and performance of technologies that deliver decarbonisation through electrification. These include solar power, batteries, electric vehicles, and power conversion and transmission. Exawatt was acquired by CRU in early 2023.

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.

In 2015, he joined the European team and played a key role in developing a program dedicated to electrical safety. Since January 2025, he has been a manager in the Market Development team, responsible for power cable defense in Europe. Throughout his career, he has built broad expertise in copper, with growing involvement in sustainability and life cycle analysis—areas that are becoming increasingly strategic for the cable market

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.

He has over twenty-five years experience comprising senior executive positions in the industry with Rio Tinto, Cargill and Rosneft and in consulting where he led Accenture’s commodities trading consulting practice. Richard has worked globally and lived in China, Singapore and Houston as well as London and Geneva and has a track record of building businesses and helping clients grow by applying his experience gained in origination and marketing and internal operations. Richard has been a regular conference speaker and interviewee for the Financial Times, the Economist, Reuters and Bloomberg.

Mr Chen joined Yangtze Optical Fibre and Cable Joint Stock Limited Company in 2000 and has held roles including Lead Engineer, Department Manager, GM of overseas subsidiary. He is currently GM of YOFC Energy Business Unit and also GM of Yangtze (Jiangsu) Marine Technology Company and YOFC Marine Engineering Company. He has extensive experience in optical fibre, submarine cable and offshore engineering.

Alberto joined Europacable in 2018 as Public Affairs Manager, after previously working for public affairs consultancies where he advised clients on energy and environmental policies, the Italian Government delegation managing the Italian EU Council Presidency in 2014 and the European Commission. Alberto holds a Master’s Degree in EU International Studies from the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium.

He holds a MSc in Computer Science and leads a team of 38 — including a dedicated AI department with mostly PhDs — delivering end-to-end AI solutions for sectors such as mechanical engineering, rubber and plastics processing, and manufacturing. skillbyte has delivered AI projects in predictive quality control for rubber compounding, AI-driven production planning, automated ESG reporting, and real-time material optimization using computer vision — all deployed on-premise or in sovereign cloud environments to meet industrial data security requirements.

He received a master’s
degree in Industrial Chemistry from the University of Bologna, Italy, in 2012. Part of
the Mixer S.p.A. team since 2018, he currently holds the role of R&D Manager,
developing new formulations, materials and technologies for the cables industry.

She got her degree in Foreign Languages at the University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy, in 2005. In 2018 she joined Mixer S.p.A. as Key Account Manager, with over ten-year
experience in export departments. In Mixer she deals with the European customers
and market. Her current interests are the customer experience and the development
of existing markets in rubber compounds for the cable industry.

In this role, he has overall responsibility for strategy, business development, marketing, project execution, and technology
innovation. John has been involved in most of the key milestones in Hengtong’s development within the submarine cable business sector. Over the past 15 years, he has witnessed Hengtong’s transformation from a market follower into a global leader contributing to global electrification through continuous capacity building and EPCI solutions. John is also one of the key figures within Hengtong who drove the establishment of the
company’s sustainability target of achieving carbon neutrality by 2045.
John particularly has global experience of projects on undersea grid, and can share his expertise in Cable Industry. John graduated with honors from the Xiamen University and holds degree in economics.

After an industrial internship at Bayer, he started work on his PhD thesis at the Leibniz Institute of Catalysis in Rostock. With a scholarship from DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service), he was able to work for a few months at Stockholm University in Sweden.

In 2016, he joined Innospec Leuna GmbH, where he was responsible for customer technical service and product development of the wax portfolio. He achieved her current position as Business Development Manager in May 2022.

He has a long-standing experience in the technical areas of the cable industry across Europe, the Middle East, and North America. Running his own company for over 25 years, Markus has helped customers find new markets, introduce new standards and materials into their production, and address various technical details. He has gained hands-on experience in different cable manufacturing processes, which he shares with customers in the aforementioned areas.

Prior to Sterlite Electric, he was CEO of Zaphiro Technologies and earlier led Linxon, the ABB–SNC-Lavalin joint venture, where he scaled a global EPC platform focused on high-voltage substations and transmission infrastructure. His career includes senior leadership roles at ABB, Acciona Energia, Isolux, and Areva, with full P&L responsibility and execution experience across Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

An engineer by training, Frédéric holds degrees in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering and has completed executive leadership programs at Oxford Saïd, IMD, and EPFL. He is known for people-centric leadership, growth-driven strategy, and disciplined execution in energy transition businesses

Mostly PCS & MES.
Now responsible for the Business Development of Senseye Predictive Maintenance in Central Europe.

Prior to joining the IAI, he worked at Rio Tinto in the strategy and climate teams, in PwC's sustainability team and as technical advisor on climate change at Chevron. Jonathan has worked with a range of industry associations including WBCSD and ICMM and was Chair of the Board of the International Emissions Trading Association from 2019-2021.

Afterwards, she joined the Rolled Products division at Kemper as a Sales Manager for overseas. Since 2015, she has been with Aurubis, initially as Area Sales Manager, since 2016 as Head of Sales Rod. Tanja co-founded WoMen4Metals, an initiative dedicated to industry branding & female empowerment, actively represents Aurubis in councils at the ICA and LME, co-organizes the NFWireForum, and is a VP of the German Association of Sales Managers.

He is a Senior Analyst in CRU’s Wire and Cable team and works across the full portfolio of products analysing key trends and developments in both the metallic wire and cable, and the optical fibre and cable industries.
 
Prior to joining CRU, Vishnu was associated with renowned wire and cable producers in India and was working on global expansion of their business. He executed market-entry strategies for entering new international markets and spearheaded successful business expansion initiatives resulting in increased export sales growth.
 
Vishnu joined CRU in mid-2023 and is an integral part of Wire and Cable team under CRU’s Base and Battery Metals Division.

He holds an MBA in International Business from Prestige Institute of Management & Research (DAVV University). In addition, he possesses internationally recognised Certifications in Foreign Trade, Export Marketing, Process & Quality Improvement, Project Management and Investment Promotion domains from Institutions of repute

She brings deep expertise in commercialisation strategies, customer engagement, and market development. As Principal Consultant at CRU, she partners with industry leaders to navigate market complexity, delivering clear, actionable insights that combine strategic analysis, commercial acumen, and sector knowledge to support high-impact decisions.

A Chartered Accountant and experienced leader, Jennifer is passionate about shaping strategies that create long-term value for stakeholders. She is an active member of Women in Mining and Women4Metals, championing diversity and inclusion in the sector.

Prior to joining CRU, Jennifer held senior leadership roles in finance and strategy at Anglo American, where she led transformative projects that embedded ESG innovation, unlocked multimillion-dollar growth, and strengthened global customer partnerships. She advised on complex commercial transactions, launched new international trading offices, and managed cross-functional teams through major operational and systems transitions. Her work spans strategy development, project execution, and commercial finance, underpinned by a deep understanding of global markets and sustainability-linked growth.

Sara holds a Master’s Degree in Industrial Chemistry from the University of Pisa and works on the development of innovative materials for cable applications, with particular attention to flame-retardant and low-smoke solutions.
Her activities include research, formulation development, testing, and collaboration with international companies across the plastics and cable sectors. Sara is also actively involved in technical conferences and industry events focused on innovation and sustainability in polymer materials.

He specializes in data-driven business models bridging technology and market needs and holds a Dr. sc. techn. degree from ETH Zurich.

He leads the technological strategy and development of BHAG Digital’s smart manufacturing platforms, including MES/APS, IIoT connectivity, production planning, traceability, and AI-driven manufacturing solutions. Oleksandr has extensive experience in industrial automation, manufacturing digitalization, and implementation of scalable Industry 4.0 technologies across the Middle East, Central Asia, Europe, and Africa.
BHAG Digital is part of the UAE Ministry of Economy’s NextGenFDI initiative and an active member of the International Wire & Machinery Association (IWMA). Oleksandr is recognized for combining deep technical expertise with practical industrial innovation focused on measurable business results.

He leads projects across the Middle East, Central Asia, Europe, and Africa, helping manufacturers improve operational efficiency through MES/OEE platforms, IIoT connectivity, production planning, traceability, and AI-driven manufacturing solutions.
Digital is part of the UAE Ministry of Economy’s NextGenFDI initiative and an active member of the International Wire & Machinery Association (IWMA). Vitalii is recognized for combining deep industrial expertise with a strong focus on practical business results and operational excellence.

Joined Air Liquide Advanced Technologies (ALAT) in 1995 for developing cryogenic systems for the International Space Station and the PLANCK & HERSCHEL space telescopes.
Management of ALAT’s space business unit, covering Ariane 5 cryogenic tanks and satellite cryogenics. Establishment of Advanced Technology Japan in Kobe, focusing on hydrogen energy and scientific applications. ALAT’s Director of Innovation until 2021, overseeing cutting-edge sectors such as Hydrogen energy, biogas, marine LNG, space cryogenics, hydrogen for aviation, superconductivity, quantum computing, and fuel cells. Since 2021, focus on foresight and corporate strategy.

He is currently a full professor at the GeePs-CNRS laboratory, CentraleSupélec, Paris-Saclay University, Gif-sur-Yvette, France. His research focuses on direct current electrical grids and applications of superconductivity.

After graduating from university, she spent three years working in research in the field of decentralized energy supply and alternative fuels.
In 2022, she was appointed to her first position as Sustainability Manager in an international manufacturing company. Since 2024, she holds the position of the Sustainability Coordinator at the NIEHOFF Group.
Larissa Köster brings together new projects with existing initiatives to drive sustainability for NIEHOFF and its international subsidiaries.

She supported the heat treatment department with knowledge of materials. From 2025, she joined Lamifil as innovation manager, keeping overview of the developments for the 3 business units. She is an active member of Women4Metals, as she believes that empowerment of women in the metals sector is very important.