Speakers

JIM LENNON

Managing Director, Red Door Research

Senior Consultant - Commodities Strategy, Macquarie Capital (Europe)

Jim has 41 years of experience in researching the international metals and mining industries.

Jim worked at Macquarie from 1994 to 2013, leaving in June 2013 to set up his own consulting company, Red Door Research Ltd. The consulting company specialises in the economic analysis of commodity markets. Jim remains a part-time consultant to Macquarie.

Until June 2013, he was Chairman of Commodities at Macquarie. Jim joined Macquarie in May 1994 and worked full-time for Macquarie for 19 years. He founded and headed up a 10-person research team in London, Singapore and Shanghai which serviced the equity, LME trading and corporate advisory divisions of the bank with steel, coal, metals and minerals research and market intelligence.

Jim and his team at Macquarie were regularly ranked number one in various surveys of commodities research among equity investors for over a decade.

Prior to Macquarie, Jim worked at CRU International, where he headed up a team specialising in special steels (including stainless steel) and steelmaking alloys (mainly manganese, silicon, chrome, nickel and molybdenum). While at CRU, Jim also undertook major studies on metallurgical coal and iron ore.

Jim's current major specialisations are the main base metals and steel industries and their raw materials including nickel, chrome, molybdenum, iron ore and coking coal.

Before joining CRU, Jim worked as a marketing analyst at New Zealand Steel. He has also worked as an Associate Director of Metals and Mining Research at Shearson Lehman Hutton Securities.

Jim has a Masters degree in economics from the University of Auckland, New Zealand. He has a strong interest in development economics.

PETER MUNCKTON

Chief Economist and Head of Market Strategy, Bank of Queensland (BOQ)

Peter is the Chief Economist and Head of Market Strategy at the Bank of Queensland (BOQ). He has worked at the Federal Treasury in Canberra, as well as senior economics roles at the Bankers Trust and CBA. He has co-authored reports on the Australian and Chinese financial systems that gained significant domestic and international media attention.

BEN HOCKLEY

Head of Sales Australasia, SPEE3D

Ben Hockley is SPEE3D's Head of Sales for Australasia and has been working with technology companies for many decades. Using technology to drive innovation has always been central to Ben's approach to assisting businesses to increase profits and improve productivity. Our goal at SPEE3D is to transform manufacturing using advanced cold spray metal additive technology. The Australian Army, as early adopters of cold spray metal printing have proven its ability to disrupt legacy processes and break down supply chains. This new technology is poised to increase the flexibility and extent of applications for a range of metals. A much needed addition to the suite of capabilities that will drive the next advanced manufacturing revolution in Australia.

RICHARD MATHESON

Director, Market Development
Nickel Institute

Richard has worked in the nickel and stainless steel industries since 1987. His career began in Queensland Nickel with him later consulting on many of the new nickel projects of the era. Richard undertook the principal research into the establishment of the Australian Stainless Steel Development Association (ASSDA) and has worked with the organisation for the past 30 years, mainly as Executive Director. During his tenure the market for stainless steel more than doubled in Australia.

Richard has extensive knowledge of nickel and its applications and has helped establish and grow markets for nickel-containing products in diverse sectors, including concrete reinforcement, plumbing and civil engineering.

Richard began with the Nickel Institute in 2007. Today he leads the global Market Development team of the Institute to promote the use of nickel in appropriate applications which includes leading the Institute's batteries project.

SIMON PEPPER

Managing Director

SILA Global

Simon has been part of the shipping and logistics industry for 21 years and has been a licensed customs broker for 18 years. Simon spent 10 years working at a brokerage whose main commodities ranged from clothing, food, furniture, machinery, timber and handicrafts. Starting in a document clerk position, he worked his way up to import air and sea freight while studying for his customs broker licence. During this time, he was awarded twice as student of the year, and passed his national exam in 2003 to gain his licence and enter into a customs broker role.

In 2011, Simon assumed the role of Operations Manager at Steel Integrated Logistics Australia, now known as SILA Global. Since then, SILA Global has grown from six employees to a team of 26 spread across Australia and internationally. In 2016, Simon became Director - Customs & Operations and in late 2021, assumed the role of Managing Director.

SILA Global has grown its market share in the stainless space with quick turnaround times, exceptional customer service and careful handling. They provide end-to-end logistics services for their customers with collection, shipping, clearance and delivery, and offer transparency through their SV3 product. Heavily involved in container shipping, project cargo from full to part charter of steel products, as well as delivering 3000 coal wagons across Australia, Simon has a wide range of experience and knowledge in the industry.

XU AIDONG

Chief Analyst, Beijing Antaike Information Co., Ltd.

Secretary-General, CNIA Nickel Branch

Since 1993, Mrs. Xu has been working at Antaike, mainly engaged in non-ferrous metal industry consulting, market research, and large-scale conference organisation. She is a veteran in the minor metals sector, actively involved in the nickel, cobalt and stainless steel raw material fields stage worldwide. In recent years, Mrs. Xu has covered battery metals (nickel, cobalt, lithium) market research.

Since April 2010, Mrs. Xu holds the post of Secretary-General of CNCB (CNIA Cobalt Branch, and since November 2020, also holds the post of Secretary-General of CNNB (CNIA Nickel Branch).

Since August 2016, Mrs. Xu has acted as the independent director of Ganzhou Tengyuan Cobalt New Material Co., Ltd.

From 1986-1990, Mrs. Xu spent her undergraduate study in the Metal Forming Department, Beijing University of Science and Technology, receiving a Bachelor degree.

From 1990-1993, Ms. Xu spent her postgraduate study in the Metal Forming Department, Beijing University of Science and Technology, receiving a Masters degree.

JESSICA WEHBE

Director of Client Relations, Kleanwell

Jessica is a Director at Kleanwell, a privately-owned Australian speciality cleaning company that provides unique services such as stainless steel cleaning, including rust removal and scratch removal, niche cleaning protection services such as hygiene management and mould removal.

Along with her partner and Kleanwell Co-Director, Elie, Jessica's goal is to make a change in the cleaning industry by providing specialised stainless steel cleaning services through education and awareness of the benefits of choosing specialised over generic cleaning for stainless steel assets.

She is an industry-leading client relations extraordinaire and is well known in the Sydney and Melbourne property, asset management and elevator industries. Her professional history also includes creating and selling successful companies while at university, working with underprivileged children to learn the mindset needed to run their own business and being featured in the media for her outstanding successes and community work.

Jessica holds board member positions for various non-for-profits such as the Lebanese Diaspora Foundation for Education (LDFE) and Community Minds, alongside being a corporate sponsor of the Canterbury Bankstown Chamber of Commerce. She has a passion for meeting people and building high quality, trusting relationships that are mutually beneficial for all.

MARK PETERS

State Director, Queensland & National Director Projects, AMGC

Mark joined the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC) in 2017 as State Director, Queensland. Mark’s role is to support Queensland manufacturers to transform their business to become more globally competitive. Under Mark’s leadership, manufacturers are encouraged to automate their manufacturing processes and enter global supply chains. Previously, Mark worked as a Business Advisor as part of the Entrepreneurs’ Programme. He has worked with hundreds of firms covering diverse industries, such as, manufacturing, resources, agriculture, medical and transport. He helped these firms successfully focus on their sales model including distribution channels and new business development. Mark has a commercial background as a CEO with companies in the process control and motion control industries. He is now particularly interested in the advantages of robotics and 3D printing technology for Australian manufacturers.