Agenda

Spencer Johnson is a 16 year veteran in the world of ferrous and nonferrous futures, all of them with StoneX (formerly FCStone Financial Inc.) During this time StoneX has helped launch and clear some of the first trades in several of the contacts now common to the ferrous industry. Over that time StoneX has worked with every type of market participant to formulate risk management and trading strategies for steel and base metals derivatives. Spencer has also worked tirelessly to grow liquidity and provide access to these new ferrous markets for its clients as currently, the longest serving members of the London Metal Exchange’s steel committee.

Jacob Blood joined StoneX in 2019 and has experience in commodity markets working closely with StoneX Commercial, and Industrial Customers to manage and execute hedge programs. These hedge programs vary across commodities, horizons, and hedge methodologies and his experience in trade execution spans both physical and financial markets. Jake also leads hedge program reporting and benchmarking via StoneX's Know-Risk™ software platform to ensure organization-specific hedge objectives are met and strategies are refined accordingly. Jake holds a BA in Economics with a minor in Business from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Lawrence (Larry) D. Burns advises organizations on the future of mobility, logistics, manufacturing, energy and innovation. His current clients include Kitson & Partners, Niron Magnetics, Atomathic and Nanoramic Laboratories. Larry served as General Motors Corporate Vice President of Research & Development and Planning from 1998-2009. Between 2010 and 2022, Larry was a consultant to Waymo (Google Self-Driving Cars), Professor of Engineering Practice at the University of Michigan, Director of the Program for Sustainable Mobility at Columbia University, and an advisor to several major companies.

Larry is the world’s leading authority on how autonomous electric vehicles used in transportation services will transform the way people and goods move around and interact. He coined the phrase “age of automobility” to describe this future in his book, Autonomy: The Quest to Build the Driverless Car And How It Will Reshape Our World (Ecco / HarperCollins, August, 2018).

Larry is an informative, engaging and forward-thinking speaker and has made more than 500 keynote, conference and media presentations around the world. He focuses on accelerating the “age of automobility” and educating industry leaders, policymakers, technologists and engineers on how to position to succeed in this exciting and compelling future. Larry has been featured in The Atlantic, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, BBC, Forbes, USA Today, 60 Minutes, NBC, Bloomberg, and more.

Larry has a PhD in civil engineering from the University of California-Berkeley and is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the ITS America Hall of Fame.

Barry T. Schneider was appointed President and Chief Operating Officer in March 2023. Mr. Schneider is responsible for the company’s steel platform, steel fabrication platform, and metals recycling platform. Prior to that, Mr. Schneider served as Senior Vice President, Flat Roll Steel Group responsible for the company’s entire flat roll steel operations, including the company’s three flat roll steel mills and numerous flat rolled processing, coating, and distribution operations. Mr. Schneider has been with Steel Dynamics since 1995, serving in various operational and leadership roles within the company’s steel operations, including Engineered Bar Products Division and Butler Flat Roll Division. He was also part of the team that constructed the company’s first steel mill in Butler, Indiana.

Mr. Schneider earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master of science in engineering management from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. He also received an Executive Certificate in Technology, Operations, and Value Chain Management from the MIT Sloan School of Management. In addition, Mr. Schneider serves as President of the Association for Iron & Steel Technology.

Dr. Anirban Basu is Chairman & CEO of Sage Policy Group, Inc., an economic and policy consulting firm headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland with an office in Orlando, Florida. The firm provides strategic analytical services to energy suppliers, law firms, medical systems, government agencies, and real estate developers among others.

In 2014, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan appointed Dr. Basu as Chair of the Maryland Economic Development Commission (2014-2021). Dr. Basu serves as Chairman of the Baltimore County Economic Advisory Committee. He also serves the chief economist function for Associated Builders and Contractors, the Construction Financial Management Association, the Modular Building Institute, the Maryland Bankers Association, the International Food Distributors Association, and several others.

He has taught at several universities, most frequently at the Johns Hopkins University. He currently teaches History of Economic Thought at Goucher College as their Distinguished Economist in Residence.

In 2007, 2016, and 2022, the Daily Record newspaper selected Dr. Basu as one of Maryland’s 50 most influential people. The Baltimore Business Journal named him one of the region’s 20 most powerful business leaders in 2010.

Dr. Basu is currently on the boards of the University of Maryland School of Law, St. Mary’s College, the University of Maryland Medical Center, the University System of Maryland Foundation, the Lyric Opera House, and the Center Club. He is also on Truist Bank’s advisory board.

Dr. Basu earned his B.S. in Foreign Service at Georgetown University. He earned his Master’s in Public Policy from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and his Master’s in Economics from the University of Maryland, College Park. He acquired his Juris Doctor at the University of Maryland School of Law. He completed his doctoral work at UMBC with a concentration in health economics.

Nicholas Bell brings over half a decade of experience covering metals markets, pricing trends, and supply chain dynamics. Prior to joining AMU, he reported on aluminum, high-temperature scrap, and ferro-alloy markets at Argus Media, with additional coverage of minor metals and rare earths. His work has built deep expertise in North American metals pricing and trade flows. A native of Houston, Nicholas holds a bachelor’s degree in Media Production and an MBA with a concentration in Finance, both from the University of Houston.

Joe Quinn is shaping the next generation of U.S. industrial strategy. At The SAFE Foundation, Quinn leads a federal policy initiative dedicated to securing domestic supply chains for the critical materials essential to U.S. manufacturing and national defense. Under his leadership, the Center for Strategic Industrial Materials has become a leading voice on revitalizing American’s strategic industrial capacity. Quinn has testified before the U.S. International Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of the Treasury. He is the co-director of two different coalitions advancing bipartisan policies to increase domestic production. His insights have been featured in the Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, and other leading publications. He is a frequent speaker at national and international conferences promoting industrial competitiveness. Previously, Quinn served as Vice President of External Affairs & Industry Relations at the Aluminum Association.

As president and CEO of the Aluminum Association, Charles "Chuck" Johnson serves as the chief advocate for the full aluminum value chain in the United States, which supports hundreds of thousands of American workers. The association's 120+ members make 70 percent of the aluminum and aluminum products shipped in North America.

Prior to joining the association in 2022, Charles served as the President of the International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA), the trade organization for personal protective equipment and technologies. During his tenure, he modernized ISEA's operations and spearheaded the passage of key liability legislation for safety equipment manufacturers. Notably, Charles led the ISEA as the industry was at the forefront of the COVID-19 pandemic response.

He previously served as the vice president of policy for the Aluminum Association, acting as strategic advisor to the industry and advancing the aluminum industry's interests in Washington D.C. and abroad. His responsibilities included federal affairs, environmental regulation, occupational health and safety, community and consumer protection, international regulation and sustainability.

Charles has 18 years of aluminum industry experience, during which he represented the U.S. industry in international corporate stewardship deliberations, diverse standards setting forums and at the WHO/FAO.

He holds a B.A. from the University of Mississippi and an M.A. in international environmental policy from The American University.

Jean Simard is the Canadian aluminium industry’s representative and spokesperson with governments, business associations and the media, as well as with international organizations linked to the industry. He holds a degree in Civil Law from the University of Ottawa. He possesses extensive professional experience in public policy and government relations, mainly in sustainable development, energy, international trade and environmental affairs. Actively engaged in trade related issues for the industry, he is the Founder and Co-chair of the Canada-US Trade Council. He was appointed by the Government of Canada to the new Advisory Committee on Canada-U.S. Economic Relations in April 2026.

John Mucci is Vice President, Sales at Kibar Americas, bringing extensive experience in the building materials sector. John's background encompasses sales leadership and strategic management within the aluminum industry.

Prior to joining Kibar Americas, John served as Director, Business at JW Aluminum, contributing to the company's recyclable aluminum sheet and foil offerings.

Paul Williams is the Head of Aluminium Value Chain at CRU, a company specialising in the analysis, data and price assessments of the global metals and fertilizer industries. Paul is responsible for the aluminium team's research programme, its market analysis, and its products and services and financial performance. Paul joined CRU in 1986 and developed services across the downstream value chain, specialising in flat rolled product markets and demand analysis. A regular speaker at major aluminium events globally, he also contributes to aluminium association publications, including those of the Aluminum Association. Mr Williams has a MSc in Economics from the London School of Economics and a BA in Economics from the University of Swansea

Tain is an Aluminium Products Analyst at CRU, focused on downstream products in North and South America since April 2026. He previously spent over three years at Numerator, where he delivered financial and market analysis, and translated consumer data into insights for institutional clients and equity analysts. He also has experience in credit analysis, financial operations, and wealth management. Tain holds a Master of Finance degree and a B.S.B.A. in Finance from the University of Dayton.

Jason Weber is President of the Aluminum Extruders Council. He has more than 30 years of experience in the aluminum business, including senior sales, marketing, and executive leadership positions with several major extrusion companies. As President of AEC, Jason works closely with industry leaders on workforce development, technical education, trade policy and enforcement, market development, and initiatives that strengthen the competitiveness of the aluminum extrusion industry. He leads the Council’s efforts to address industry priorities, develop valuable programs and resources, and represent the interests of aluminum extruders throughout the broader aluminum value chain.

With more than 21 years of experience in the aluminum industry, Doug Hilderhoff has held leadership roles across marketing and procurement at some of the industry's most recognized organizations, including Alcoa, Arconic, CRU, and Hydro.

Today, Doug serves at Hydro, where he has responsibility for metal procurement, supporting 8 billet cast houses and 16 extrusion plants in the US and Canada. He brings a broad perspective gained from experience across manufacturing, market intelligence, and commercial leadership.

Matt Bell was appointed Vice President, Metals Recycling in November 2025. In this role, Mr. Bell is responsible for Omni’s ferrous and nonferrous metals recycling operations, including marketing, trading, and logistics activities. Prior to that, Mr. Bell served as Vice President of Commercial for OmniSource, responsible for developing and implementing its ferrous purchasing and sales growth strategies, including optimizing the scrap supply for the company’s steel operations. Since joining the company in 2016, Mr. Bell has held increasingly impactful leadership roles within the metals recycling platform in operations, commercial, and marketing responsibilities. Prior to joining the company, he held various leadership positions in the metals recycling industry.

Mr. Bell earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from Western Governors University and has completed executive education programs at the University of Texas McCombs School of Business and the Kellogg School of Management.

William Moon is Vice President of Sales, Marketing, and Customer Service at Smelter Service Corporation (SSC), an employee-owned secondary aluminum recycler in Tennessee. With more than 16 years of experience in the aluminum marketplace, he serves on SSC’s leadership team and directs commercial activities spanning sales, toll processing, marketing, customer experience, sourcing, and strategic growth. His expertise includes building strong supplier and customer partnerships, optimizing logistics, and developing practical domestic secondary aluminum solutions against a backdrop of evolving trade policy and market conditions. He brings operator-level insights from secondary aluminum processing and commercial trading to conversations on supply chain resilience, hedging, and opportunities in the North American aluminum market.

Alan Price is a partner at Wiley and co-chair of its International Trade Practice, named “Practice Group of the Year” by Law360 for 13 years.

With over 35 years of experience, Alan advises clients on complex international trade regulatory matters, including litigation involving public and government relations.

He represents domestic steel producers on trade and tariff issues, Section 232 national security, antidumping and countervailing duties, trade legislation, customs, export restraints, and climate-related trade matters. For nearly two decades, Chambers USA has recognized Alan as one of the nation’s “Leading Lawyers” in international trade.

Benjamin Persofsky is the Head of the BBH Center for Family Business, which counsels some of the largest business-owning families in the world on the unique issues that occur at the intersection of owners’ businesses, their families, and their wealth. These topics include owner strategy, succession, governance, next generation owner development, and conflict. He is a frequent speaker at conferences on those topics, as well as on innovative approaches to share redemption, capital allocation, and dividend policies.

​Zaid is a principal analyst covering primary and secondary aluminium, value-added products, aluminium raw materials, and carbon products in North America and worldwide. Prior to joining the aluminium analysis team, Zaid spent six years with CRU’s consulting division as head of aluminium consulting. 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 with honours 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.

Tom Sennett is Executive Vice President, Aluminum & Stainless at Kloeckner Metals – Americas, bringing nearly four decades of leadership experience across the metals, automotive, and manufacturing industries. Throughout his career, Tom has led business development, strategic growth, P&L management, acquisitions, and market expansion across North America. Before joining Kloeckner, Tom spent 17 years with Samuel, Son & Co. in senior leadership roles, including President, Automotive and Vice President of Automotive Solutions. Earlier in his career, he served as President and Owner of Sennett Steel Corporation, where he progressed from outside sales through multiple leadership roles before ultimately leading the company and its sale to Samuel, Son & Co. Tom holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Finance from the University of Notre Dame and a master’s degree in Management and Leadership Development from Aquinas College.

Scott Ulnick co-leads DC’s M&A Transaction Support Practice and is active in CDD and Value Creation projects involving Automotive Materials & Fabrication.

Scott regularly advises automotive and materials clients on key industry issues, including ferrous and non-ferrous metals, plastics, and rare earths; the fabrication of components and systems; OEM and Tier supplier sourcing strategies; and the technologies and innovations driving lightweighting, electrification, and internal combustion engine powertrains.

RECENT PROJECTS Ducker Research Automotive Materials in Cars & Light Trucks; Annual Tracking Studies since 1996; Ferrous and Non-Ferrous Metals; Ferrous & Non-Ferrous Engineered Products Assessment – Components & Vehicle Systems; Blocks; Heads; Rockers; Nodes; Control Arms/Lateral Links; Battery Box; Electric Power Systems; BIW/Closures.

John L'Esperance is a leader within DC’s Automotive Materials Team focusing on Market Value and Opportunity Analysis projects involving Automotive Materials and Fabrication.

John is regularly involved in advising automotive clients on key industry insights revolving around the balance of rightweighting, efficiency, affordability and lightweighting when choosing which materials to utilize for system components.

RECENT PROJECTS Ducker Research Automotive Materials in Cars & Light Trucks Annual Tracking Studies since 2018; Engine & Powertrain; EV Specific Systems; Suspension Systems; BIW/Closures; Trim & Accessories; Wheels; Aluminum Extrusions, Castings, Forgings, Sheet; High Strength Steel (Including AHSS & UHSS).

Herve has over 30 years of experience in the Aluminium Rolling Industry, including roles in R&D, Manufacturing and Sales. He currently works as VP, Commercial Automotive for Arconic, based in Detroit. Arconic is a leading provider of Aluminium sheet, plate and extrusions that advance the automotive, aerospace, commercial transportation, industrial, packaging and building and construction markets. Arconic produces aluminium sheet and coils for Automotive OEMs and top suppliers for doors, hoods, fenders and structural parts, as well as brazing products for heat exchangers. Arconic serves the automotive market from plants in Davenport (IA), Alcoa (TN), Lancaster (PA) and Danville (IL).

Paul Williams is the Head of Aluminium, and Research Manager responsible for the research programme of the team. Mr Williams joined CRU in 1986 and for many years ran the Aluminium Semis and Downstream areas specialising in flat rolled product markets and demand analysis. A regular speaker at major aluminium events, he also contributes to aluminium association publications including those of the Aluminum Association. Mr Williams has a MSc in Economics, London School of Economics. BA in Economics, University of Swansea.

​Zaid Aljanabi is a Principal Analyst covering primary and secondary aluminium, value-added products, aluminium raw materials, and carbon products in North America and worldwide. Prior to joining the aluminium analysis team, Zaid spent six years with CRU’s consulting division as head of aluminium consulting. 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 with honours 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.

Timna Tanners is a Managing Director covering Metals and Mining and Building Materials at Wells Fargo. She is a regular speaker at steel industry conferences and on financial media, and hosts frequent events for clients with corporates and industry experts. Timna has been ranked #1 in Institutional Investor's All America Poll for nine years, and at least 15 years in the top three spots. She has covered the sector since 2002, at Bank of America, Wolfe Research, and UBS Investment Bank.