That was an amazing event to understand the latest trend in the field of coal and coke. - JFE Steel
2024 TESTIMONIALS:
Some of 2024 attendees:
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Ng Jing Zhi joined Argus Media in 2022 and is currently a deputy editor for the Asia ferrous scrap and coal markets. Jing Zhi has over ten years of experience in market analytics and price reporting, specializing in the ferrous sector and oil markets. Found in 1970, Argus Media is the leading independent provider of market intelligence to the global energy and commodity markets.
Min Li is a senior research analyst with over eighteen years of experience in the international coal mining industry. She joined Wood Mackenzie in 2016 and is currently based in Singapore with responsibility for Asia Pacific metallurgical coal and global coke market research.
Prior to joining Wood Mackenzie, Min worked with Peabody in business development and investment analysis for ten years.
Min also has over several years of experience in sales and marketing in FedEx.
Min Li is a CFA Level III candidate with an MBA from the University of Missouri in St. Louis.
Dr. Arvind is an experienced ESG, CSR & Risk Management professional with more than 3 decades of experience in Fertilizers, Petrochemicals, Steel, Cement, Shipping, Glass, FMCG, Pharma and Automobile sectors in National and Multinational environments.
Arvind currently works as a Chief Sustainability Officer with Arcelor Mittal Nippon Steel. Before joining AMNS, Arvind was working as an Executive Director-ESG and Chief Risk Officer with Dalmia Bharat Group..
Besides Risk & Sustainability Arvind has also worked in the area of Operations, Business excellence, Marketing and HR.
Arvind holds a Doctorate in Climate Science and Marketing. He is also a certified Independent Director from the Institute of Directors.
Dr Arash Tahmasebi is the Co-Director of the Centre for Ironmaking Materials Research (CIMR). The focus of his research is on cokemaking, bio-coke production, sustainable and low-carbon ironmaking technologies, biomass utilisation, hydrogen production, and thermochemical conversion of solid fuels. Arash leads an energetic team of postdoctoral researchers, PhD students, and research professionals. He is actively engaged with the Australian and international resources, steel, and power sectors, developing solutions to industry challenges in addressing greenhouse gas emissions.
Dr. Yukihiro Kubota has over 20 years of cokemaking research and operation experience in Nippon Steel Corporation. He obtained his PhD from Tohoku University in 2012. He made significant contributions to the construction and initial operation of the SCOPE21-type coke oven at Nippon Steel Oita Works, which began operation in 2008. He served as the manager of the cokemaking plant at Yawata Works until 2014. His current role in NSC is the General Manager, Head of Coal & Coke Research Department, Ironmaking research Laboratory. He specializes in coal blending theory, coal preparation techniques, coke quality estimation, strength, size, and reactivity. His Keynote address at ICSCI 2025 focuses on Development of Technology for Improvement of Coke Strength for Low Carbonization in Blast Furnaces and/or Cost Reduction of Coke Production.
Dr. Aleksander Sobolewski graduated the Silesian Technical University, Poland. PhD obtained in chemical engineering (1993). Since 1987, he has been employed at the Institute of Energy and Fuel Processing Technology in Zabrze (previous name: Institute for Chemical Processing of Coal), from 2013 up today he is Director of the Institute. The main interest of his research works include cokemaking technology, circular economy (waste to energy and chemical recycling), clean coal technologies, carbon capture & utilization, technologies for hydrogen economy. He is an author of more then 300 scientific and technical papers and 44 patents.
Min Li is a senior research analyst with over eighteen years of experience in the international coal mining industry. She joined Wood Mackenzie in 2016 and is currently based in Singapore with responsibility for Asia Pacific metallurgical coal and global coke market research.
Prior to joining Wood Mackenzie, Min worked with Peabody in business development and investment analysis for ten years.
Min also has over several years of experience in sales and marketing in FedEx.
Min Li is a CFA Level III candidate with an MBA from the University of Missouri in St. Louis.
Ted O’Brien is Managing Partner and Chief Commercial Officer of Oluma Resources. Prior to launching Oluma Resources with Nick Cron in September 2021, Ted spent five years with Xcoal, most recently as Vice President – Pacific Basin Operations, based in Singapore. Ted has extensive experience in coal marketing and logistics, and is well versed in the interplay between geopolitics, macroeconomic developments, and global coal markets.
Prior to joining Xcoal, Ted spent 10 years at Doyle Trading Consultants, LLC, now part of McCloskey by OPIS, a Dow Jones Company, culminating in his role as CEO.
Ted serves as an Independent Trustee and Chair of the Audit Committee on the Board of the Goehring & Rozenczwajg Resources Fund.
Dr. Bristow has been actively involved in the steel and steelmaking raw materials industries for over 22 years. During this time, he has led numerous investigations in coal and iron ore technical and market research, minerals strategy development, and market planning for BHP’s coal business, and was Chief Analyst for BHP Billiton’s Carbon Steel Materials Group, leading the Market Intelligence Group in Singapore.
His key expertise in steel, metallurgical coal, iron ore, and manganese ore and ferroalloys, coupled with strategic vision and long term analysis on future directions in emerging markets, saw him as an early proponent of the rebirth of the global steel industry, the rise of China and of coal’s growth story, together with a strong belief in China’s emergence as a major seaborne metallurgical coal importer. He has been a strong advocate for India’s growing coal demand.
In April 2009, he formed H&W Worldwide Consulting, putting his strong market analysis and strategy skills to good use across bulk commodities, including iron ore and coal –for both coking and thermal.
As an internationally recognized expert in areas of steel and steelmaking raw materials, long term trends and scenarios, he has written and presented numerous publications at highly respected international conferences and meetings.
Dr. Yukihiro Kubota has over 20 years of cokemaking research and operation experience in Nippon Steel Corporation. He obtained his PhD from Tohoku University in 2012. He made significant contributions to the construction and initial operation of the SCOPE21-type coke oven at Nippon Steel Oita Works, which began operation in 2008. He served as the manager of the cokemaking plant at Yawata Works until 2014. His current role in NSC is the General Manager, Head of Coal & Coke Research Department, Ironmaking research Laboratory. He specializes in coal blending theory, coal preparation techniques, coke quality estimation, strength, size, and reactivity. His Keynote address at ICSCI 2025 focuses on Development of Technology for Improvement of Coke Strength for Low Carbonization in Blast Furnaces and/or Cost Reduction of Coke Production.
Graduation from university: 1992 (business administration)
1992: start of professional career with coke plant technology company Thyssen Still Otto (which in 1999 became Thyssen Krupp EnCoke and in 2004 was integrated in the company thyssenkrupp Uhde)
1992 – 2017: development of projects for new coke plants as well as coke plant revamps with an emphasis on Latin America, but also in Europe, North America as well Asia
2017: new position “Head of Sales”
Further engagement: board member of German coke plant experts association (VDKF)
Dr. Ahmed Shah Firoz served as Chief Economist at the Economic Research Unit of the Ministry of Steel till recently, studied Economics in India’s prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, to acquire is his Masters (MA) ,M.Phil. and Doctorate (Ph.D.) degrees. He worked on the problems of disequilibrium states of the market specifically involving consumer behavior in shortage economies of the erstwhile USSR, Hungary and Poland. He also worked on the concepts of soft budget constraints in investment decisions in both centrally planned and market economies.
Firoz is currently a member of the Expert Group in the government project Mining 2035 undertaken under the auspices of Niti Aayog, the government’s most important think tank and policy driver. He is a Member of the Governing Body of Thought Arbitrage Research Institute ( TARI), a professional research body. He is also member of the Advisory and Governing Body of Steel User Federation of India ( SUFI). He continues to advise the government on various policy and strategic matters related to the iron and steel and coal and other related sectors. He is also seen as the architect of India’s new steel policy.
