
Smithers is pleased to present an initial look at the MetCoke World Summit 2023 agenda featuring speakers from Energy Ventures Analysis, Blaschak Anthracite Corporation, ACCCI, McCloskey by OPIS, a Dow Jones Company, Ember, S&P Global and many more coming soon!
Join the mailing list to hear the latest 2023 updates.John Lowell is a weekly contributor to Inside Coal & Steel Raw Materials and US East Coast coking coal and ARA and Barranquilla met coke price indicators. He possesses extensive commercial knowledge of global coal markets, inland transportation, and bulk ocean freight. Prior to joining McCloskey by OPIS, a Dow Jones Company, six years ago, he worked for eight years at what was then Arch Coal in both sales and corporate development roles. John began his career in the energy consulting practice of Pace Global Energy Services in market analysis and price forecasting in support of projects worldwide utilizing natural gas (piped and liquefied supply), coal, petroleum coke, and biomass. He received his MBA in finance and strategy from Washington University in St. Louis and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Notre Dame in economics and history.
Mr. Schwartz is the President of the consulting firm of Energy Ventures Analysis and was one of the founders of the firm in 1981. He and his firm specialize in applied analysis of energy markets, including power, coal, natural gas, oil, renewables, and emissions. EVA publishes regular reports on energy markets, including forecasts of supply, demand, and prices. EVA’s clients include energy consumers, producers, and transporters as well as investors and regulators. Mr. Schwartz manages EVA’s coal consulting practice, which includes market studies, investment analysis, procurement operations, property valuations and transaction services. Mr. Schwartz testifies on energy markets before courts and regulatory agencies and has served as an arbitrator in contract disputes. He has also served as CEO of Centennial Resources and Atlantic Carbon, two coal producers and has been an agent for power plant coal procurement activities. He received a degree in Geological Engineering from Princeton University in 1977.
Dr. Joseph J. Poveromo (Ph.D., M.S. Center for Process Metallurgy, State U. of New York/Buffalo; BS Chem. Eng. Rensselaer Poly). From 1974 he was at Bethlehem Steel’s Homer Research Laboratories. In 1993 he established his consultancy, Raw Materials & Ironmaking Global Consulting. Through 2008 his principal client was the Quebec Cartier Mining Company, serving as Director Technology-International. Currently, he consults for steel, iron ore, other natural resource, technology provider, financial and consultancy companies on a global basis. Dr. Poveromo is a Distinguished Member of AIST (Assoc. of Iron & Steel Technology); his awards include the T. L. Joseph Award for long-standing contributions to ironmaking technology. He is also a Special Member of the IIMA(International Iron Metallics Association).
David Ailor has been with the Washington, D.C.-based American Coke and Coal Chemicals Institute for more than 20 years. His tenure with ACCCI includes 16 years, from 1989 – 2005, as ACCCI’s first Director of Regulatory Affairs; and, six years, from 2015 to the present, as President of the Institute.
As ACCCI President, Mr. Ailor, who reports to ACCCI’s Board of Directors, organizes and manages four off-site meetings of the Institute each year, including ACCCI’s Annual Meeting, a Business Meeting of the Board, and biannual meetings of ACCCI’s “Manufacturing, Environmental, and Safety and Health” (MESH) Committee. Additionally, he prepares and manages an annual budget for the Institute.
Mr. Ailor also has many of the same responsibilities he had from 1989 – 2005, when he served as ACCCI Director of Regulatory Affairs. His overall responsibility in this area is
monitoring and reporting to ACCCI’s membership on Federal agency actions on environmental and employee safety issues of potential concern to the membership. Related responsibilities include analyzing regulations/legislation; formulating policy positions; developing regulatory responses; and, working with the relevant regulatory agencies (EPA, OSHA) to ensure the reasonableness of the regulations being developed.
Bio coming soon!
Greg Driscoll serves as Chairman at Blaschak Anthracite Corporation, a leader in the Pennsylvania Anthracite industry. He joined Blaschak in 2009 when the founding family sold the company to Milestone Partners, a Philadelphia based Private Equity firm and served as President and CEO from 2009 through 2019, when he transitioned to his current role as Chairman.
He is a seasoned senior energy industry executive with a background that includes petroleum refining and marketing, natural gas distribution, energy technology, demand-side power management and anthracite coal mining, preparation and distribution. A Chemical Engineer by training, he has served in executive capacities in a number of enterprises, from small start-ups to the Fortune 150.
He has served as a Trustee of The Franklin Institute, and as Director in a number of commercial and non-profit organizations including PMA Capital, and currently Blaschak Coal Corp.
Mr. Driscoll holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from Drexel University and participated in the Executive MBA program of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Bio coming soon
Conal works on coal mine methane, which has a bigger impact on climate change than the greenhouse gas emissions from shipping and aviation combined. Ember cooperates on this topic with organisations such as the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, United Nations Environmental Program and European Union institutions.
Ember’s policy engagement focuses on highlighting the need for action on coal mine methane. This includes analysing how emissions should be monitored, reported and verified, as well as being captured and utilised to mitigate damage to the environment.
Conal lives in Ireland. He studied at Trinity College Dublin, University College London and University College Dublin. He previously lived in Eastern Europe working on international public policy.
Pinakin Chaubal is vice president of ArcelorMittal and chief technology officer.
Pinakin started his career in 1987 at Inland Steel in the USA and joined the group in 1998 after the acquisition of Inland Steel by Ispat International. He has a background in process metallurgy and has held several positions in research, operations and technology for various organisations. With the creation of ArcelorMittal global research and development (R&D) in 2007, he moved to Europe as general manager responsible for process research and development globally. In 2014, he relocated to the USA and took on additional responsibilities as head of research management Americas, whilst continuing to act as process portfolio leader and a member of the global R&D leadership team. Pinakin has been in his current role since May 2019.
Pinakin holds a Bachelor of Technology in metallurgical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, India. He also holds a Master of Science in metallurgical engineering from the Missouri University of Science and Technology, and a Ph. D in the same discipline from the University of Utah.
Bio coming soon!
With 15 years of experience in the metals and mining industry, Isha drives research and analytics for the ferrous space. She regularly engages with global miners, steelmakers, investors and industry associations on a variety of commodity research areas. Her specialities include demand and supply forecasting, price surveillance and short-term views, costing and investment analysis across the value chain. She also evaluates and forecasts the impact of decarbonisation on miners and steelmakers.
Before joining Wood Mackenzie, Isha was a Director at CRISIL, an S&P global firm, and was associated with Boston Analytics. Her primary responsibility was advising clients on key strategy and business planning areas in the metals and mining space.