Agenda: Giga US 26

8:00 AM - 8:30 AM
																Networking Breakfast
8:30 AM - 9:00 AM
																Words of Welcome Giga Stage
9:00 AM - 9:15 AM
																America First in the Battery Race: Leadership, Security, and Strategy A national security perspective on the critical mineral supply chain—underscoring the strategic imperative to reduce dependence on adversarial nations and reassert American leadership in mineral sourcing, processing, and manufacturing. Senator Tom Cotton, Senator for Arkansas, U.S. Senate Giga Stage
9:15 AM - 9:30 AM
																The Defense Case for Critical Mineral Security This session offers a defense community perspective on how critical minerals directly enable advanced military systems, and the operational risks posed by supply disruptions—highlighting the need for coordinated procurement, stockpiling, and industrial base planning. Eric Shields, Senior Battery Advisor - Policy, Analysis, & Transition OASD, Industrial Base Policy, OUSD for Acquisition & Sustainment, U.S. Department of Defense Giga Stage
9:45 AM - 10:00 AM
																The Future of Critical Minerals in Automotive Supply Chains As the automotive industry accelerates toward electrification, securing a stable and scalable supply of critical minerals has become a top priority. In this session, GM shares insights on sourcing strategies, upstream partnerships, and the role of automakers in reshaping the mineral supply chain. Kurt Kelty, Vice President, Battery, Propulsion, and Sustainability, General Motors Giga Stage
10:00 AM - 10:20 AM
																Networking Break

10:20 AM - 10:40 AM
																Unlocking America’s Potential: Building a Resilient Critical Mineral Strategy Senator John Hickenlooper, Senator for Colorado, U.S. Senate
10:20 AM - 12:00 PM
																US Regional Spotlights State-level policy initiatives supporting production Leading states in critical mineral production and processing Economic benefits of localized supply chain investments Collaboration between state governments and private industry Brent Wilson, CEO, Galvanic Energy
10:40 AM - 10:55 AM
																Bridging America’s Raw Material Disconnect Graham Kerr, Chief Executive Ofﬁcer and Managing Director, South32
10:55 AM - 11:05 AM
																Gigafactories at Scale: Building Battery Infrastructure for U.S. Resilience Bob Lee, CEO, North America, LG Energy Solutions
11:30 AM - 12:00 PM
																Securing Copper for a Resilient Energy Future Copper demand growth for EVs, grid storage, and renewables Expanding US copper mining and refining capacity Addressing supply constraints and price volatility

10:20 AM - 10:40 AM
																Unlocking America’s Potential: Building a Resilient Critical Mineral Strategy Senator John Hickenlooper, Senator for Colorado, U.S. Senate
10:20 AM - 12:00 PM
																US Regional Spotlights State-level policy initiatives supporting production Leading states in critical mineral production and processing Economic benefits of localized supply chain investments Collaboration between state governments and private industry Brent Wilson, CEO, Galvanic Energy
10:40 AM - 10:55 AM
																Bridging America’s Raw Material Disconnect Graham Kerr, Chief Executive Ofﬁcer and Managing Director, South32
10:55 AM - 11:05 AM
																Gigafactories at Scale: Building Battery Infrastructure for U.S. Resilience Bob Lee, CEO, North America, LG Energy Solutions
11:30 AM - 12:00 PM
																Securing Copper for a Resilient Energy Future Copper demand growth for EVs, grid storage, and renewables Expanding US copper mining and refining capacity Addressing supply constraints and price volatility

1:00 PM - 1:20 PM
																Cathodes, Anodes & Battery Innovation Chirranjeevi Gopal, Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder, Mitra Chem
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
																Finance Spotlights Insights into capital flows, market signals, and what’s driving investment in mining, refining, and next-gen technologies Perspectives on financing risk, deal structures, and geopolitical considerations in today’s minerals landscape
1:20 PM - 1:40 PM
																What It Takes to Build Mineral Supply Chains for Energy Security Kunal Sinha, SVP Marketing and Global Head, Recycling, Glencore
1:50 PM - 2:30 PM
																Navigating Tax Credits, Trade Policy, and U.S. Manufacturing Goals Donald Davidson, Head of Federal Affairs and Political Strategy, Volkswagen Group of America Jennifer Safavian, President and CEO, Autos Drive America Dan Anziska, Partner, Troutman Pepper Phillip Sherman, Senior Manager, International and Industry Affairs, Mercedes-Benz
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
																Supply Chain Innovations Hear from energy transition innovators on new projects and technologies to build a strong battery supply chain Paramita Das, Senior Advisor to the CEO and Chief Strategy Officer, Stardust Power Inc Julian Dunn, Vice President, Sudeep Advacned Materials
2:30 PM - 3:00 PM
																Scaling Storage for a Resilient Energy Future Scaling up domestic production of grid-scale energy storage solutions Overcoming cost and efficiency challenges in large-scale deployment Paul Dorsey, Associate General Counsel - Regulatory and External Affairs, Samsung SDI America Vikash Venkataramana, President - US Sales & Business Development, REPT.
3:00 PM - 3:30 PM
																Deep Sea Mining: Unlocking New Frontiers for Critical Minerals Exploring the potential of deep sea resources to meet growing demand for critical metals like nickel and cobalt Addressing environmental, regulatory, and technological challenges to responsible seabed extraction Industry perspectives on project readiness, innovation, and the path to commercial viability David Anonychuk, Global VP Metallurgy & Consulting, SGS Oliver Gunasekara, CEO & Co-Founder, Impossible Metals Craig Shesky, Chief Financial Officer, The Metals Company

1:00 PM - 1:20 PM
																Cathodes, Anodes & Battery Innovation Chirranjeevi Gopal, Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder, Mitra Chem
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
																Finance Spotlights Insights into capital flows, market signals, and what’s driving investment in mining, refining, and next-gen technologies Perspectives on financing risk, deal structures, and geopolitical considerations in today’s minerals landscape
1:20 PM - 1:40 PM
																What It Takes to Build Mineral Supply Chains for Energy Security Kunal Sinha, SVP Marketing and Global Head, Recycling, Glencore
1:50 PM - 2:30 PM
																Navigating Tax Credits, Trade Policy, and U.S. Manufacturing Goals Donald Davidson, Head of Federal Affairs and Political Strategy, Volkswagen Group of America Jennifer Safavian, President and CEO, Autos Drive America Dan Anziska, Partner, Troutman Pepper Phillip Sherman, Senior Manager, International and Industry Affairs, Mercedes-Benz
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
																Supply Chain Innovations Hear from energy transition innovators on new projects and technologies to build a strong battery supply chain Paramita Das, Senior Advisor to the CEO and Chief Strategy Officer, Stardust Power Inc Julian Dunn, Vice President, Sudeep Advacned Materials
2:30 PM - 3:00 PM
																Scaling Storage for a Resilient Energy Future Scaling up domestic production of grid-scale energy storage solutions Overcoming cost and efficiency challenges in large-scale deployment Paul Dorsey, Associate General Counsel - Regulatory and External Affairs, Samsung SDI America Vikash Venkataramana, President - US Sales & Business Development, REPT.
3:00 PM - 3:30 PM
																Deep Sea Mining: Unlocking New Frontiers for Critical Minerals Exploring the potential of deep sea resources to meet growing demand for critical metals like nickel and cobalt Addressing environmental, regulatory, and technological challenges to responsible seabed extraction Industry perspectives on project readiness, innovation, and the path to commercial viability David Anonychuk, Global VP Metallurgy & Consulting, SGS Oliver Gunasekara, CEO & Co-Founder, Impossible Metals Craig Shesky, Chief Financial Officer, The Metals Company

3:30 PM - 4:00 PM
																Networking Break
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
																The Business and Policy Case for Battery Recycling The role of battery recycling in building a circular economy The Importance of policy and regulatory support for scaling up battery material recovery Giga Stage
5:00 PM - 5:30 PM
																Building a Sustainable Supply Chain Enhancing transparency and accountability across the supply chain The importance of bipartisan support in creating a sustainable domestic supply chain Alexis Georgeson, Vice President, Government Relations, Communications, and Consumer Recycling Programs, Redwood Materials Albert Gore, Executive Director, ZETA Abigail Hunter, Executive Director, Center for Critical Mineral Strategy, SAFE Tina Jeffress, Group Manager for Energy and Sustainability, Panasonic Corporation of North America Stefan Debruyne, Director of External Affairs, SQM Giga Stage
6:00 PM
																Networking Reception

8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
																Networking Breakfast
9:00 AM - 9:30 AM
																Words of Welcome Giga Stage
9:30 AM - 9:50 AM
																Powering the Nation: Critical Minerals and U.S. Competitiveness Senator Lisa Murkowski, Senator for Alaska, U.S. Senate Giga Stage
9:50 AM - 10:10 AM
																How U.S. Policy and Global Tensions Are Redrawing Trade Lines Addressing the impact of geopolitical tensions on supply chain stability Sarah Bianchi, Senior Managing Director, Chief Strategist of International Political Affairs and Public Policy, Evercore Gracelin Baskaran, Director, Critical Minerals Security, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Emily Olson, Chief Sustainability & Corporate Affairs Officer, Vale Base Metals Giga Stage
10:10 AM - 10:30 AM
																Networking Break

10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
																Meeting Mineral Demand from AI, Data, and the Grid The role of batteries in supporting critical technology infrastructure Addressing supply chain challenges for energy demands of AI Innovations in energy-efficient power storage for data centers																																										Financing the Future: Aligning Public and Private Capital for Mineral Projects Understanding the US public funding structures for international projects Learning from international successes; what role have sovereign wealth funds played? Optimizing the relationship between public and private sectors to secure funding for critical mineral projects Kristi Rogers, PRISM, Co-Founder & President
11:00 AM - 11:30 AM
																Unlocking DoD Funding for Energy Independence Anthony Huston, Founder and CEO, Graphite One Mahnaz Khan, Vice President of Policy for Critical Supply Chains, Silverado Policy Accelerator Pat Risner, President, Hermosa, South32
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
																Next Generation of US Mining and Refining Innovations in extraction and refining processes for critical minerals Advancing US-based refining to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers Sharad Dubey, Global Business Development Manager, SLB Jesse Edmondson, Director of Government Relations, Standard Lithium Venkee Sharma, Executive Chairman, Aquatech

10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
																Meeting Mineral Demand from AI, Data, and the Grid The role of batteries in supporting critical technology infrastructure Addressing supply chain challenges for energy demands of AI Innovations in energy-efficient power storage for data centers																																										Financing the Future: Aligning Public and Private Capital for Mineral Projects Understanding the US public funding structures for international projects Learning from international successes; what role have sovereign wealth funds played? Optimizing the relationship between public and private sectors to secure funding for critical mineral projects Kristi Rogers, PRISM, Co-Founder & President
11:00 AM - 11:30 AM
																Unlocking DoD Funding for Energy Independence Anthony Huston, Founder and CEO, Graphite One Mahnaz Khan, Vice President of Policy for Critical Supply Chains, Silverado Policy Accelerator Pat Risner, President, Hermosa, South32

1:00 PM - 3:30 PM
																Mines of Tomorrow Hear from energy transition innovators on new projects and technologies to build a strong battery supply chain
1:30 PM - 2:00 PM
																Minerals in Focus: Cathode & Anode Raw Materials
2:00 PM - 2:30 PM
																Lithium in the Lead: Supply, Innovation, and the Global Race for Scale Ken Brinsden, Chief Executive Officer, Patriot Battery Metals Roland Chavasse, Secretary General & co-founder, International Lithium Association (ILiA) Rock Hoffman, Equity Research Analyst, Bank of America
2:30 PM - 3:10 PM
																The Role of Geopolitics in the Global Critical Mineral Supply Chain Understanding how to strengthen domestic supply chains through international partnerships Addressing growing global demand for lithium and how to meet this Navigating policy and investment risks Parvin Adeli, Manager, Batteries, Nickel Institute Michael Blakeney, Head of Government and Public Affairs, Cobalt Institute Septian Hario Seto, Member of National Economic Council, Republic of Indonesia

1:00 PM - 3:30 PM
																Mines of Tomorrow Hear from energy transition innovators on new projects and technologies to build a strong battery supply chain
1:30 PM - 2:00 PM
																Minerals in Focus: Cathode & Anode Raw Materials
2:00 PM - 2:30 PM
																Lithium in the Lead: Supply, Innovation, and the Global Race for Scale Ken Brinsden, Chief Executive Officer, Patriot Battery Metals Roland Chavasse, Secretary General & co-founder, International Lithium Association (ILiA) Rock Hoffman, Equity Research Analyst, Bank of America
2:30 PM - 3:10 PM
																The Role of Geopolitics in the Global Critical Mineral Supply Chain Understanding how to strengthen domestic supply chains through international partnerships Addressing growing global demand for lithium and how to meet this Navigating policy and investment risks Parvin Adeli, Manager, Batteries, Nickel Institute Michael Blakeney, Head of Government and Public Affairs, Cobalt Institute Septian Hario Seto, Member of National Economic Council, Republic of Indonesia

3:30 PM - 4:00 PM
																Networking Break
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
																Rare Earths and the Race for Resource Security Securing domestic rare earth mining and refining capabilities Reducing US dependence on Chinese rare earth supply chains Applications of rare earths in defense, EVs, and electronics Ramon Barua, CEO, Aclara Resources Christine Burow, Chief Marketing Officer, Torngat Metals David Petitjean, Director, Sales Critical Minerals, Rio Tinto Giga Stage
6:00 PM
																Close of Conference and Networking