Dr Seb Leaper, Co-Founder of Watercycle Technologies, holds a PhD in Nanoscience from the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Manchester.

He is a recipient of the prestigious Eli and Britt Harari Graphene Enterprise Award, supported by SanDisk co founder Dr Eli Harari, recognising his pioneering work in graphene enabled innovation.

With a background in Materials Science and Engineering, Seb's scientific and technological interests span advanced materials, critical minerals extraction and water purification. He has a desire to use this knowledge to make a positive impact and address global concerns around resource security and the transition to a circular economy. 

Esteban Soto is Commercial Director at ILiAD Technologies, where he works with brine resource owners and developers worldwide to advance direct lithium extraction projects toward commercial production. He has more than a decade of experience across the lithium, oil and gas, and nuclear sectors in commercial, executive, and operational roles. Earlier in his career, Esteban led field           engineering, installation, and commissioning activities across industrial plants in Europe, North and South America, including projects to optimize lithium carbonate production at one of SQM’s plants in Northern Chile.

Chris has over 25 year’s experience across the extractive and industrial sectors nationally and internationally. His responsibilities and remit have included the technical and commercial aspects of businesses development, working in companies ranging from small scale start-ups to large industrial corporates and delivering projects from concept to completion. He has a comprehensive understanding of the onshore energy and mineral sector in the UK, having worked with the British Government, devolved nations, regulators and local communities to develop domestic resources. A native of Australia, Chris has called the UK home for over 20 years.

Jaco Bester brings more than 30 years of experience in ion exchange resins, adsorbents, and membrane technologies. His expertise spans sales and technical service, application and product development, system design, analysis, and troubleshooting.

He has authored and presented numerous technical papers at international conferences, with a focus on the extraction and purification of uranium, gold, lithium, and base metals.

Jeremy Wrathall is the Founder and Executive Chairman of Cornish Lithium Plc, a pioneering UK-based lithium development company focused on establishing a sustainable domestic supply of lithium through geothermal brine and hard rock resources in Cornwall.

Since founding the company in 2017, Jeremy has led Cornish Lithium’s strategic development from early-stage exploration to advanced project evaluation and technology validation. The company is at the forefront of integrating geothermal energy with direct lithium extraction (DLE) technologies, positioning Cornwall as a key contributor to the UK and Europe’s critical minerals and battery supply chain strategy. He previously served as CEO and Interim Chairman, overseeing capital raising, resource definition, and the advancement of innovative, low-impact extraction methods.

Jeremy brings more than 25 years of experience in global mining finance and natural resources investment. Prior to establishing Cornish Lithium, he was Head of Global Natural Resources at Investec in London. He has also held senior leadership positions including Managing Director – Metals & Mining Investment Banking at Renaissance Capital, Partner at GMP Securities Europe LLP, and Director of the London office at Haywood Securities.

Earlier in his career, Jeremy served as Head of Global Mining Equities at Deutsche Bank and worked in Global Mining Sales at UBS, developing extensive expertise in mining capital markets, resource financing, and international project development.

His career spans mining, private equity, and investment banking, with a particular focus on strategic resource development and the advancement of critical minerals essential to the global energy transition.

Dylan Khoo is the editor of Argus Battery Materials Analytics, providing market research and forecasting for the battery materials sector. He provides analysis on supply, demand, and pricing trends for battery materials across the entire battery value chain from mining to end-use applications. He previously worked as an automotive technology analyst covering EVs, autonomous vehicles, and connected cars.

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