2015 Events

November 9, 2015

The SME-NY NOVEMBER 2015 MEETING

"Where Are Mining Companies and Projects Getting Funded? And How?"

Alain Halimi,
Commonwealth Bank of Australia
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Alain leads Commonwealth Bank of Australia mining & metals debt platform for the Americas & EMA covering base metals, precious metals, bulk commodities and specialty metals. Alain has been a financier within the natural resources, energy and infrastructure sectors for 10+ years originating secured & unsecured debt financing (TL, RCF, pre-export financing, pre-payments, metal loans, etc), project financing, acquisition financing (bridge loans, opco/holdco financing, and stapled financing), capital markets (HY, project bonds, secured export notes, convertibles), mezzanine and holdco PIK financings. Alain has also been advising clients on a range of project financings, acquisitions and divestitures transactions. He has completed 100+ transactions with combined value of US$30+ billion across jurisdictions in the Americas, EMEA and Asia Pacific.

Prior to joining CBA, Alain was a Vice President at BNP Paribas New York within the Metals & Mining Structured Debt Group, focused on advising or arranging transactions for international mining and metals clients with his responsibilities have included origination, structuring, negotiation and closing of numerous limited and non‐recourse project & structured financings, in the capacity of Agent/Underwriter.


May 13, 2015

"Lithium - the Metal of the Future?"

Ihor Kunasz
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Ihor started his career with Foote Mineral Company, where he became chief geologist and the leading authority in the field of lithium deposits, having visited and evaluated practically all the major pegmatite and brine deposits of the world. His doctoral thesis was on the origin of lithium in Clayton Valley, NV, where the first brine deposit was commercially exploited for lithium. Today he is presently a consultant on lithium and brines with the TRU Group.


April 26, 2015

"Use Technology and Data to Manage and Reduce Cost and Risk and Optimize Mining Operations and Decisions"

Damian McKay, CAE Mining
Dylan Webb, Datamine

Dylan is a mining engineer with 19 years experience in operations management, mining studies and business improvement. Throughout his career he has worked for mining companies, consulting firms and technology suppliers in Australia, Canada, South Africa and the United Kingdom. In his current role at CAE Mining, Dylan is responsible for the strategy and execution of the company’s software research and development, leading a team of over 50 software engineers. The company’s goal is to improve the productivity and efficiency of mining operations by providing leading-edge solutions built on its core database, desktop and cloud technology.

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Jose Favilla, IBM

Jose has more than 25 years of experience in designing and implementing innovative business solutions for the natural resources and process manufacturing industries including mining & metals, oil & gas, forest & paper and heavy equipment manufacturing. José has in-depth knowledge of the challenges, business drivers, leading practices, existing technologies and solutions. He has served many clients worldwide. José’s experience spans a number of areas including product specification, manufacturing, quality, production planning and scheduling, supply chain optimization, inbound and outbound logistics, asset management, risk management and safety. He has extensive experience in designing and implementing innovative solutions by working with leading research organizations. He has led major business and process innovation projects resulting in billions of dollars in financial benefits to his clients. He is a member of IBM Industry Academy, a prestige group of industry experts recognized for their eminence in the industry. José has authored a number of scientific and thought leadership papers and has spoken in numerous conferences around the globe. He has been serving as a mentor for MBA students at Notre Dame University.

September 30, 2015

The SME-NY SEPTEMBER 2015 MEETING
Chuck Bradford,
Metals Industries Advisory Group

Chuck gave his perspective, of an on-the-ground global steel and metals analyst of 50+ years, of some major cross currents in the global economic and financial markets today. He discussed recent economic trends in China and elsewhere around the world in the steel, metals and raw materials markets, China's GDP growth of 6+% GDP after many years of double digit growth, the impact of China's economic policy shift from fixed investment to a consumer based economy, and his view of China's 830+ mtpy steel industry and its impact on global iron ore, met coal etc etc. trends, prices, as well as investments by China in minerals outside and inside China and how reliable or likely will its growth continue.

Chuck is widely viewed as the "dean of metals analysts on Wall Street". He is the "go-to guy" when it comes to company and industry analysis, especially when historical and international data is needed. Through travel and contact communiqués, he maintains close coverage of worldwide steel and metals industries movements with emphasis on the developments in the Mideast and Far East regions. Having been the Wall Street analyst asking the hard questions, as well as the trusted advisor helping industry leaders answer them, Charles Bradford is a true metals insider who understands the forces impacting share prices in these demanding times and the pressures facing those charged with running firms in a volatile marketplace. Chuck is a frequent speaker at industry conferences, has provided expert testimony to Congress, The White House, and The Cato Institute. His views are regularly featured in The Wall Street Journal, Barron's, American Metals Market, CNN, CNBC, ABC News, and The BBC. He holds BS in Industrial Relations from UNC and an MBA in Finance from Wharton. Chuck has worked on a number of steel company financings including IPO's and debt transactions. He has been involved in planning for the rebuilding of flat-rolled mini-mills and sales of steel assets. For 16 years he was employed by Merrill, Lynch, Pierce, Fenner, and Smith and spent 6 years at Union Bank of Switzerland.

Damian is responsible for the leadership of the CAE Mining unit, leading the team into the next evolution of growth and development. Before joining CAE, Mr. McKay held various senior management positions at General Electric. Most recently, he was General Manager and Vice President of Energy Services for the Australasia region, where he led a large team responsible for the growth and segmentation of heavy mechanical, electrical and software products in a number of markets including mining. Prior to his position at General Electric, Damian held leadership roles with Entergy Corporation and AGL. Mr. McKay has a Bachelor's degree in Business from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance from the Financial Services Institute of Australia.



January 29, 2015

PRECIOUS METALS SUMMIT

"Gold - Supply and Demand: Expectations for the First Half of 2015"
Erica Rannestad, Thomson Reuters

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"Trading Precious Metals: The 10 Most Important Things to Look at"
George Gero, RBC Capital Markets

"2015 Precious Metals Markets Outlook - Equities and Valuation"
Michael Dudas, Sterne Agee

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