Women in PGMs (WiPGMs) hosted a panel at the European Chapter of the International Precious Metals Institute (EC-IPMI) 11th Annual Seminar – held in Lisbon, Portugal on 17-19 November, 2024. The EC-IPMI conference had over 200 attendees congregating from across different parts of Europe and US. The event was titled A Turning Point – What is Next for Precious Metals? The speakers were experts coming from wide range of industries including mines, refineries, research houses, banks, investors, traders, recyclers and industrial manufacturers.
After observing a regular theme of uncertainty for the future of PGM demand post internal combustion engines (ICE), the Women in PGMs panel delved into a variety of opportunities for PGMs during their session titled “Beyond the Auto Catalyst: Exploring PGM’s Next Frontier”. Dr. Laura Ashfield highlighted JM’s focus on R&D for new applications with sustainability and circularity in mind. Dr. Chloe Cunningham explained how Alloyed technology is designing PGM alloys tailored specifically to unique applications resulting in durability of products good enough for aerospace parts or medical devices. Dr. Sofie Vanden Broeck focused on end-of-life streams from industrial PGM users for whom Indaver enables the extraction of the most value from their assets. Anna Marchisio, from Hensel Recycling, moderated the panel, highlighting the growing volume of recycled palladium expected to come from ICE vehicles, but also the importance of adapting to emerging growing technologies that have potential large upside, such as hydrogen.
The WiPGMs panel showcased female talent, adding diversity not only through gender, but especially through niche topics of technology and innovation. Thanks to the EC-IPMI, WiPGMs is able to deliver on its mission to feature the incredible expertise of female talent within the PGM industry.
It was a privilege to have the opportunity to discuss this important topic for the future of PGMs with such amazing female colleagues from across the industry.