The Rise of Rich & The Founding of the Modern Trading House: Mark Crandall Part 1

Record prices, extreme volatility, net-zero carbon demands, liquidity challenges and disrupted supply chains are the ‘new normal’ in commodities. Planning for 2022 and beyond in this environment is incredibly hard. In this episode, we go into the boardrooms of traders, producers and consumers to understand the challenges they face and the decisions to make to survive and thrive in this uncertain world. Our guest is McKinsey’s Partner Xavier Veillard, who leads the commodity trading practice. Xavier takes us on a guided tour on which topics (and why) are on the agenda and why this ‘new normal’ is likely here for the long term. To find out more about HC and our talent advisory services in the energy & commodities sector visit www.hcgroup.global/hc-insider To connect with our host Paul Chapman, you can find him at www.linkedin.com/in/paulchapmanhc/

3 Nov 202139min

In this episode, we explore the hidden, dark side of the energy transition. The West offshored to Asia the pollution stemming from the mining and processing of the key metals and products needed for the modem world, from electric cars to defense technology. In doing so has it also irrevocably ceded dominance to China in the future digital and energy economy? And in a world of rising prices, the EV revolution and increasing tension, will these metals become the new strategic resource and how far can and will China leverage its position. And what was the environmental cost to this dominance? Our guest is the journalist, author and documentary maker,  Guillaume Pitron. Guillaume’s book, The Rare Metals War, has just been published in English and the product of decade of research into this hidden world. To find out more about HC and our talent advisory services in the energy & commodities sector visit www.hcgroup.global/hc-insider To connect with our host Paul Chapman, you can find him at www.linkedin.com/in/paulchapmanhc/

27 Okt 202152min

Hydrogen is touted as a key component in energy transition, providing a carbon-free source of energy from transportation to heating our homes, while conveniently using existing oil & gas infrastructure and reserves. If so, why haven’t we built a hydrogen economy already? Is the hydrogen economy more hype than hope? What are its challenges from the immutable laws of thermodynamics, to technology, to safety and cost that have limited it to date?  And as the commodity community begins to focus on its, what questions need to be asked. Our guest is Paul Martin, a chemical process engineer with a long association with hydrogen and its uses. Paul, a well-known thinker and writer on energy transition, walks us through the science and why hydrogen might continue to play a minimal, even negative, role in the energy transition story. To find out more about HC and our talent advisory services in the energy & commodities sector visit www.hcgroup.global/hc-insider To connect with our host Paul Chapman, you can find him at www.linkedin.com/in/paulchapmanhc/

13 Okt 202155min

The shipping market is treacherously cyclical. Adding the pandemic, digitization, trade wars and energy transition has made this lynchpin of the global energy markets one of most challenging segments to operate in and to plan for the future. What drives the tanker market? What are the short- and long-term impacts of the pandemic? What does digitization mean for the market structure and talent? And just what will energy transition mean for owners, operators and traders over the next decade. Our guest is Richard Matthews, Director of Consultancy & Research at E.A.Gibsons the shipbroker, who guides us through the volatile world of tankers. To find out more about HC and our talent advisory services in the energy & commodities sector visit www.hcgroup.global/hc-insiderTo connect with our host Paul Chapman, you can find him at www.linkedin.com/in/paulchapmanhc/

6 Okt 202153min

As we embark on the energy transition, oil trading will not only become more crucial but more lucrative. Reducing investment in supply and infrastructure, uncertain global demand and decarbonization policies, will all increase the need to manage the flows and the volatility that drives returns for traders. In this episode, our guest, veteran oil trader Kurt Chapman, gives us a sweeping look at the state of crude oil trading in the run up to the pandemic and how energy transition will likely impact its future and what it means for related talent.To find out more about HC and our talent advisory services in the energy & commodities sector visit www.hcgroup.global/hc-insiderTo connect with our host Paul Chapman, you can find him at www.linkedin.com/in/paulchapmanhc/

29 Sep 202141min

Biogas both prevents methane from entering the atmosphere and provides a carbon neutral fuel, making it a power tool in the energy transition and the fight against global warming. Yet it currently makes up only a fraction of the energy mix. Could this be set to change as renewable fuel credits, carbon pricing and waste management legislation around the world, push biogas to the forefront? Could this be a huge untapped opportunity for the commodities world? And if so, how can energy companies and traders execute on it. Joining us to discuss is John Rose, Chief Commercial Officer for Asset Finance Partners. John has had a long career as an Energy and Ags trader and has focused on financing, developing and commercialising biogas projects in Europe and North America for the past four years.To find out more about HC and our talent advisory services in the energy & commodities sector visit www.hcgroup.global/hc-insiderTo connect with our host Paul Chapman, you can find him at www.linkedin.com/in/paulchapmanhc/

22 Sep 202140min

Are we truly in a commodity super-cycle? Or has a global pandemic, supply disruption, inflation and wishful thinking around energy transition created a short-term price increase and much hype. In this episode, we take a more nuanced look at the super cycle hypothesis and seek to understand whether energy, metals and ags will all see a secular macro shift up in prices in the coming decade. Our guest thinks not. Ivo Sarjanovic is a former Cargill executive and former CEO of Alvean, one of the world’s largest sugar traders and now sits on the boards of a number of commodities participants. He is also adjunct professor teaching agricultural commodities at the University of Geneva and Di Tella University in Buenos Aires. To find out more about HC and our talent advisory services in the energy & commodities sector visit www.hcgroup.global/hc-insiderTo connect with our host Paul Chapman, you can find him at www.linkedin.com/in/paulchapmanhc/

16 Sep 202140min

Across the developed world, companies face the pressure to decarbonize by 2030. Right now buying long-term renewable power is the simplest option. However, in a decade will many wish they had built, or invested in, their own sources of renewable power? After all, what will the price of a PPA be in 2030 when everyone needs one. Guiding us through the rapidly changing landscape of corporations power supply chains is Toby Stanway. Toby is the founder of Invest Net Zero, a company focused on enabling businesses of all sizes to make a strategic investment in utility-scale renewable infrastructure as a cost-effective, robust and long-term solution to achieving decarbonization goals. Toby has 20 years in the energy industry and experience of mergers and acquisitions, investment analysis surrounding conventional and renewables infrastructure.To find out more about HC and our talent advisory services in the energy & commodities sector visit www.hcinsider.globalTo connect with our host Paul Chapman, you can find him at www.linkedin.com/in/paulchapmanhc/

8 Sep 202148min