Speakers

Sareena PatelThermal Coal Research Lead, McCloskey by OPIS

Sareena Patel

Thermal Coal Research Lead – McCloskey by OPIS, A Dow Jones Company

Sareena leads McCloskey’s Energy Research division—a service focusing on the global thermal coal markets, in the context of the wider energy space.

Sareena joined McCloskey more than 12 years ago and is a leading expert in the global thermal coal markets. She is a regular speaker across key commodity conferences, such as Coaltrans, VDKI’s Coal Market Gathering, Fenalcarbon’s Met coke Summit and many more, including McCloskey’s own coal conferences.

Sareena and her team are responsible for producing supply, demand and price outlooks, and data-backed research on the global thermal coal market. Her work extends to cover geopolitics, cross-commodity/ fuel competition analysis, energy transition, power demand, LNG trade and much more. The content produced by the team is prized for being grounded in the reality of the market thanks to the first-hand knowledge gathered by its globally situated price and market reporters.

Prior to joining McCloskey, Sareena was a gas and power market expert at IHS Markit (now S&P Commodity Insights) and previously worked in Automotive research.

Sareena holds a BA with honours in Economics with French from the University of Durham, UK and a degree in Economics and Management from the University of Aix-Marseilles, France

Ranjana von WendlandAssociate Director, Global Business Development, Steel Raw Materials, McCloskey by OPIS, A Dow Jones Company

Associate Director, Global Business Development, Steel Raw Materials at McCloskey by OPIS, A Dow Jones Company

Ranjana handles the global business development for the Steel Raw Materials including the Ores and Alloys. She has spent nearly a decade in the coal, metals and mining space focussing on met coal, met coke, anthracite and PCI. She has launched pricing assessments for met coke relevant to the Latin American and European markets.  Prior to McCloskey she worked in European energy risk management and energy publishing services. Ranjana has a Masters in Financial Journalism from City, University of London, UK and MBA in International Business from Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), New Delhi.

Lola GonzalezSenior Research Analyst, McCloskey by OPIS

Lola is a seasoned journalist with over two decades of experience, who now specialises in energy markets and commodity price reporting. Since 2021, she has served as a Senior Researcher and Analyst for OPIS McCloskey, focusing on thermal coal markets in the Atlantic Basin, with a particular emphasis on Colombia, Europe, and Morocco.

Throughout her career, Lola has conducted high-profile interviews with influential figures, including Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro, former Ministers of Energy and Mines Irene Vélez and Diego Mesa, and Spain’s Minister of Ecological Transition Teresa Ribera. Her extensive background in journalism includes more than 17 years of contributing to top-tier publications in Spain, where she was also a regular participant in political and economic talk shows on national television.

Dr James StevensonVice President and Research Lead, Coal, Metals and Mining, McCloskey by OPIS

James Stevenson leads the research and forecasting team for Coal, Metals & Mining within McCloskey. Previously he led Global Coal research, and before that he headed up analysis of North American coal. Dr. Stevenson’s primary expertise includes supply-demand dynamics of coal and iron ore markets, price forecasting, mining and transportation costs, and export logistics and infrastructure. He also has extensive experience in trading of coal, natural gas, and power, as well as being experienced in M&A, having been a part of a number of asset and offtake deals in the coal supply space.

Prior to joining McCloskey’s predecessor IHS Markit, Dr. Stevenson spent six years in coal and power trading, most recently as Vice President, Coal Analysis at Mercuria Energy Trading, and before that as Coal Strategist at Louis Dreyfus Highbridge Energy. He also worked in the energy trading team at Eraring Energy in the Australian utility industry, working primarily in risk management as well as strategy around coal procurement, power sales, and carbon strategy.

Dr. Stevenson holds undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of Sydney in Australia, and a PhD from Yale University.

Daniel ReyDirector Ejecutivo, Cámara Colombiana de Productores de Acero.

Executive Director, Colombian Chamber of Steel Producers | Economist | Macro Analysis & Business Development Expert.

Economist and MBA from Universidad de los Andes, with a specialization in Urban Law from Universidad del Rosario. With 15+ years of experience in macroeconomic analysis, sector risk, and business development, he has held key roles in the private and industry-association sectors.

He is currently the Executive Director of the Colombian Steel Producers Committee at ANDI, leading strategies to strengthen the steel industry, address unfair competition, and promote productive value chains.

Previously, he served as Director of Economic Studies at Camacol B&C and worked at Grupo Bolívar and Banco Davivienda in economic research and sector-risk evaluation. He has also taught International Finance in the Master’s in Banking and Finance at Universidad Javeriana.

Andre AcostaDirector, Commodity Solutions LATAM, Marex Solutions

Andre Acosta is a seasoned commodities and derivatives executive with more than 15 years of experience in client management, portfolio hedging, and risk-mitigation strategies. He brings deep expertise across physical commodity markets, futures, OTC structures, and FX hedging, helping participants across the value chain navigate volatility and optimize commercial and financial outcomes.

Since 2019, he has led Marex’s Latam strategy. He has also spearheaded the adoption and development of coal, metallurgical coal, and coke hedging solutions in Colombia, broadening market access to effective risk-management tools. Having worked in Brazil, the UK, and the US, Andre brings a genuinely global perspective and a strong ability to engage diverse stakeholders across Latin America, Europe, and beyond.

Jennifer KimSenior Manager, Fuel Procurement & Development Department, Korea East-West Power Co. Ltd

Jennifer Kim is a Senior Manager at Korea East‑West Power Co., Ltd. (EWP)—a major Korean utility with a diversified generation portfolio spanning bituminous and anthracite coal, LNG, oil, and renewables (solar, wind, fuel cells, hydropower)—where she leads thermal coal procurement strategy in the Fuel Procurement and Development Department at headquarters in Ulsan. Since joining in 2004, she has held cross‑functional roles in materials management, accounting, planning, and finance, and gained international experience at Jamaica Public Service Company Limited (JPS), in which EWP holds a 40% stake. She holds a M.S. in Technology Management.

Juan Carlos SalazarInternational Business Development, RTS International

Juan Carlos Salazar is the Business Development Manager for RTS International in Colombia, a global financing company headquartered in Kansas City, supporting exporters worldwide with multi-million-dollar financing solutions. He helps companies unlock working capital, optimize cash flow, and expand into multi-destination markets.

Juan Carlos brings vast commercial and financing structuring experience across different multinational companies and has extensive expertise financing coal, metallurgical coke, and related commodities. He works closely with clients to design tailored financial solutions that enhance liquidity and support strategic growth initiatives in complex, high-value commodity markets.

Through his career, he has developed deep expertise in international trade finance, risk mitigation, and the operational challenges of cross-border transactions, enabling businesses to scale efficiently while maintaining strong financial health.

Gustavo FernandezManaging Director, Capricorn One S.L.

Gustavo Fernandez is an executive with more than 25 years experience in the commodities industry. After working for Endesa (Spain) and Essent Energy Trading (Holland) trading physical and financial products he was Managing Director Coal, Freight and Biomass at E.On / Uniper in Germany.

Gustavo holds a Mining Engineer degree from Madrid School of Mines with a thesis from Colorado School of Mines. He has served as a Board Member in several companies including Global Coal Ltd, Better Coal and Javelin Global Commodities Ltd in which he participated since inception.

He now runs his own consultancy company supporting trading companies in trading, origination and risk management and also acts as expert / witness in arbitration.

Carlos E. SanchezCommercial Coordinator at Minex Compañía Internacional

Carlos E. Sanchez is the Commercial Coordinator at Minex Compañía Internacional, where he contributes to the company’s commercial development and manages international client relationships in the coke and coal sector. He holds a dual degree in Business Administration and Economics from Northeastern University, with a concentration in supply chain management.

During his time at Northeastern, Carlos worked at Wayfair in an analytics role optimizing inbound sales channels, and later supported supply chain operations at Via Separations, an MIT-affiliated green-tech startup focused on reducing energy use in industrial separation processes. After graduating, he joined International Materials (IMI), gaining practical experience in trade execution and operations on the sales side of the global commodity market.

At Minex, Carlos brings a global perspective and cross-functional commercial experience that bridges both the trading and producer sides of the industry. He is committed to supporting the domestic coke and coal business and contributing to the growth of Colombia’s commodity sector. Guided by strong family values, he aims to help build long-term, sustainable industry development.