Jessica Roberts has spent the last 15 years demystifying the opaque world of critical materials; the metals and minerals that fundamentally make our modern lives possible. From smartphones, to electric cars, to solar panels – none of these could exist without the natural resources they are made from.
Jessica has held senior leadership roles at global research houses including Wood Mackenzie, Roskill, and Fastmarkets. As Head of Forecasting at Benchmark, Jessica’s day-to-day is dedicated to providing unparalleled intelligence on the critical minerals that underpin the energy transition and climate action. She is an authoritative voice on supply chain dynamics, featuring on the BBC, Reuters and the Wall Street Journal, and regularly speaks at industry conferences.
Jessica is passionate about bringing together multi-disciplinary stakeholders to ensure that our unprecedented demand for clean energy technologies can be met by responsible and sustainable critical mineral supply chains.
While net zero action from governments is to be applauded, the reality is that without sufficient investment in mining for critical minerals, such targets will not be possible. In her talk, Jessica reminds us all that it isn’t magic that makes an electric car battery – it’s mining. She asks us all to consider, “How can I contribute to sustainable mining?” and on an individual level urges us to look close to home – by recycling our obsolete phones, laptops and electronic equipment.
Jessica is on a mission to reconnect people with planet, and is focused especially on schools outreach and engagement on materials consumption. That is where our next generation of responsible consumers will come from; and we all need to recognise that whatever we make – if it isn’t grown, it’s mined.