Critical Minerals Association (UK) 5th Annual Conference - 1 December 2025
- kirstycriticalmineral
- 13 minutes ago
- 8 min read
The UK’s critical minerals sector marked a major milestone as the Critical Minerals Association (CMA) UK convened its 5th Annual Conference on 1 December 2025, launching London Mining Week. The CMA (UK) was delighted to welcome the UK Minister for Industry, Chris McDonald MP, to our annual conference, who endorsed the recently published UK Critical Minerals Investment Prospectus. The conference was attended by over 300 delegates, including over 70 government officials and a variety of stakeholders from across the critical minerals supply chain.
The day opened with a breakfast reception at the Houses of Parliament, hosted by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Critical Minerals and co-sponsored by the Critical Minerals Association (UK), Resourcing Tomorrow and Innovate UK.
More than 200 attendees - including members of UK Parliament, Ministers from foreign Governments, and C-suite executives - gathered to mark the start of a week dedicated to critical minerals security, innovation, and supply chain resilience. The Chairs and Officers of the APPG — Noah Law MP, Baroness Lindsay Northover, and Perran Moon MP -were in attendance as a show of their unwavering support for the growth of the UK’s critical minerals sector.
Speeches were given by Perran Moon MP, Officer of the APPG; Mike Hill, Deputy Director for Critical Minerals at the Department for Business and Trade (DBT); Jeff Townsend, Co-founder of the CMA (UK); Bruce Adderley, Director of Make & Use – Net Zero at Innovate UK; and Andrew Thake, Divisional Director at Resourcing Tomorrow.
Opening remarks from Jeff Townsend praised the crucial work of companies in the UK’s critical minerals sector and highlighted the release of the updated UK CriticalMinerals Strategy, Vision 2035. The breakfast reception also marked the launch of the Autumn/Winter 2025 version of the UK Critical Minerals Investment Prospectus, produced by CMA (UK) with support from Innovate UK and DBT, showcasing critical minerals investment opportunities, projects and services across the UK.
The main conference began with opening remarks from Kirsty Benham, Co-founder and CEO of CMA (UK), who reflected on how far the UK has come since establishing its first Critical Minerals Strategy in 2022, to the release of the new strategy at the end of November this year. Her introduction framed the day around intensifying geopolitical competition, the need for secure supply chains, and the shifting global landscape that now places minerals at the centre of economic and security policymaking.
Philippa Makepeace OBE, Director of Geopolitics and Economic Security at DBT, delivered the keynote address. Philippa underscored the UK’s responsibility to lead on mineral security in an era defined by technological ambition and geopolitical uncertainty. She highlighted the government’s commitment to diversifying supply chains and strengthening ties with international partners.
The Critical Minerals Global outlook for 2025 was then presented by Shobhan Dhir of the International Energy Agency (IEA). Shobhan detailed rising demand for critical minerals, alongside warnings of enduring supply deficits and production monopolies unless public and private investment accelerate to meet the challenge. His analysis reinforced the importance of upstream and midstream development across both established and emerging markets.
The morning continued with international fireside chats. His Excellency Meder Mashiev, Minister of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision for the Republic of Kyrgyzstan, joined Dr Mike Armitage to discuss the pivotal role Central Asia will play as global markets seek new sources of rare earths and other critical minerals.
Further presentations highlighted the UK’s international initiatives and geopolitical positioning. Oliver Richards, Head of Critical Minerals & Mining (International) at DBT, provided an update on the UK’s expanding global partnerships. This update was particularly pertinent to the discussions throughout the day as international partnerships were highlighted throughout the new strategy as a key area of opportunity for the UK.
Karim Dahou, Deputy Director of the Global Relations & Cooperation Directorate at the OECD, also examined global trade trends in his presentation - focusing on fragmentation, reshoring, and the importance of multilateral cooperation in maintaining stable mineral flows.
Karim's session was followed by a conversation between the Honourable Stephen Leece, Minister of Energy and Mines for Ontario, and Baroness Northover, Co-chair of the APPG for Critical Minerals. Minister Leece outlined Ontario’s aspirations to be North America’s leading critical minerals hub, citing the province’s integrated automotive, battery, and mining ecosystem as a model for international cooperation. The quote of the day came from a remark he delivered during this discussion:“The status quo is indefensible”.
A late-morning panel featuring Enzo Granzella (Mkango Resources), Jeffrey Court (Tungsten West), Joel Watson (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office), and Chris Stockey (Satarla), explored how strategic projects are selected by governments like the European Commission - and multilateral alliances like the Minerals Security Partnership - in an increasingly competitive environment. The discussion emphasised risk and risk management, building resilience, and the need for alignment between government priorities and private-sector capacity. Other key issues raised were the urgency of transforming policy into action, access to dedicated pools of capital for strategic projects, and the importance of working with partner nations - many of which depend on critical minerals for their economic development.
The afternoon began with a presentation from Grace Humphries (Head of Critical Minerals, Strategy and Domestic, DBT) and Mrug Upadhyay (Senior Policy Advisor, Critical Minerals, DBT) on the evolution of the UK Critical Minerals Strategy, focusing on domestic capability, supply chain transparency, and long-term economic security. They thanked industry for its engagement throughout the strategy’s development, and provided an overview of some of its highlights, such as the £50 millionallocation to critical minerals projects and the Growth Minerals list. This was followed by Professor Paul Ekins, who provided an update on the UK Circular Economy Taskforce and outlined the potential for recycling, refining, and reprocessing to reduce dependency on imports and strengthen the UK’s industrial base.
A panel on building a circular economy powerhouse brought together Thomas Kelly (Ionic Technologies), Professor Allan Walton (University of Birmingham), Mike Hogan (EMR Recycling), Fred White (DEScycle), and Christian Peters (Seloxium). They discussed breakthroughs in UK-based processing, the policy environment needed to scale recycling technologies, and the challenges of creating commercially viable circular mineral supply chains.
The following panel examined the future of London as a global centre of finance for future minerals, moderated by Maria Yassin-Jah (SLR Consulting) with Simon Gardner-Bond (TechMet), Catriona Bell (Standard Chartered), George Hames (UK Export Finance), and Guy Winter (Fasken). The discussion centred on opportunities for the City of London to invigorate its status as a premier destination for mining finance, balancing ESG credentials with the urgent need for strategic investment with mid- to long-term horizons.
After a short break, the focus shifted to the broader supply chain. Spencer Page (Vale Base Metals), Mark Richards, Rachel Dolby (Anglo American), Professor Sarah Gordon (Imperial College London), and CMA (UK)’s Jeff Townsend discussed how the UK can reimagine its role in global supply chains, from processing capacity to advanced manufacturing.
David Babson from XPRIZE then took to the stage to launch XPRIZE’s new Critical Minerals Innovation Competition, aimed at accelerating next-generation extraction, processing, and circularity technologies. This was followed by a forward-looking panel on identifying priority areas for research, development, and innovation. Martyn Cherrington (Innovate UK), Tom Taylor (Centre for Process Innovation), Valerie Findlay (Pure Alchemi), Frances Tran (XPRIZE), and Ewan Lordan (Jaguar Land Rover) examined breakthroughs in material science, opportunities for UK leadership, and the ecosystem needed to support innovation.
The conference concluded with a closing speech from Minister McDonald, who endorsed the recently launched UK Critical Minerals Investment Prospectus, produced by the CMA (UK) with support from Innovate UK and DBT. He reaffirmed the government’s dedication to securing resilient supply chains and positioning the UK as a global leader in responsible mineral development.
The day ended with our popular flagship drinks reception, sponsored by Bell Geospace, Imerys, Pure Alchemi, and Vale Base Metals. Remarks were given by the Chairs and Officers of the APPG for Critical Minerals – Noah Law MP, Baroness Northover MP and Perran Moon MP. The APPG reaffirmed their support for the sector and emphasised the key strengths the UK has to offer.
Side Events
Two side events took place along the main programme. The first, sponsored by Cornish Metals and Cornwall Resources, focused on the strategic importance of tin and tungsten to the UK. This session discussed domestic mining potential, international partnerships, and the need for increased investment in these essential industrial metals. The meeting was attended by Noah Law MP (Chair of the APPG for Critical Minerals), Perran Moon MP (Officer of the APPG), as well as staff from DBT and international government representatives, including JOGMEC and the US Embassy.
The second side event, supported by the UK Department for Business and Trade and titled “A New Silk Road of Resources,” explored Central Asia’s rising strategic value to UK industry and global supply chains. The session featured spotlight presentations then highlighted high-impact projects, including TMK’s critical raw materials portfolio presented by Han Ilhan, and Mongolia’s first advanced rare earth development, Khalzan Buregtei, presented by Tsolmon Adiya of the Mongolian National Rare Earth Corporation.
A panel discussion featuring representatives from Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Industry and Construction, Armenia’s Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Complex, Leonardo, and Lionhead Resources examined how producers and end-users can collaborate to build resilient, mutually beneficial supply chains. After questions from the audience, the session closed with B2B meetings that reinforced London’s growing position as a global hub for mineral diplomacy, trade and investment.
Central Asia’s growing strategic importance to UK and European critical minerals supply chains was emphasised, with speakers arguing that the main constraints are governance, finance and trust rather than geology or resource availability. While progress on regulation, ESG frameworks and value chain development is encouraging, further studies alone will not unlock supply. Real momentum now depends on government-backed investment, credible partnerships, and end-user offtake commitments focused on near-production, high-quality projects.
Conclusion
The CMA (UK) 5th Annual Conference demonstrated not only the UK’s commitment to securing critical mineral supply chains, but also the country’s ambition to lead in innovation, finance, and responsible global partnerships at a moment when minerals are shaping the economic and geopolitical realities of the century.
Thank you to everyone who attended, and to our distinguished guests, members and speakers. This would not have been possible without the generosity of our conference sponsors: Cornish Metals, Mkango Resources, SRK Consulting, Vale Base Metals, and the University of Birmingham.
Finally, thank you to the strong efforts of the core CMA team who organised the conference: Eileen Maes, Kirsty Benham, Becca Kirk, Elliott Trickey, Jeff Townsend, and Enzo Granzella-Sakura, and our wider support team on the day: Chris Yeomans, Ian Townsend, Oliver Bacchus, Hannan Ismail, Nareeka Ahir, Tiffany Sarfo, Francesca Truono, Toe Pyae Naing, and Polina Pohribna.
Article by Elliott Trickey, Government Affairs, Critical Minerals Association (UK)
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