SFA (OXFORD) - Key Persons
Alexandre Toufic Zard has recently joined SFA (Oxford) and brings a rich blend of professional and academic experiences from across Energy and Finance to help the Battery Metals, Hydrogen and PGM teams to support SFA's ongoing efforts to innovate and lead in the global energy transition.
His educational journey is marked by his time at prestigious institutions like Oxford and McGill University. His tenure as an Aramco Fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies in 2023 particularly stands out, where he delved into Hydrogen research, focusing on the ‘Market Readiness of Low-Carbon Heavy Duty Vehicles'.
Alexandre completed a long internship at Bombardier in 2019, where he made notable contributions to project planning and market development, specifically for business aircraft. Before joining Bombardier, he finished a Master of Science in Energy Systems from the University of Oxford, with a dissertation on "Hydrogen: Fuel Cell or Combustion for Heavy Duty Transport". Complementing Alexandre's technical expertise, he acquired financial acumen through a Micro Degree in Accounting and Finance from Financial Edge Training.
Alexandre's foundational studies in Mechanical Engineering at McGill University, Montréal, augmented by a year in Industrial Engineering at Polytechnique Montréal, lay a robust groundwork for his current endeavours. Furthermore, his exposure to Chinese Studies at Shenyang Normal University, Liaoning Province, adds a unique perspective.
In addition, Alexandre's ability to communicate in Arabic, Chinese, and French assists SFAs in bridging cultural and linguistic divides and fostering connections in new markets.
Alexandre works in these teams
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
- Operations Director
Dr Ralph Grimble leads the delivery of SFA (Oxford)'s market research. Ralph is a Principal Commodities Analyst leading macroeconomic and investment expert. His analysis underpins all of SFA's market intelligence assignments. Working across the SFA teams, Ralph is the gatekeeper to SFA's metal price forecasts for clients. Ralph was promoted to the Board in 2022.
Ralph heads up SFA's contribution to the weekly commodity market report in collaboration with Heraeus Precious Metals, including gold, silver and PGMs, to keep the precious metals value chain abreast of market development, including institutional funds and investors, and key industry stakeholders.
Ralph has participated in PGM value chain and recycling consulting projects. Ralph authored SFA's Monthly Commodity Report which charts the price, supply, stocks and demand movements of nine key commodities across base and precious metals and oil. He has also been responsible for a major gold cost study, covering the production and peer-group rankings of over 340 operations worldwide, updated annually.
Ralph has maintained databases and analyses on cobalt mine production from copper and nickel operations for our battery materials research. He led the team to deliver timely quarterly market analysis for the World Platinum Investment Council.
Prior to joining SFA, Ralph completed his undergraduate and postgraduate studies at Oxford in chemistry and materials science. He is an experienced analyst with a background in science research at the University of Oxford, as well as experience in logistics markets and business environment analysis.
Ralph works in these teams
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
Henk de Hoop joined SFA (Oxford) in February 2022 as Chief Executive Officer. Henk brings a wealth of corporate experience to SFA, working for nearly 30 years in both mining engineering and mining finance.
Henk has a proven track record as a top-ranked investment analyst and is known by many of SFA's clients as an early champion of SFA's analytical coverage in the opaque world of PGM recycling. He has been involved in significant capital raisings and M&A advisory for mining companies and has an authoritative understanding of the relationship between PGM mining and the automotive sector. Thus, he is exceptionally well-placed to leverage his corporate expertise to lead SFA into a new era of clean energy consulting and research for critical metals in evolving powertrains and industrial applications.
Before joining the SFA team, Henk was Business Development Director at RMB Investment Bank. He joined Rand Merchant Bank in 2008 and was responsible for business development for the RMB's Resources industry clients, covering equity, debt, debt capital markets, M&A, global markets and corporate banking. Henk is a Chartered Financial Analyst.
Before joining RMB, Henk spent 12 years as a Mining Analyst working for several top broking firms, covering gold, diamond, coal, diversified, platinum and junior mining stocks. He was rated the No.1 platinum analyst by the Financial Mail from 2005-2007.
Henk started his career as a Graduate Mining Engineer at Goldfields of South Africa, followed by two years at Sasol as an Explosives Engineer. Henk holds an MSc in Mining Engineering from the University of Delft, Netherlands.
Henk works in these teams
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Member of the Board
- Independent Chairman
Jim was appointed Chairman of SFA (Oxford) following Stephen Forrest's retirement in May 2022. Jim leads the Board, maintaining SFA's independence, and prevent undue Sibanye-Stillwater influence, as well as oversee issues involving conflicts of interest and confidentiality to help SFA to grow.
Jim was most recently Chairman of C$29bn Sun Life Financial until May 2017, was a member of the UK Financial Reporting Council (which oversees the UK Corporate Governance Code) for five years, and first sat on a public company board in 1985.
Job Titles:
- Independent Consultant
- Member of the Executive Committee
Jeremy is a member of the Executive Committee of SFA (Oxford) and has advised various clients in the precious metals industry, including the International Platinum Group Metals Association (IPA), the body representing all leading producers and fabricators of PGMs, chairing its Sustainability Committee.
Jeremy was General Manager at JM's Precious Metals Marketing business unit concerned with trading and marketing PGMs on a global basis for promoting new applications and growing demand in existing applications for PGMs and providing information about PGMs to investors, industrial users and media via market reviews and technical journals, websites, interviews and conferences. His teams expanded demand for platinum jewellery in the USA, UK and China and advised and supported the activities of the PGI.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Non - Executive Director
- Chief Commercial and Development Officer ( CCDO ) at Sibanye
Laurent Charbonnier is the Chief Commercial and Development Officer (CCDO) at Sibanye-Stillwater. He has over 20 years' experience in investment banking and was appointed on 16 November 2020.
Prior to joining Sibanye-Stillwater, Laurent worked at UBS Group AG, Credit Suisse Group AG and HSBC Bank PLC, where he was Managing Director and Global Head for Metals and Mining. Laurent was involved in numerous large M&A deals, Initial Public Offerings (IPO's), rights issues, bonds and other structured financings for the metals and mining sector. In particular, he was the lead advisor to Sibanye-Stillwater on the acquisitions and related financing (bridge financing, rights issue and bonds) of Aquarius Platinum, Rustenburg, Stillwater and Lonmin.
Laurent works in these teams
Our highly experienced Board meets quarterly to assure SFA's clients that the company stays independent from Sibanye-Stillwater and ensure the SFA team continues to provide high-quality work for clients. SFA's independent Chairman and Non-Executive Director Jim Sutcliffe prevents the team from being unduly influenced by the arms-length operating agreement SFA has with Sibanye-Stillwater since the 100% acquisition of SFA (Oxford) in 2019.
The Board supports new market growth opportunities and oversees the management of the SFA share scheme and performance-based remuneration set up for employees after SFA's acquisition.
Lee Hockey plays a significant role at SFA (Oxford), applying his deep-seated PGM knowledge and experience to provide strategic insights and advice, helping clients navigate the complex and dynamic world of precious metals across the closed- and open-loop domains working alongside the core team. Lee helps formulate robust strategies and comprehends the intricacies of the global precious metals market.
Lee's engagement with the International Precious Metals Institute (IPMI) spans many years, culminating in his leadership as the President of the European Chapter from 2021 to 2022, playing a crucial role in fostering collaboration, sharing knowledge, and spearheading initiatives across the precious metals sector.
With over 35 years of dedicated experience in the precious metals industry, Lee Hockey stands as a seasoned expert, particularly in the realms of Precious Metals Recycling and Refining. His extensive career at Johnson Matthey, spanning over three decades, culminated in his pivotal role as the Global Refining Commercial Director. In this capacity, Lee was instrumental in securing and managing business worldwide, underscoring his proficiency in global operations and strategic decision-making.
Lee's multifaceted career, marked by significant contributions to major players in the industry and his own consultancy, positions him as a distinguished authority in the field of precious metals. His insights are sought after by businesses looking to thrive in this sector, benefiting from his comprehensive understanding of market dynamics, customer needs, and international business landscapes.