In this interview we take a deep dive into the the market and supply chain for battery grade nickel. Ken Hoffman, Co-Head of EV Battery Materials Research at McKinsey & Co. sat down with Assay TV to discuss the supply/demand outlook for class 1 battery grade nickel. Can the industry meet the rapidly growing demand for high purity battery grade nickel products? What are the main technology contenders for processing these materials? Car manufacturers are demanding “clean nickel”, but what are the standards to which nickel producers must adhere?
Ken Hoffman is an Expert for McKinsey’s Basic Materials Institute (BMI). Prior to McKinsey, Ken was the global head of metals and mining research for Bloomberg Intelligence. Mr. Hoffman began his career at Prudential Securities, covering base and precious metals as well as the global steel industry, and headed Prudential’s global steel research team for five years. Mr. Hoffman ran the top quartile Orbitex Energy & Basic Materials fund for three years and for four years was a partner and head of research at MarCap European Investors fund, which focused on Northern European industrial and commodity shares. Mr. Hoffman has been widely sought after for his engaging talks about industry trends, speaking at 121 Mining Investment, the China Mining Congress, Denver gold forum, PDAC Conference, Natural Resources Forum, as well as hosting major precious metals and base metal conferences in London for 6 straight years, attracting more than 3,000 industry executives. He is a regular speaker on Bloomberg TV, Kitco, and BNN Canada.
