The Critical Minerals International Alliance (CMIA) is an industry-led organization dedicated to breaking down barriers and fostering conditions to diversify and strengthen critical minerals supply chains. By uniting stakeholders across the global value chain, we champion resilient, responsible, and sustainable solutions for the critical minerals sector.
The CMIA collaborates with like-minded governments to navigate geopolitical complexities, align industry needs, and implement strategic, solution-focused policies.
Our mission is to drive international cooperation, promote best practices, and provide thought leadership to ensure a robust and equitable supply of critical minerals essential for clean energy, technology, and economic growth.
Our
Goals
Our offerings include:
Resilient and Diversified Supply Chains:
Build secure, adaptable supply networks to mitigate risks and ensure stable access to critical minerals.
Outcome-Driven Collaboration:
Foster international partnerships that deliver measurable results for governments and industry.
Sector Support:
Advocate for the critical minerals industry, addressing challenges and unlocking opportunities.
Industry Leadership:
Promote best practices and innovative thought leadership to shape a sustainable future.
Advisory
Board
Jeff
Townsend
founder of the Critical Minerals Associations
Jeff is the founder of the Critical Minerals Associations in the UK, Australia and the U.S. as well as CMIA. He is an internationally recognised critical minerals expert with strong ties to the UK, Australia, across Africa and the Middle East.
Jeff is an experienced public affairs and campaign strategist having been a Director at Aspect Consulting and an International Affairs Advisor and Chief of Staff to members of the UK parliament.
Jeff is also the Founder of Critical Productions, an Advisory Board Member of the Materials Processing Institute, and member of the UK’s Department for Business and Trade Critical Minerals Taskforce.
Jay
Kellerman
senior partner at Stikeman Elliot LLP
Jay is a senior partner at Stikeman Elliot LLP, Jay is widely recognized a leading mining specialist. He is consistently sought out by senior management of companies, boards and investors for not only transactional assistance, but to advise on strategic direction and growth.
Jay has earned significant praise for his seasoned practice and deep technical knowledge. He is recognized as one of the top mining lawyers in the world by market commentators and directories including Chambers Canada, Chambers Global, Who’s Who Legal, International Financial Law Review’s IFLR1000, and The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, among many others.
Jay is regularly featured in a variety of media outlets, including The Northern Miner and the Financial Post. He is a member of Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC), and he is a member of the advisory council for the world association of mining lawyers.
Andrew
Thake
Divisional Director at Resourcing Tomorrow
Andrew is passionate about conceptualising, research, producing, selling, growing and delivering profitable conferences, exhibitions and training courses, with experience in Asia, Middle East and Europe. With 17 years of experience he is adaptable, having worked for many different types of companies, each with different business models, strategies and cultures.
Vertical sectors he has worked in include agriculture, commodities, defence, finance, mining, oil&gas, online retail, payments, pharmaceuticals, procurement, real estate, telecoms and trading.
He enjoys managing people. Nothing gives him greater pleasure than hiring, training and retaining A grade talent as he grows a business and develop a team. What he most enjoys about the events industry is that each day constantly brings news challenges and opportunities. No one day is the same. His current job takes me to Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, Canada and the USA, as he seeks out new opportunities to grow and develop his portfolio. Outside of work he enjoys hiking, having climbed Kilimanjaro. He enjoys running, having completed 5 marathons.
He also enjoys travel, with his goal to attend 100 countries in his lifetime. Specialities: P&L responsibility, start-ups, strategic planning, revenue generation, cost control, government liaison, JV negotiation, conference portfolio development, event management, recruitment, training, market research, event planning, conference production, marketing, content generation, events management, business development, project management, people management.
Ronen "Ro"
Lazarovitch
Partner at Bracewell LLP
Ronen (Ro) is a projects lawyer, with extensive experience advising clients on both the finance and non-finance side of projects. Ro advises sponsors, project companies, lenders and governments on major projects in the energy, mining, infrastructure and power sectors. He has played a leading role in strategically important, first-of-their-kind transactions in countries throughout the Middle East, Europe and Africa.
Experience: Oil & Gas, Mining & Metals, Infrastructure and Power