Claim OwnershipThe HC Commodities Podcast
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For related content and to find out more about HC Group, a search firm dedicated to the energy & commodities sector, visit https://www.hcgroup.global
Each day, around the world, we have fascinating one-on-one conversations with our connections in the commodities sector. Our collaborators are uniquely informed, creative and inspirational in their fields. We want to provide our community a seat alongside us, listening in to these conversations in that special way podcasting provides as we tackle topical and people related issues with the leaders and leading minds in our sector. Visit www.hcgroup.global more information on us and our services.
To connect with our host Paul Chapman, you can find him at www.linkedin.com/in/paulchapmanhc/
Each day, around the world, we have fascinating one-on-one conversations with our connections in the commodities sector. Our collaborators are uniquely informed, creative and inspirational in their fields. We want to provide our community a seat alongside us, listening in to these conversations in that special way podcasting provides as we tackle topical and people related issues with the leaders and leading minds in our sector. Visit www.hcgroup.global more information on us and our services.
To connect with our host Paul Chapman, you can find him at www.linkedin.com/in/paulchapmanhc/
307 Episodes
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What is the future of commodity trading? Is volatility here to stay and thus the profit pools available continue to grow? What will the market structure look like in 10 years and who will be the privileged few that have built, or are building, commodity trading platforms to be able to capture that future? What will that future look like? Who will participate and which category of participant will have the greatest market share? And what will the teams and skill sets and people look like participating in that world? Our guest is Roland Rechsteiner, partner at McKinsey and the global head of their commodity trading and risk practice.
Emergency Pod: Nick Kumleben of Greenmantle, the geopolitical risk consultancy headed by Niall Ferguson, joins us to discuss the events in Venezuela, the 'Donroe' Doctrine and what it means for commodities. Is Venezuela an oil story or something else? Is the Donroe Doctrine a structured, intelligible set of principles or just a catchy phrase coined by a New York tabloid ? Intelligible or not, what does it mean for adversaries, allies (Denmark and Greenland?) and the rest of Latin America. Commodities once again sit at the heart of global power politics and it's through that lens we investigate. And what in turn does it mean for commodity markets themselves... can they withstand such unpredictability and government interventions.
Today, we are talking coffee, cocoa and sugar. And in the case of coffee and cocoa, the absolute wild ride they had in 2025.Record prices and extreme volatility. Was it all just a story of tariffs? Or is there something more fundamental going on? Our guest is Kona Haque. Head of Research for ED&F Man, one of the world's largest soft commodity traders that has recently been acquired by Hartree Partners
For a special episode we have the recording of a webinar, David Tannenbaum, the Director of Deep Blue Intelligence, and Carmella O’Hanlon from Blank Rome, discuss the US Coast Guard’s seizure of the Skipper, a Dark Fleet vessel, the legal basis underpinning it, and how the administration can enact a “blockade” of Venezuelan oil. They also discuss examples of typologies and red flags relating to Venezuela’s Dark Fleet, a what comes next. Please note: This taping occurred prior to the administration’s seizure of the Centuries and Bella 1, two other Dark Fleet tankers, on December 20th and 21st respectively.https://www.polestarglobal.com/deep-blue-intelligence/
As we come toward the end of the year, what is the global macro-economic picture. What have been the key themes in 2025 and how have they manifested in energy and commodity markets? And what can we divine about 2026? Are we in for stagflation? Boring commodity markets or is this the calm before the storm….? Our guest is David Fyfe, Chief Economist of Argus, the independent energy & commodity price reporting agency and intelligence firm.
As we begin to wrap up the year, we return to the crude markets. What has been oil’s journey in the latter half of 2025? What has all this meant for trader performances after a challenging first half? What is the outlook for 2026 in prices and volatility? Our guest is Homayoun Falakshahi. He leads crude analytics at Kpler, the data and analytics firm for the commodity markets.
In this episode we return to Singapore and commodity trading in Asia. Is Singapore still a must -have hub as part of a global commodity footprint? What are the key commodities traded there? How do those markets differ from Europe and North America? How has the broader Asia-Pacific region fared over the last decade? And what are some of the key challenges, both market and cultural to doing there? And what might the future hold? Our guest is Ian Lawson, who's had a multi -decade career in trading and origination, including heading those functions in Singapore for the likes of BP and Mercuria and is now a senior advisor at Baringa, the management consultancy.
Today, in time for the US Thanksgiving, we discuss wine. From rare Burgundies to commodity wine that is shipped in containers and blended. What is wine? How is it made? What is the market structure and how has that changed with internationalization, changing tastes and climate change. And why is English wine ascendant? Our guest is Nick Brewer, former COO of Noble Group and ECTP and now founder and owner of Oastbrook Winery (where you can stock up for Christmas here https://oastbrook.com/online-shop/).
Today, we are talking agricultural markets and the case for investing in agricultural commodities, particularly in ETFS. And why that case is enhanced in the volatile world of today and the perhaps much more volatile world of the future. Our guest is Jake Hanley, Managing Director at Teucrium, a US -based ETF issuer with a specialisation in agricultural commodities.
Why don’t more energy & resource companies have trading arms? For that matter, why don’t more sectors trade? Chips, drugs even real estate? Why are CEOs reticent to set up trading platforms and what are the barriers to entry? What sectors would benefit most from trading? And more broadly, how have those firms who have launched trading arms in the energy and commodities trading sector fared over the last five years? How has this development both changed and shaped the opportunities out there? Our guest is Antti Belt, Partner at BCG, focused on commodities, and also a research fellow at the Henderson Institute. We are discussing his paper, alongside his colleagues, the hidden $3 trillion profit opportunity for CEOs, that by learning to think like traders and hedge funds, CEOs can tap value opportunities that are currently left on the table. To read the paper visit:https://www.bcg.com/publications/2025/hidden-3-trillion-profit-opportunity-for-ceos
In Part 2, Mark Crandall relives the events that led to the founding of Glencore and Trafigura. Why did Claude Dauphin go his separate way and what was the founding vision for Trafigura? How had Marc Rich already set the vision for the trading houses which would lead to their domination? How has that dominance led to almost insurmountable barriers to entry for aspiring competitors today? And what was it about these singular individuals that led to their success?
Our Global Our Middle & Back Office Salary Report 2025 is now available for purchase. Published by HC Group's Talent Intelligence team. the report covers salary benchmarks for Risk, Legal & Compliance, Corporate Finance (includes STF/Treasury), Finance & Accounting,Technology& Human Resources positions across all commodity trading hubs. The report, created using proprietary data, is designed for HR leaders and company officers to calibrate salaries in this competitive market as we head into business planning for 2026. For more information, visit https://www.hcgroup.global/energy-trading-report or email intelligence@hcgroup.global
Today, we're joined by Mark Crandall, one of the founding fathers of the modern trading house and the commodities sector as we know it today. Mark started his career at Morgan Stanley, where he helped launch its commodities desk, before joining Marc Rich & Co. Mark went on the have a pivotal role in, and ring-side seat to, the machinations that lead to the founding of Glencore and Trafigura. In Part 1, we cover his early career leading up to the famous split at Marc Rich & Co. We discuss the rise of the Wall Street Refiners and what made Marc Rich special and the company he founded shape the industry even today.
On October 1st, at HC Group’s Headquarters in London, host Paul Chapman interviewed Colin Bryce and Adi Imsirovic about their new book – Rivers of Money - in front of an invited audience of 100 friends, former colleagues and industry veterans. Why did they write the book, what stories and insights stand out and who received a pickled pig’s head at their desk (it later transpired the sender was in the audience)? Which other stories had to be left on the cutting room floor and what are the biggest risks the industry faces today and in the future? If you want to know about future events, sign up at https://www.hcgroup.global/newslettersignup
HC Groups’s Q3 Market Review is available to download here: https://www.hcgroup.global/insights/market-reviews/access-market-review-q3-2025400+ notable people moves. An editorial by podcast host Paul Chapman on US talent in turbulent year to date. Articles on APAC liquid fuel trends and how participants are recruiting and training Gen Z and much more.You can also download www.hyperionsearch.com Cleantech and renewables review here: https://interactive.hcgroup.global/hyperion-search-market-review-q3-2025/full-view.html
Today, we are joined by the award -winning author Mark Kurlansky, whose books such as The Big Oyster, Paper, Salt and Cod tell us how commodities have shaped history and in turn the present day. Why commodities sit at the very heart of human history creating cooperation, trade but also war. Mark shares his views on the books and how they fit in with the current world, his views and philosophy on free trade, and how that might be in jeopardy and what his future books porjects are.
The HC Commodities Podcast was invited to host a panel at the excellent Argus Global Markets Conference in London on September 30. We discussed how the commodities world is adapting trading strategies to markets now driven by Truths Socials, algorithmic sentiment, shifting geopolitics and increasing government intervention. A world where the fundamentals of supply and demand are only part of the picture. Is this new or just a reversion to a more normal world? Is it cyclical or structural? What does it mean for skillsets and participants? Our excellent panelists discuss: Saad Rahim, Chief Economist at Trafigura, David Fyfe, Chief Economist at Argus, Nick Kumleben of Greenmantle and Kurt Chapman, legendary oil trader and Director at Levmet.
What actually is systematic trading and the capabilities behind it? How can it generate returns? How can it inform the broader trading desks and organization's decision making? How is it delivering a competitive advantage and strategic edge to companies behind those returns? What have been the developments over the last couple of years? And how is such trading shaping the markets themselves? Our guest is Hans Balgobin, who has had a career as a systematic trader and building systematic trading platforms both in equities and energy, with the likes of HSBC, Shell and Millennium and is now joining Uniperin a systematic trading role. His views expressed herein represent his own and not those of any organization.
Recorded at the Canadian Crude Oil Conference in the wonderful Lake Louise in Canada on 17th September 2025, Randy Ollenberger of BMO Capital Markets, dives into global oil fundamentals, Canadian crude production in a changing world and what that means for oil and gas equities. Sanctions, tariffs, pipeline expansions and Canadian politicians (reacting to a very different relationship with the US meant) has led to profound changes and opportunities in this once quiet sector. Our sincere thanks to the Board of the CCOC (www.ccoconline.com) for the invitation, and in particular to Aarnoud van Weelderen for his support.To view BMO Financial Disclosures visit: https://research.bmo.com/public/disclosure_statements
In this episode, we tackle disputes, arbitration, and the challenges of navigating a fractious commodities world. Energy and natural resources have always sat at the heart of international transactions and, in today’s more volatile climate, disputes are arising more frequently. What happens in international contract disputes? What is international arbitration? And how can companies best mitigate the risks upfront? What are the most effective strategies for handling disputes and arbitrations once you are in them?Our guest is Alex de Gramont, Partner and Head of International Disputes at Womble Bond Dickinson, an international law firm with a strong focus on energy and natural resources. For more on Enco Insights and their expert witness offering, please visit: https://www.encoinsights.com/HC Commodities Podcast Live Event: Rivers of Money Book LaunchOn October 1, HC Group will welcome Colin Bryce and Adi Imsirovic, authors of The Rivers of Money, to our London office for an evening of networking, drinks, and a special live recording of the HC Commodities Podcast. Tickets are free, but spaces are limited. Register here: https://www.eventcreate.com/e/rivers-of-money-event
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Thanks, I'm a big fan of your podcasts. Good luck from Iran