President & Managing Director, Flash Metals USA

Steve Ragiel is a seasoned CEO and board-level executive with over 30 years of global experience in industrial services, environmental services, technology commercialization, and renewable energy. With a career that spans leadership roles at prominent companies, including Waste Management and Greenstar North America, Steve has built a remarkable track record of building successful businesses. At Greenstar North America, he founded and grew the company into a $200 million annual operation with 20 facilities, while at Waste Management's Recycle America Alliance, he scaled the business to $750 million per year, making it the largest recycling company in North America.

Steve has a deep expertise in operational efficiency, team leadership, and business strategy, having spearheaded infrastructure development, customer solutions, and business expansion across multiple sectors. His extensive knowledge of supply and demand dynamics in the US industrial recycling industry has made him a pivotal figure in the transition to more sustainable resource management practices.

Steve holds a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee. His experience and leadership have been recognized across numerous platforms, including serving on the National Recycling Coalition Board of Directors. He is also a veteran public speaker, having addressed Fortune 500 boards, Wall Street analysts, and international panels on environmental stewardship and business sustainability.

Sam Klos is Vice President of Integration at Flash Metals USA, where he focuses on strategic growth, plant and technology efficiency, and building partnerships both with industry and in the communities in which Flash Metals USA operates. He previously was the Vice President of Business Development for the company, during which he developed key relationships with key Alumina producers, REE refiners, and other corporations in the mineral processing industry.  

Prior to joining Flash Metals USA in October 2024, Sam spent a decade at Kiewit, where he served in procurement leadership roles across major infrastructure projects including CovePoint, NorthWater, and other large-scale energy and water treatment projects. In this capacity, Sam managed key industrial raw material sourcing relationships, procurement of subcontract services and overall material delivery contracts.

Before joining the infrastructure industry, Sam played professional soccer in the United States, Finland, and Iceland. He holds a business degree from Marquette University.

Chief Executive Officer, MTM Critical Metals Ltd 

Michael Walshe brings over 15 years of global expertise in engineering, operations, and technology commercialization, with a strong focus on innovation in the minerals, chemicals, and renewable energy sectors. As CEO of MTM Critical Metals Ltd (ASX: MTM), Michael is at the forefront of developing Flash Joule Heating (FJH) technology, a breakthrough process enhancing the sustainable recovery of critical and precious metals—an area critical to advancing clean energy and high-tech industries.

Prior to MTM, Michael served as CEO of Voltaic Strategic Resources Ltd (ASX: VSR), a Battery Metals and Rare Earths exploration company. His career includes a decade with Metso:Outotec, a global leader in mining and metals processing technology solutions, where he held senior leadership roles such as Director and Vice President for the Asia Pacific Minerals division.

Michael’s extensive international experience spans a wide range of mineral projects, with a strong focus on Southeast Asia, particularly in Indonesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, and South Korea. His work has covered an array of critical and precious metals, including lithium, rare earths, nickel, copper, zinc, and gold.

Michael holds a Bachelor of Chemical and Process Engineering (Hons.) from University College Dublin and an MBA in Finance from the Australian Institute of Business. He is a chartered engineer with Engineers Australia and the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) and is a member of the Australasian Institute of Mining & Metallurgy (AusIMM).