Ben Thijs

Ben Thijs has extensive experience in the precious and specialty metals sector, currently serving as the Head of the precious and specialty metals refinery at Umicore since November 2013, where leadership is demonstrated over a team of 70 individuals, focusing on the optimization of complex hydrometallurgical refining processes. Prior roles at Umicore include Assistant Production Manager from August 2012 to October 2013 and Project Leader from March 2008 to July 2012, with responsibilities in project and people management, as well as metal recycling and process development for batteries and lithium. Ben Thijs holds a PhD in Chemistry from KU Leuven, completed in 2007, and has further education in Operational Excellence from Vlerick Business School in 2017.