Overview:
In this episode of Industrial Futures: Conversations from CWIEME Berlin 2025, host Saqib Saeed, Chief Product Officer at PTR Inc., sits down with Nabeel Mancheri, Founder and former Secretary General of the Global Rare Earth Industry Association (REIA) and current Senior Advisor at EIT Raw Materials, to explore the shifting landscape of rare earths and their role in global supply chains. With deep experience across academia, policy, and industry, Nabeel shares his perspective on how the demand for rare earth elements is evolving driven by the rise of e-mobility, energy transition technologies, and increasing geopolitical focus. He also reflects on the challenges of global supply chain dependencies and the opportunities for diversification and collaboration across markets. The conversation dives into the strategic importance of rare earths, the changing expectations around sustainability, and how gatherings like CWIEME Berlin bring key stakeholders together at a critical moment for industry transformation. If you’re interested in how critical materials are shaping the future of energy, mobility, and manufacturing, this episode offers timely insights from one of the sector’s most knowledgeable voices.
Speakers
Dr. Nabeel Mancheri // Advisor at EITRawMaterials
Dr. Nabeel Mancheri was the coordinator of the project and founder of the Global Rare Earth Industry Association (REIA), where he served as the first secretary general of the association for the last five years. He was a senior researcher and project manager at the Department of Material Engineering, KU Leuven, Belgium. Before joining KU Leuven in 2018, he was a Marie Curie Fellow at the Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML), Leiden University, Netherlands, where he worked on a Marie Curie project on REE Value Chain and Industrial EcoSystem in EU. Previously, he was a Research Fellow at The University of Tokyo. Prior to joining Tokyo University, he was an Assistant Professor at India’s National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore.
Saqib Saeed // Chief Product Officer – PTR Inc.
Saqib is a highly accomplished market research professional and a data storyteller in the international energy industry. With over a decade of experience in the field, he currently serves as the Chief Product Officer at PTR Inc. His expertise lies in the power grid and e-mobility equipment sectors. Saqib has overseen numerous global market research studies throughout his career and provided valuable insights to key decision-makers at various Fortune 500 companies. He is a member of the editorial board for Transformers Magazine and a member of the Advisory board of CWIEME Berlin and Middle East Energy. In addition to his market research career, Saqib has worked as an Electrical Engineer in the manufacturing sector.
