Empowering a Sustainable Future: Roki Fukuzawa, COM 2023 Chair, Shares Career Insights and Exciting Conference Innovations

In this insightful interview, we delve into the professional journey of Roki Fukuzawa , the esteemed COM 2023 Chair. With over 16 years of experience as a metallurgical gas handling specialist at Hatch , Roki's involvement with MetSoc began in 2012, leading to a distinguished role on the MetSoc board. Fondly reminiscing about past conferences, Roki shares personal experiences and memorable moments, highlighting the evolution of sustainability-focused discussions. As anticipation builds for COM 2023, Roki discusses exciting changes in the upcoming conference, emphasizing the importance of interdisciplinary dialogues to address climate change and inspire technical innovations.

As the COM 2023 chair, could you share a little bit about your career and your professional journey with the society? Also, what are some of your personal experiences and memorable moments from past conferences?

I am a metallurgical gas handling specialist in the Industrial Clean Tech group at Hatch. I have been with Hatch for more than 16 years since finishing my undergraduate degree. My involvement with MetSoc started in 2012 after I came back from my graduate studies at the University of Cambridge. I presented my graduate thesis at COM 2012. I was then invited to join the Environment Section of MetSoc (now called Sustainability Section) and subsequently served as the Section Chair for 3 years. Since then, I have been involved in section activities and also served on the Awards committee for a few years. In 2020, I was extremely honoured to be nominated for the 3rd VP position and have since been serving on the MetSoc board.?

I have many great memories from past COMs. I would always remember my first time presenting at COM 2012, during which I was quite nervous and I think I spoke very fast. I also remember seeing increasing interest and participation in sustainability-themed symposia over the years, particularly at COM / Copper 2019; we had an exciting panel discussion, and the room was so full that people were standing at the back. Most recently at COM 2022, it was just so great to see many familiar faces after two years of virtual events due to the pandemic.

How does it feel to take on the role of chair for COM 2023? What are your aspirations and goals for this year's conference?

I’m really excited to be chairing COM 2023! It’s a daunting task to organize a conference, but there is an entire team behind this. I am fortunate to have an amazing team of staff and volunteers on my organizing committee who make all of this happen with a lot of fun as well!?

At COM 2023, I hope to continue our discussions from last year on the theme of Climate Change and Sustainability, as the world continues to face many facets of risks posed by climate change.? Minerals, metals and materials industries play important roles in transitioning to a low-carbon economy while also tackling decarbonization challenges at the same time. This is the premier conference for professionals in these fields to network, share ideas and collaborate. I hope COM 2023 will be an engaging conference filled with cutting-edge technical content, interactive plenary sessions and dynamic networking opportunities.

What exciting changes and enhancements are planned for the upcoming conference? What can attendees look forward to?

We have an exciting technical program consisting of plenary lectures, panel discussions and six technical symposia. On a plenary level, we are planning more interactive curated panel discussions to encourage more dialogue and discussions. On Wednesday, we have a panel discussion on how to decarbonize unique metallurgical operations by leading industry experts. This will be moderated by Gino De Villa, the Decarbonization Technologies Lead at Hatch. On Thursday, we have another panel discussion on risks and opportunities in the climate change era from an insurance perspective moderated by Paul Okrutny of Mitigateway. This would be new and different from our traditional technical topics, but we hope to shed some light from an interesting and relevant perspective. Another new element we added to COM last year and we will continue this year by popular demand is the “Big Ideas” session for people to showcase novel cutting-edge approaches to address climate change and sustainability challenges.

This year's conference seems to be heading in a new direction. What are your expectations, and what do you hope to achieve through these changes in terms of attendee experience and engagement?

Our goal for COM has always been to be the premier technical conference, and we strive to maintain and continue to improve our technical content offerings to our attendees. However, we also recognize that climate change is touching almost every aspect of our life and our industries, and we cannot just stay within our own “silos” or fields. We absolutely need to come together and have these interdisciplinary dialogues. I hope COM 2023 will provide a platform for such dialogues and continue to inspire technical innovations for a more sustainable world.

In your spare time, what activities or hobbies do you enjoy that bring balance to your professional life?

Nature is a great source of inspiration for me. In my spare time, I enjoy many outdoor activities such as hiking, paddling and camping with my family. I like taking photos of landscapes and wildlife. Currently, I am trying to show my daughter the beauty of nature and what I hope she would learn to appreciate. I also play sports and exercise regularly to maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle.?

Excited about the upcoming COM 2023 conference? Learn more and stay updated by visiting COM 2023's official website.