Sharan Swaminathan
Vice President of Industrials Fracht North America
Sharan Swaminathan spent more than fifteen years in finance, commercial, and supply chain roles at BHP, the world's largest mining company, starting at its Olympic Dam mine in South Australia as a Financial and Risk Governance Accountant.
A stint in Investor Relations gave him a bird's-eye view of how the world's biggest miner is run and what it takes to manage the buy side, sell side, and market consensus. He later led transformation across BHP's technology, procurement, and supply chain functions, eventually devising BHP's global inbound strategy, which put him in front of the EPCM contractors and freight forwarders working across BHP's regions.
He has now joined Fracht North America as Vice President of Industrials. With the energy transition drawing major mining players into the Americas, he sees a multi-year window for a nimble, solutions-driven provider like Fracht to become a market leader in project logistics.
A former UAE and Singapore national cricket captain, Swaminathan says bringing people together around a shared outcome has always come naturally to him.
2026 Event Agenda Sessions
Critical Minerals and the New Americas Supply Chain
As demand for copper, lithium, rare earths and other critical minerals accelerates, major mining, processing, manufacturing and supply chain projects are scaling. Success will depend on building an integrated critical minerals value chain, not simply increasing access to resources. As domestic supply alone will not meet rising demand, the US is increasingly looking across the Americas to secure the materials, processing capacity, strategic partnerships and logistics networks needed to support long-term industrial growth. Key discussion points will include:
• How trade agreements, financing, regional partnerships and localization strategies are reshaping critical minerals supply chains;
• Why Latin America is becoming central to US manufacturing ambitions;
• Where infrastructure, processing and logistics constraints are emerging across the value chain;
• What this means for future project development, logistics demand and trade flows across the Americas.
Tuesday 22 September 13:40 - 14:25 Breakbulk Live Stage
Infrastructure & Energy
Market Outlook & Industry Strategy
Supply Chain, Risk & Resilience
As demand for copper, lithium, rare earths and other critical minerals accelerates, major mining, processing, manufacturing and supply chain projects are scaling. Success will depend on building an integrated critical minerals value chain, not simply increasing access to resources. As domestic supply alone will not meet rising demand, the US is increasingly looking across the Americas to secure the materials, processing capacity, strategic partnerships and logistics networks needed to support long-term industrial growth. Key discussion points will include:
• How trade agreements, financing, regional partnerships and localization strategies are reshaping critical minerals supply chains;
• Why Latin America is becoming central to US manufacturing ambitions;
• Where infrastructure, processing and logistics constraints are emerging across the value chain;
• What this means for future project development, logistics demand and trade flows across the Americas.
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