I am a journalist and author based in London, with an interest in clean energy, China, batteries, EVs, and critical minerals. I’m the author of Volt Rush, the Winners and Losers in the Race to Go Green, which was chosen as a book of the week by the Observer, and one of the best science and environment books of 2022 by The Times.
A former journalist for the Financial Times and Bloomberg, I am currently the executive editor of Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, the leading provider of data and analysis on the battery supply chain.
I’ve testified to the UK parliament, presented to the US State Department, and been interviewed by the BBC, Al Jazeera, France 24, NPR, Financial Times, The Wire China, among other outlets.
I have written for publications including Foreign Affairs, Financial Times, Bloomberg, Time Magazine, The Wire China, and the Big Issue among others.
I have also moderated and spoken at conferences including the FT Commodities Global Summit, Nordic EV Summit, Mines and Money, the Cobalt Institute, and the Rare Earth Industry Association, among others.
I grew up in the UK and Hong Kong, and then studied at universities in the UK and the US. I’ve worked as a journalist in New York, Beijing, and London. While living in Beijing for over seven years (2007-2014) I co-authored a book with Michael Forsythe about China’s largest overseas lender, China Development Bank, which lent billions to countries such as Venezuela, playing a key role in the spread of China’s power and state capitalism overseas. It was translated into Korean, Chinese, and Japanese.
I’m particularly interested in the geopolitics of the global clean energy transition.
I live in London with my wife and two children, and play jazz piano regularly at Nightjar bar in Old Street as part of the Sidecars band.
Please contact me directly for any questions about my book.
