The Brown Paper is a curated collection of my long-form analysis and commentary. Many of these essays began life on LinkedIn, where conversation moves quickly but ideas do not always get the space they deserve. Here, I gather and refine them into a more deliberate, permanent record — one that reflects my own perspective on energy, Africa, critical minerals and the transition economy.

I am Ian Brown, a senior executive with more than four decades of international experience across global energy markets, infrastructure development and transitional-economy value chains. Born in Kent and raised in North Lincolnshire, my professional outlook has been shaped by first-hand industry engagement and independent research rather than headline commentary.

My career has centred on trading, financial structuring and terminal management, with a focus on governance, operational discipline and long-term performance. I have served as a board-level executive and led major projects, including the largest privately funded LPG storage investment in West Africa — a development that helped accelerate Nigeria’s LPG consumption from 50,000 tonnes to over 2 million tonnes annually.

In recent years my work has extended into the critical-minerals sector and the broader energy-transition economy, where I focus on financing, market design and the interplay between physical logistics and financial structures. This gives me a practical vantage point on one of the most important shifts in modern industry.

Through The Brown Paper, I aim to offer clear thinking, commercially relevant insight and an unvarnished view of the issues shaping global markets. Everything here reflects my own judgement and experience.