This month brings a new set of key global mining updates across projects, regulation and market activity. The sector is shifting quickly as companies invest, governments adjust policy and commodity demand continues to rise. Major Projects Rio Tinto – Zulti South Restart: Rio Tinto has approved R8.5bn to restart the Zulti South project. The move […]

At the 121 Mining Conference in Cape Town, a panel of leaders from investment, energy, and mining discussed energy reform, infrastructure bottlenecks and capital flows across Zambia and the Copperbelt, highlighting the growing importance of leadership and talent in mining. But what stood out to us was this: Behind every reform, every financing breakthrough, every […]

Interview by Caitlin McLintock To celebrate Women’s Month, I sat down with Palesa Maloka, Consultant at Stratum International to reflect on her journey as a young woman contributing to the mining sector. Palesa supports senior leadership appointments across the industry, working with executive teams to identify talent capable of shaping the future of mining. She […]

Reflecting on a busy week at Mining Indaba 2026 in Cape Town, one thing became immediately clear: one theme echoed consistently across every conversation, from new project build outs and early stage exploration programmes to steady state operations and distressed assets seeking capital or optimisation: Strong, future ready leadership remains a key ingredient for success. […]

Asset logic can be the easy part. As merger speculation swirls around Glencore and Rio Tinto, the real question is how leadership, decision-making, and risk actually work when operating models collide. Drawing on her deep experience in capital-intensive, high-risk environments, our Managing Director Nichole McCulloch explains why value rarely leaks through assets — it leaks […]

Welcome to this month’s edition of our Mining News Roundup, where we bring together the key global mining updates — the projects, policies, and market moves you need to know. Major Projects Harmony – Eva Copper Mine (Australia):A $1.6B FID has been approved, with first production expected in 2028. Simandou (Guinea):Operations have officially launched, marking […]

The mining industry continues to play a pivotal role in the global energy transition — but October made one thing clear: growth and sustainability don’t always move in sync. From U.S. regulatory rollbacks to new investment in gold and antimony, the sector is walking a fine line between critical mineral demand, environmental pressure, and shifting […]

At senior levels, technical capability is rarely in question. But understanding how a leader will perform under pressure, integrate with a team, or shape culture is far more complex. Psychometric Assessments can be the solution. In this article, Annelize Lombard, Stratum’s Head of Research – Site, addresses common misconceptions around psychometric assessments and explores how, […]

Succession planning isn’t just about replacement. Unplanned leadership departures can disrupt strategy and erode confidence. A proactive, structured approach protects continuity and strengthens future leadership. Stratum’s five-step process supports Boards and executives in reducing risk and building long-term stability. Download the overview here: Find out more about our succession planning work here.

Over the past year, we’ve partnered with mining companies around the world to deliver several high‑impact CFO placements. Throughout these extensive searches, one trend has become clear: the CFO role is changing quickly, and every mandate requires something different. A Shift Away From a Single CFO Profile Mining companies are no longer looking for a […]

From 1 July 2025, physical gold held on an allocated basis will be treated as a Tier 1 High-Quality Liquid Asset (HQLA) under Basel III for US banks, meaning it will now count at 100% of market value against core capital. This marks a major regulatory shift for the precious metals market, elevating gold from […]

Ready to elevate your leadership approach this year? Now is the perfect time to strategically plan and assemble a powerhouse leadership team to guide you through the challenges and triumphs of 2024. Consider these essential elements for your strategy: 1️⃣ Understand the Talent Landscape 🌐 Develop a comprehensive understanding of the current talent market. Keep […]

We are regularly surprised by prospective clients asking us whether we could “send a few CVs” for strategic leadership roles instead of running a targeted, objective-driven process to attract the best talent. There seems to be a belief that quick-fire, success-based recruitment offers broader market coverage since “more people are fighting to identify talent” for […]

“Information is the oil of the 21st century, and analytics is the combustion engine”, said Peter Sondergaard, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Research at Gartner, a few years ago. He couldn’t be more right. These days, accessing quality data and analysing it is any company’s most precious resource after its employees. Farming, not […]

It was Desmond Tutu who said that we should strive to be the change we would like to see in the world. We couldn’t agree more and believe businesses should be at the forefront of this responsibility. While Stratum has regularly contributed to good causes over the years, we recently decided to formalize a giving […]

* Below is a full transcript of the original Q&A interview published by 121 Group’s The Assay Magazine, as part of 121 Group’s African Mining Investment virtual conference, 1-3 February 2021. The original article can be found here. How did the mining industry in Africa fare in 2020 as COVID-19 resulted in shutdowns across the […]

Stratum’s Jane Banks hosting the Mine Finance Panel – How Specialist Finance & PE Navigate Risk & Create Value In African Mining Projects – panel discussion at this year’s 121 Africa Mining Investment forum. Panellists: Verne Grinstead (ANRH Appian Capital Advisory) Rob Still (Pangea Exploration/Denham Capital) 

2020 has been the year when the ubiquitous phrase ‘our staff are our greatest resource’ became akin to an awakening. The storm of the Covid-19 pandemic continues to blow a stark reminder to businesses that their people are genuinely indispensable. Adjusted workforce needs, ominous risks, and the call for true leadership have been catapulted centre […]

Stratum’s Will Coetzer hosting the Mine Finance Panel – Due Diligence in Mining Deals – panel discussion at this year’s 121 EMEA Mining Investment forum. Panellists: Shaun Usmar (Triple Flag) Philip Clegg (Orion Mine Finance) David Halkyard (Resource Capital Funds)

The Covid-19 crisis has materially impacted our industry as global supply chains and people movement have in many cases all but ceased. That said, mining is a significant GDP contributor to most of the countries it operates in, and it’s evident that many governments have been taking every measure available to keep mines operational, or […]

There is a famous saying that even a broken clock is right twice a day. For me, no other quote better sums up the general perception of the broader recruiting industry. If you feel you are continually getting a lousy deal from these firms, you might be right.  And you may be unknowingly encouraging it. […]

Not sure if you caught the podcast of our MD Will Coetzer’s sit-down with Jamie Keech from Resource Insider last week? If you don’t know Jamie, he’s a Cambourne School of Mines Master’s degree Mining Engineer-turned-Mining Financier on a mission to help resources industry investors, well, for the lack of a better word, not get […]

In this collaboration with the 121 Mining Investment Group’s publication, The Assay, Stratum surveys the market and explores the mood around investment, exploration, and hiring on the continent. The research aims to ascertain the current climate and as well as the outlook over the next 12 months. We trust you will enjoy reading this publication, […]

“Why do organisations still pay to use executive search firms? Surely they can find anyone they want on LinkedIn.” At first, this feels like a reasonable question, and undoubtedly one that anyone working in our sector faces daily. Sure enough, finding people who can perform a role is pretty simple. Search for ‘COO and Mining’ […]