Business Enquirer Edition 104 | Q1 2022 by Business Enquirer (Internal Use Only Not Downloadable)

Issue 104 Feb/March 2022 Edition

Social Media Superpower Red Bull Kudzi Chukumbu

Contents

08 Meta

40 Discovery Silver

Hi Mark Zuckerberg

Developing Silver Prospects

10 Tesla

48 Eloro Resources

Elon Musk Donates Nearly $6bn in Tesla Shares to Charity

Bolivian Promise

12 Redbull

54 Endomines

Kudzi Chikumbu’s Superpower is Authenticity...

Glittering Developments

16 Altaley Mining

60 Giyani Metals

Unlocking Hidden Potential

Electric Prospects

26 Arjowiggins

66 Guinness Ghana

Fine Papers for Global Needs

60 Years of Shining Bright

32 CAVU Mining

72 Hamad International Airport

Creating Value Through Discovery

Redefining Airport Experience

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Contents 80 iMas Finance Cooperative

124 Port of Duqm

Promoting Financial Wellbeing

Strategic Port of The Future

86 Magna Gold Corporation

132 Shoprite South Africa

Mexico’s Next Mid-Tier Gold Producer

Affordable, Accessible, Innovative

94 Miclyn Express Offshore

144 Swiss SPC

Making a Difference

Premium Quality for Better Health

104 Municipality Finance

150 Uganda Breweries

Sustainable Finance for Social Growth

The Spirit of Life

110 Northern Minerals

156 VirginMedia O2

Helping to Achieve a Greener World

Upgrading The UK

118 Porsche Consulting

164 Westmoreland Mining

Empower and Inspire

Powering Up for The Future

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MEDIA

PRODUCTION

Jamie Waite

Sarah Sprason

Partner & Creative Director jamie.waite@busenq.com

Head of Production

Malvern Kandemwa

Bethany Waite

Partner & Chief Operations Officer malvern.kandemwa@busenq.com

Production Manager bethany.waite@busenq.com

Harry Bradfield

Tanya Rudd

Sales Director harry.bradfield@busenq.com

Head of Finance tanya.rudd@busenq.com

Glen Newton

Thomas Fyre

Senior Project Director glen.newton@busenq.com

Lead Designer thomas.fyre@busenq.com

Gary Smith

Hannah Watkins

Senior Project Director gary.smith@busenq.com

Junior Designer hannah.watkins@busenq.com

Liv Culling

Adam Fulwood

Senior Project Director liv.culling@busenq.com

Head of Video & Content Creation adam.fulwood@busenq.com

Chiara Salter

EDITOR & JOURNALISTS

Senior Project Director chiara.salter@busenq.com

Roland Wetherby

Senior Project Director roland.wetherby@busenq.com

Sam Patrick

Project Director sam.patrick@busenq.com

Megan Bradfield

Project Director megan.bradfield@busenq.com

Sandra Trzepacz

Project Director sanda.trzepacz@busenq.com

Cheraleigh Van Zanten

sarah.sprason@busenq.com

Gary Wright

Senior Editor gary.wright@busenq.com

Romana Moares

Senior Editor romana.moares@busenq.com

Jay Benmehidi

Senior Editor jay.benmehidi@busenq.com

Carol Gibson

Lead Editor carol.gibson@busenq.com

Rebecca Matthews

Senior Journalist rebecca.matthews@busenq.com

Project Director cheraleigh.vanzanten@busenq.com

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGERS

Michael Church

Anita Terrell

Project Director michael.church@busenq.com

Social Media Manager anita.terrell@busenq.com

Stephen Owen

Lee Dixon

Senior Project Director stephen.owen@busenq.com

Social Media Manager lee.dixon@busenq.com

A word from our editor... Dear Business Readers, Readers of Business Enquirer will recall that under the relatively new dispensation, Edition 104 of the BE was, every month, intended to be a special issue dedicated to a particular subject, with its articles usually resulting from a conference and partner inputs. This being the case, its page budget is shorter, and it does not include company reviews. On account of the continuing disruption, and despite the very best efforts of all involved, the special issue articles were not received in time for publication in this issue. As a result, this issue offers a series of main articles on a broad variety of business-related subjects, as is customary for an ordinary issue of the Enquirer, but without business reviews. In subsequent issues this year, we will be able to publish a number of special sections on particular themes. These include articles derived from a conference on “Citizenship and the Unfinished Business of Partition” held in collaboration between the Royal Society for Business Affairs and the University of Virginia in April this year under the direction of Professor Neeti Nair, a member of this Editorial Board, and also articles on the relationship between Iran and China, put together by Professor Ehteshami and his

colleagues at the University of Durham. Other special sections will also be announced over the course of the year. As we will be publishing these articles in special sections over the course of the year rather than in just one particular issue, it is our intention to turn to 2022. I would like to take this opportunity to thank not only the contributors of articles, letters, and reviews, but also my colleagues on the Editorial Board, peer reviewers, Jay Benmehidi and Gary Wright in the London office, and the editorial and marketing staff at BE Media and particularly Tom Jenkins and Laurence Goodchild, for their indefatigable work towards this edition. This edition features Red Bull’s Creative Director Kudzi Chikumbu why authenticity is vital for driving positive change, both in your career and in the world. Thank you again and best of luck for your Q1 results.

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Metaverse

Hi Mark Zuckerberg When he made the announcement that Facebook (the company) would change its name to Meta, with a new focus on building the metaverse, it started a cyclone of news and hype that still hasn’t abated. Now everyone is talking about the metaverse: “Brand X prepares to enter the metaverse!”, “New fashion line for the metaverse!”, “Retailer X opens metaverse store!”. Brands from Balenciaga to Walmart announced their metaverse plans, while Adidas called its first digital collection Into The Metaverse. But – I’m sorry to inform you – the metaverse doesn’t exist. At least, not yet. Not in the way that it’s defined by technologists, rather than brands, marketers

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or journalists. In the “purest” conception, like Ready Player One’s The Oasis, The Metaverse (singular, like The Internet) is an always-on, fully immersive virtual space, a series of interconnected destinations and experiences between which users, represented by their avatars, can move freely. This version of “the metaverse” is a possibility space. It’s an array of competing visions (like Zuck’s) where no-one knows what the eventual outcome will be. It might not end up being called “the metaverse” at all. To (most) brands, marketers and journalists, the metaverse is today’s visible surfaces; it’s gaming and immersive spaces like Roblox and Fortnite and Decentraland, it’s NFTs, it’s virtual reality.

Metaverse This is, I should make clear, entirely understandable; it’s easier to imagine from what you can see than an intangible future that may not come to be. I’m a big fan of what Roblox is doing, but if that’s the limit to what the immersive future of the internet can be, then something’s gone wrong. I get asked why I’m hesitant to call what we have today “the metaverse”, and my answer is: because I don’t know what the metaverse will be, but it isn’t this. Roblox is not the metaverse. VR is not the metaverse. NFTs are not the metaverse. But each has a role to play in what the metaverse (or whatever we end up naming it) might be one day. There’s so much we can learn from the platforms and services we have at hand. We can learn about mass socialisation in immersive spaces from Fortnite and Horizon, about community and fandoms from Discord and Twitch, about virtual identity from Snapchat and Zepeto, about digital economies from OpenSea and Roblox. The tools of today can help us shape the metaverse of tomorrow. So while the technical infrastructure continues to emerge, I encourage brands and businesses to keep up the playful participation in immersive social communities. At VCCP we’ve gained so much from launching The O2 in Fortnite Creative and reimagining our offices in Roblox. I want to see more like Chipotle and Hyundai in Roblox, more like Carrefour and ITV in Fortnite, more like Ralph Lauren in Zepeto, more like Samsung in Decentraland, more like the Adidas collab with Bored Ape Yacht Club. More fun, more experimentation, more learning about how we engage with communities in the spaces of the immersive internet of the future. Just don’t call it the metaverse. Yet.

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Elon Musk

Elon Musk on stage at a Tesla event

Elon Musk donates nearly $6B in Tesla shares to charity As one of the world’s most well-known billionaires, Elon Musk faces intense pressure to donate some of his riches to charitable causes. Apparently he actually did just that, completing what might be his first good deed ever.

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The Tesla CEO donated approximately $5.7 billion worth of Tesla shares to charity between November 19 and November 29, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). This would technically make him the second-largest donor in the U.S. last year, just behind Bill and Melinda Gates.

Elon Musk Musk first alluded to selling off some of his stock back in November, when he posted a Twitter poll asking his followers to decide whether or not he should rid himself of about 10 percent of his stock. About 58 percent of the 3.5 million respondents answered in the affirmative — which was apparently enough to convince Musk to go through with it. Musk never said that he went through with the WFP’s ask, but this week’s SEC filings show he donated the $5.7 billion only a few weeks after his tweets on the topic. It’s not difficult to deduce that Musk did actually follow through. That’s a gag in and of itself. The man isn’t exactly known for doing so. Musk is great at wielding his money like a weapon. He’s paying his taxes and donating some of his fortune, yes, but he’s doing so in such a performative way that it’s difficult to take this as a symptom of character-building. Most people interested in actually helping others don’t spend months tweeting about their good deeds on Twitter.

Elon Musk appearing on late night televesion

Tesla showroom

Business Enquirer Magazine · Issue 104

Podcast Feature

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Redbull

Kudzi Chikumbu, Director of Creator Community, TikTok

Kudzi Chikumbu’s superpower is authenticity ...here’s how to maximise yours

In a Red Bull Basement Sessions podcast, tech executive and creator Kudzi Chikumbu explains why authenticity is vital for driving positive change, both in your career and in the world. Zimbabwe-born Kudzi Chikumbu is the leader in community and creators at one of the world’s biggest entertainment short-form video platforms, as well as a passionate champion of diversity and authenticity. He’s also a Global Judge for Red Bull Basement, the programme where student changemakers from around the world work to realise their most impactful, feasible and creative tech ideas. Taking off his executive hat to speak on the podcast in a personal capacity, Chikumbu talks about the factors that contribute to developing good ideas. Among them, he offers these pieces of advice for anyone who might be facing, for example, a significant career transition.

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Redbull 1. Be authentic and true to yourself Ever since primary school, Chikumbu has always felt that he stood out from the norm, and that feeling continued as a student from Africa at Stanford University and into his initial career as an accountant. “You can be out of place but still be successful, or even the best,” he asserts. “My superpower is I’m me and not like everybody else, so I embrace that. This is why it’s really important to double down on your authenticity. It’s such a buzzword now, but it truly is a superpower, because then no one can touch you.”

2. Have a vision – and believe in it “Nobody knows your dreams, or how good you are – only you do,” Chikumbu says. “Be clear about what you want, and be able to articulate that. I think it’s easier if it’s powered by authenticity, by powering into something that feels like 100 percent you and something that you love.” In the podcast, which you can listen to in full below, the creator also reveals the early collaborator who helped him to focus his vision, as well as other influences.

Chikumbu was a creator long before his talents hit the spotlight. While still an accountant by day, he worked on multiple blogs, YouTube channels and other social media outlets at night and on weekends. He describes: “I created the skillset and also created this personal brand for myself, where people could see that I was serious about this lane. That’s why it’s important to actually have the vision, have the belief – but then actively take steps to do it. It may not be as great in the beginning, but it adds up, and you get better and then it becomes part of who you are.”

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You can hear Kudzi Chikumbu and the rest of the podcast episodes follow Red Bull Basement Sessions on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon and wherever you listen to podcasts.

Podcast Feature

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PROJECT DIRECTED BY

Gary Smith

Ralph Shearing, CEO, Altaley Mining

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WRITTEN BY

Romana Moares

Altaley Mining

Unlocking Hidden Potential Altaley Mining Corporation is a Canadian publicly-traded mining company engaged in the exploration, development and operation of polymetallic mineral resource projects in Mexico. Following a period of stagnation, the company is looking to a growth year in 2022. Aerial view of Altaley Mining’s Campo Morado site

ltaley Mining Corporation has two 100%-owned Mexican gold, silver, and base metal mining projects: the Tahuehueto mining project, located in north-western Durango State and the Campo Morado project, in the state of Guerrero. In Tahuehueto, construction has now advanced to an estimated 95% completion on its 1,000 tonne per day (tpd) processing facility and related mine infrastructure to initiate production of gold, silver, lead, copper and zinc. The Company is targeting initial pre-production in March 2022, ramping up to full production capacity during Q2-Q3 2022. The second project, Campo Morado, is an operating polymetallic base metal mine with mining and milling equipment currently producing at an average of 2,200 tonnes per day. It is currently estimated to be Mexico’s 6th largest zinc producer. 2021 has been a year of excellent growth for Altaley as the company saw steady construction progress at the Tahuehueto gold mine, while at Campo Morado Mine the operations team has made steady improvement to increase production and reduce operating costs resulting in increased revenues and a mine operating profit throughout 2021.

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Altaley Mining Perseverance and dedication Altaley Mining as a business has a history going back some 35 years. The company was set up by its current CEO and President Ralph Shearing and his friend from university back in 1987. Over the years the company went through various ups and downs, with a milestone coming in 2015 when a change in ownership control occurred with a new Mexican investment and operations group that initiated serious underground development and bulk sampling at Tahuehueto and in mid 2017. The Campo Morado mine was acquired and brought out of care and maintenance back into production. However, early 2020 the Mexican CEO resigned from the Company and Mr Shearing reassumed his position as a CEO. With his team, he has steadily progressed the Company and its projects forward generating significant income for its operating Campo Morado mine and advancing Tahuehueto construction towards imminent production.

Since then I have been working with an excellent operations and management team where all have been working tirelessly to get the company back on its feet, achieving very good results.

“

He himself is an expert in the field, as a professional geologist with over 33 years of experience in senior management positions within Canadian public markets. He says: “In 2019, the company was not in good shape. We were having difficulties operating and facing some problems with the local communities so with the resignation of the former CEO, new leadership has revitalized the company. Since then I have been working with an excellent operations and management team where all have been working tirelessly to get the company back on its feet, achieving very good results.”

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Under Shearing as CEO, the Vancouver-based company has progressed the Tahuehueto gold project from an early-stage explorer through development and now finalising construction to very soon become a new 1,000 tonnes per day underground gold mining operation. He affirms that in terms of achieving success, perseverance and commitment are key. “I knew that our Tahuehueto project was going to be a very significant gold mine from my first site visit long ago; it demonstrated all the geological mineralising characteristics of a large epithermal district scale project, with similar geology to many of the operating mine within the Sierra Madre mountains of Mexico. Tahuehueto was largely unexplored at that time and it was just a matter of finding access to capital to advance it through the exploration and development phase, in order to actually prove that my vision was right.”

Inside the mine at Campo Morado

Resources Feature

“

I knew that our Tahuehueto project was going to be a very significant gold mine from my first site visit long ago

“

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Resources Feature Significant potential Altaley owns about 83% of the prospective ground within the large Tahuehueto epithermal district. Tahuehueto provides exposure to both precious metals (~85% of projected revenue) and base metals (~15% of projected revenue) and excellent growth potential for the company. It is Altaley’s flagship asset, where over $ 50M has been invested in exploration, a prefeasibility study, mine development and mine construction. Ralph Shearing acknowledges that the exploration potential to expand resources and reserves is significant and, once funds are available, the company is set to start drilling to quickly increase its resources and its reserves, in order to justify an expansion of two to three times

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its planned start-up capacity. “With exploration success, which will come easily, I can see this project growing to 2,000 or 3,000 tonnes per day, over the next two to five years,” he says. Altaley’s second project, Campo Morado, is an operating zinc mine with infrastructure, currently processing some 2,200 tonnes of ore per day. Campo Morado is a volcanogenic massive sulphide deposit underground mining using low cost bulk mining methods with resources identifies for in excess of a 20-year mine life. There are over 700 exploration diamond drill holes in place which have outlined six mineralized bodies. Campo Morado is a fully operating asset that brings a consistent cash flow to the company and provides exposure to base metal markets.

Altaley Mining

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I can see this project growing to 2,000 or 3,000 tonnes per day, over the next two to five years.

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Altaley Mining

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Resources Feature The local benefit Mexico is renowned for its very good mining environment. A long history of mining, availability of skilled and well-trained human resources, as well as a welcoming attitude from local communities is a substantial benefit. Mining companies are appreciative of these advantages and Altaley Mining is no exception. Ralph Shearing points out that for Altaley, environmental sustainability and supporting local communities is absolutely key. “Perhaps unknown to the general public, mining companies have been practising very strong sustainability practices over a long period of time, long before sustainability became a buzzword. As an exploration company you need to pay attention to local communities, you need to try get local people involved in the project, because otherwise you won’t earn a social licence, and you will not be able to move the project forward.” Altaley Mining Corporation supports a range of initiatives to improve conditions for local communities. The company, during the exploration phase, helped local authorities establish and equip the first school and medical clinic in the Tahuehueto area. It has also contributed to improving infrastructure, such as electricity, water supply and filtration systems, and to sanitation improvements. Local hiring and procurement policies have been adopted to ensure that benefits flow to the communities and regions surrounding both projects. At Campo Morado the company directly employs approximately 200 local employees and indirectly provides work by hiring local and regional suppliers (contractors, logistics, security, etc.), and at the same time helps Tahuehueto to develop its potential to become an important economic contributor to its nearby communities and to Durango State.

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Altaley Mining Sustainable progress Similarly, to the local focus, environmental protection is an integral part of any mining company’s strategy these days, and is absolutely essential. Altaley is actively working towards the implementation of green energy. Currently, Altaley is analysing different proposals to install solar power in its Campo Morado mine to reduce reliance on the National Energy Grid. At the Tahuehueto mine, which does not have access to the national electricity grid, Altaley is planning to install natural gas generators within one year of start-up; these will replace the initial diesel-powered generators to significantly reduce the project’s carbon emissions. Future plans at Tahuehueto will analyse the feasibility of supplementing the mines power needs by the installation of solar panels to generate electricity during daylight, to further reduce reliance on petroleum-fired generator power. Summarising the latest developments, Ralph Shearing says that the Tahuehueto Mine construction is very close to completion. It is anticipated that the mine will enter a pre-production phase at half-capacity sometime in mid-March 2022, and ramp up operations over the next few months with the installation of a second ball mill. Management hopes to be able to declare commercial production during the last half of 2022 as soon as the mine reaches a continuous state of production at 80% of management’s expectations. “In the coming months and years, we want to expand both of our projects, and as soon as we are healthy enough, we will start exploration drilling again. 2022 is sure to be a growth year for Altaley, and I want to eventually at least double the size of the company in the coming years. At the moment, the company is undervalued but we are in good shape now and certainly will realise a better business valuation,” he concludes. www.altaleymining.com

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Resources Feature

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PROJECT DIRECTED BY

Malvern Kandemwa

Christophe Jordan, MD, Translucent Papers & Smart Papers

Issue 104 · Business Enquirer Magazine

WRITTEN BY

Romana Moares

Arjowiggins

Arjowiggins creative papers

Fine Papers for Global Needs

rjowiggins, with its knowledge and experience stretching over 300 years, has grown into a leading paper manufacturer with a global reach, serving customers large and small. The last few years have been a period of major changes for the business. Following a number of months of trading under administration in 2019, the future of the company was secured by a management buyout.

Arjowiggins, the fine paper producer with Anglo-French roots that extend back to 1698, is in the right place at the right time - as the world increasingly demands sustainable materials, the company is set to make use of new opportunities.

Today, Arjowiggins Group Ltd is a fully independent company, based in Aberdeen, established in its current form in October 2019 as a spin-off of the Creative Papers Division of the former Arjowiggins Group based in Paris. The management secured a buy-out of the division and took ownership of the company’s worldwide activities, consisting of four established paper mills, as well as ownership of the iconic Arjowiggins brand.

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Arjowiggins Christophe Jordan, Managing Director Translucent Papers & Smart Papers, describes the core business: “We are determined to develop Arjowiggins’ position as a leading paper manufacturer with a global reach, focusing on the speciality paper segment. We make technical papers and high-end papers. Our products can be seen, for example, in luxury packaging and luxury brochures, and we can also make papers with security features or paper for book binding. In other words, we are a very specialised paper maker.” Arjowiggins today employs around 800 people at its four mills - one in China, one in Spain and two in the UK – and offices. The range of papers is wide and includes creative papers, cover papers, translucent papers, smart papers, security papers as well as custom-made solutions. Mr Jordan is responsible for the two mills making translucent and smart papers., Arjowiggins is the world leader in translucent papers, with over 50% global market share, while the smart paper line, offering papers for printed electronic applications, is a new business unit established recently Translucent papers are used in traditional applications such as graphic, advertising and promotional papers, arts and crafts papers, labels, sticky notes, envelopes as well as technical-drawing paper and are also adapted for the processing of decorative laminates. Arjowiggins also offers a unique category of translucent papers specifically developed for the food and cosmetics industry, marketed under the Sylvicta brand. Launched 18 months ago, Sylvicta is a true breakthrough innovation – a very high-barrier paper that preserves food freshness better than plastics, while ensuring limited impact on the environment. The product is wholly recyclable, compostable and marine degradable, made from renewable raw materials, making a very suitable plastics replacement.

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“Sylvicta is a reflection of our sustainable development. Sustainability has been the main driver of our strategy for several years both externally as well as internally” says Mr Jordan. “We have been buying only FSC-certified pulp for years, and our R&D has focused for many years on developing papers that can replace plastic in various segments, from food and cosmetics, through heat transfer materials, to printing electronics.”

“

We are determined to develop Arjowiggins’ position as a leading paper manufacturer with a global reach, focusing on the speciality paper segment

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In a new form

Delivering innovative, high-performance speciality chemical treatment programmes to the paper and water treatment industries. Our chemical and industry expertise is combined with the latest automatic dosing and control technologies, customised to our customers’ specific requirements to deliver the highest performance and cost-effectiveness across all application areas. We believe that creating strong partnerships with our customers is the way to deliver the greatest value to them and are privileged to have worked closely with Arjowiggins for over 25 years.

+44 (0)208 064 0500 info@omniachemicalgroup.com www.omniachemicalgroup.com

Manufacturing Feature

A selection of Arjowiggins’ creative papers product range

Business Enquirer Magazine · Issue 104

Manufacturing Feature Mr Jordan is not only highly qualified to operate successfully within the paper industry, but as a member of the seventh generation that has been involved in paper making, paper is ‘in his DNA’, he smiles. “Following my graduation from the Engineering School of Pulp and Paper in France, I have always worked in the paper industry and most probably always will. I have been with Arjowiggins for 20 years in multiple roles from supply chain to business development to business strategy and now as the Managing Director of two business units,” he says. Leading a workforce of over 250 people in two mills, his management style is based on motivation. “Motivated people generate success, progressing towards a common vision that needs to be shared by all. A vision is not just a dream but a plan defined around milestones, from short to long term, so that people can review progress on a regular basis, maintaining focus and motivation towards their ultimate goal.”

port the company has received from its business partners during the hard times of administration and the following Covid months. “We had tremendous support during those difficult days from our number one distributor in Europe as well as in the Middle East. That much appreciated support was also a testimony to the trust our customers have in Arjowiggins.”

“

In these difficult situations it is even more important to keep people motivated, and that is the task ... to reassure our staff that all storms will pass and our vision stays strong

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Motivated and engaged

He admits that keeping eyes on a vision during the pandemic has been a challenge. “The first difficulty was the different rules and regulations imposed in the different countries where our mills are in operation. Then of course, we had to face the general uncertainly inflicted upon the business. It is no secret that we suffered a substantial reduction in business during the hardest Covid months.” “In these difficult situations, it is even more important to keep people motivated, and that is the task we, as managers, have - the task to reassure our staff that all storms will pass and our vision stays strong,” he says. “And this is what is happening right now as the industry is picking up. We are now seeing a true turnaround as governments all over the world are determined to keep the economy alive.” In this context, Mr Jordan highlights the sup-

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Part of the production process at Arjowiggins

Arjowiggins Synergy of heritage and innovation There are several factors that have kept Arjowiggins going and make the company stand out in the market. “We are a good blend of heritage and innovation,” explains Mr Jordan. “We have knowledgeable and skilled people, we have been around for decades, for generations. “Heritage mixed with innovation has always been the company’s strength, now perhaps even more than before. We are in proactive mode, quick on design and production, with a short line of management, enabling agility and flexibility.” “Our engineers and scientists continuously explore new processes, technologies and ideas, and the products of their research and development keep the creative and technical possibilities of paper alive and flourishing.” It is the teamwork and cooperation between R&D, mills and marketing that has unlocked the creation of unique, patented products and ranges, such as Curious Matter or Skin as well as

technical products such as PowerCoat for printed electronics or Sylvicta, a sustainable alternative to plastics for food packaging. “While we supply our products globally, our strongest market by far is Europe, particularly France and the UK. We are going to further grow these markets, in line with the increased focus on sustainability, of which paper is an important element. We are not aiming to replace all plastics, by the way. In terms of plastics, the focus should be on reduction, not necessarily substitution. And in terms of substitution, paper is only part of it, and is not the only substitute material.” Still, investment in increased capacity to meet the growing demand for new materials such as Sylvicta, is definitely on the agenda. “The current market trends present massive opportunities for growth. To be an active part of the sustainability movement is not only very enjoyable but also very rewarding,” affirms Mr Jordan in conclusion. contact@arjowiggins.com www.arjowiggins.com

“

Heritage mixed with innovation has always been the company’s strength, now perhaps even more than before...

“

Business Enquirer Magazine · Issue 104

PROJECT DIRECTED BY

Gary Smith

Dr Jaap Verbaas, CEO, CAVU Mining

Issue 104 · Business Enquirer Magazine

WRITTEN BY

Romana Moares

CAVU Mining

Creating Value Through Discovery With the development of the electric vehicle sector, demand for copper will rise substantially. This is a challenge being taken up by a number of exploration companies, including CAVU Mining Corp, which is engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of mineral projects containing metals used in green technologies and the renewable energy sector.

CAVU MIning drilling equipment

AVU is a Canadian junior mining company engaged in exploration for copper in British Columbia and Yukon, currently focused on the exploration of its Hopper Copper-Gold Project in Yukon.

He explains that the Hopper Project in Yukon Territory is a large copper porphyry – skarn project in which the company has the right to earn a 70% interest, through a deal with Strategic Metals.

In addition to the Hopper Project, CAVU also has the Quesnel Copper Project in British Columbia, an early-stage project with discovery potential that was acquired through staking.

“The Hopper is a massive copper target. One of the areas we are drilling has copper mineralization at the surface over a length of more than 1.3 km. Over the past year we have also proven the existence of a porphyry system with our first drilling on the claim.

Dr Jaap Verbaas, CEO of CAVU, summarised the company’s core business: “We focus on finding copper projects to develop into proven copper resources that may be used to fill the coming copper supply deficit as the world transitions to green technologies.”

“Porphyry copper deposits are among the largest types of copper systems in the world, and we are very pleased with this discovery. CAVU is now planning a larger and more comprehensive drilling program, to start in the late spring of 2022.”

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CAVU Mining In support of the green revolution Dr Verbaas is an exploration geologist who came to Canada in 2012 to pursue a PhD after working in Australia’s gold fields. His strengths are regional targeting as well as combining novel technologies with traditional methods in order to further project-scale exploration strategies. He has worked in executive roles for Canadian public exploration companies since 2017, looking for both precious and base metals.

CAVU Mining drillcores from Copper Castle

“My business partners and myself founded CAVU in June 2020 to play into what we believe is an imminent, long-lasting supply and demand imbalance in copper that will drive prices higher as the world moves towards green technologies. “Exploration is essentially a research-driven or intellectual capital business. So, I try to bring the right intellectual capital to the right projects and potential mineral systems so that they can be efficiently explored. At the same time, I try to cultivate a process for this research together with our Vice President of Exploration Luke Bickerton, who also draws upon strong combined academic and industry experience.” Speaking about the market environment, he points out that in the last decade, copper has seen very little capital expenditure to maintain supply. As a result, there is a severe lack of developed and permitted projects that can fill the coming supply gap. This is where CAVU comes in. “The biggest tailwind for copper is the green revolution, in the form of a transition to electric vehicles and renewable energy. Interestingly, investors in the sector focus mostly on what makes batteries such as nickel, cobalt, and lithium. “However, energy storage is useless without energy transport and energy is transported through copper wiring. Copper is one of the best and most affordable conductive elements, and is malleable, which allows it to be drawn into wires. Copper may have the best macro-fundamental outlook of any commodity,” Jaap Verbaas explains.

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COMPLETE SITE PREPARATION UNDERGROUND UTILITIES CLEARING AND HAULING

TRUCKING

QUARRY - GRAVEL & TOPSOIL CONTAMINATED SOIL TREATMENT

C A S T L E R O C K E N T. C O M CASTLE ROCK ENTERPRISES LP, 20 LABERGE ROAD, WHITEHORSE, YUKON, Y1A 5Y8

Resources Feature

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The biggest tailwind for copper is the green revolution, in the form of a transition to electric vehicles and renewable energy.

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Examining a drillcore from the Copper Castle site

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Resources Feature The greatest asset Given that the company was established only a few years ago, its progress is impressive, and Dr Verbaas affirms that it is all down to the human capital. “People are everything and great people combined with the right teamwork lead to great products whether the product is drill core, investor presentations or a copper resource.” “As I mentioned before, exploration is about bringing the right intellectual capital to the right rocks and both myself and my partner Dr Luke Bickerton have experience that is fitting for our current roles and our current projects.” For the exploration programs CAVU tries to hire locally so that the benefits of its activity help local communities. Dr Verbaas says: “One example of a local company is Castle Rock Enterprises, which is a Champagne and Aishihik First Nations-run company. They have been a tremendous help to our programme and have created all the roads on the Hopper Project since 2015. “We renamed the main high-grade copper skarn zone ‘Copper Castle’ to give them credit for their work. We also have Mr Allen Edzerza on our advisory board. He is of the Tahltan First Nation which is very used to mining and exploration on their traditional land. He advises CAVU on community matters and helps to think of ways in which CAVU can support local hiring.” As CAVU is an integral piece to the decarbonisation of the world, sustainability is in its very DNA. “We may be able to do without oil and gas as an energy source, but we will need to mine more and different metals to do so. Today, mining companies accurately monitor their environmental footprint so that mining and exploration occurs with minimal disturbance to flora and fauna,” Dr Verbaas points out. “We are happy to be part of this movement towards low-disturbance work where, if metals are not encountered in significant quantities, flora and fauna

Issue 104 · Business Enquirer Magazine

will move back in after exploration and there is no long-term ill environmental effect.”

Castle Rock Enterprises Castle Rock Enterprises looks forward to providing land clearing and road building services to CAVU Mining in support of exploration at their Copper Castle site. Based out of Whitehorse, Yukon Castle Rock Enterprises is fully owned by Dakwakada Capital Investments, the business arm of the Champagne and Aishihik First Nation. With a modern fleet of heavy equipment, the company is well situated to support the exploration of remote areas throughout the territory. Northern construction projects face some unique challenges around inclement seasonal weather changes and rugged terrain. We have the experience and knowledge that comes with operating since 1997, and provide clients with insight and guidance for successful project completion. Castle Rock has built a solid reputation for quality workmanship and onsite responsiveness. Our attention to detail and quality work have won the respect of clients of all sizes, and fostered our reputation as one of the most respected construction companies in the Yukon and Northern British Columbia. Our ability to design and build projects from beginning to end makes us your one-stop shop for construction services. Whether it is earthmoving, underground utilities, clearing and hauling, land remediation and reclamation, or any other type of site preparation, Castle Rock is committed to delivering every project on time and on budget. We also operate a gravel quarry just north of Whitehorse, providing a variety of gravel products for varying applications. Contact us today to inquire about how our team can be of service to you. www.castlerockent.com office@castlerockent.com 867-668-6188

CAVU Mining

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We renamed the main high-grade copper skarn zone ‘Copper Castle’ to give them credit for their work

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CAVU Mining World-class copper system Summarising the company’s current position, Dr Verbaas affirms that 2021 was an incredible year for CAVU. “We listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange in February, closed the deal on the Hopper in March and proceeded with our first drill programme which was incredibly successful. We drilled the longest high-grade copper intercept ever on the ‘Copper Castle’ area of the claim, in a hole which confirmed that this zone is open for expansion. The hole further indicates that the highest-grade portion of the claim may be undrilled.” “CAVU has started 2022 in a strong position,” he further states. “Applying for a new 10-year exploration permit for our flagship project was an important milestone during our winter season.” He points out that as a result of the recently closed private placement, the 2022 program is fully financed, so the company is able to retain contractors well in advance of the drilling season, which is necessary in a busy year for exploration. “All our data so far suggest we are only on the edge of what may be a world-class copper porphyry system. In an industry where the norm is to fail, we have proven that we know how to aim our drill holes on the project. We also expect to keep working towards a larger copper portfolio and are actively looking for additional projects. This of course is excellent news for our investors as well as for the future of the company.” www.cavumining.com

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Resources Feature

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In an industry where the norm is to fail, we have proven that we know how to aim our drill holes on the project

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PROJECT DIRECTED BY

WRITTEN BY

Gary Smith

Romana Moares

Cordero drillcore laid out in boxes

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Discovery Silver

Developing Silver Prospects Discovery Silver Corp. is a Canadabased exploration and development company that is aggressively advancing one of the world’s largest silver deposits, the Cordero Project in Mexico, through development and towards eventual construction and production. Over the last few months, the company has made significant progress towards the engineering and development phases, while also beginning to systematically explore the huge land package around the main resource area.

iscovery Silver is the 100% owner of its flagship Cordero Project in northern Mexico which, based on its recently released Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) would place it among the world’s largest producing and highest cash-flowing primary silver mines. The asset also contains zinc and lead.

Taj Singh, President & CEO, Discovery Silver

is also located in a favourable location - in one of the most well-known and mining-friendly states in Mexico, Chihuahua State, on a prolific silver belt. The main resource area represents less than 1,000 hectares of the 35,000 hectare land package we own. We believe the potential for additional new discoveries is high.”

On top of that, the project has a huge resource (close to 400 million ounces AgEq (silver equivalent)) that sits just outside the planned mine that could eventually be brought into production if/when silver prices increases, which would make it even larger than currently outlined. Taj Singh, the company President & CEO, outlines the project’s key features: “Cordero has all the attributes of a Tier 1 mining project: margin, scale, significant organic growth opportunities. It

Drill site at the Cordero Project

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DRILL SMART

HIGH-QUALITY DRILLING SERVICES

www.oretest.com

Resources Feature Right place, right time The mine would also have very favourable operating costs. Singh notes, “As one of the few openpit silver mines in the world (vast majority are underground which use very selective and high-cost mining of narrow veins), Cordero would benefit from efficiencies of scale. “Another significant advantage of the open-pit is that the capital costs for underground development, to access and delineate ore, which are typically very high, would not be required. Cordero also has excellent infrastructure with a major highway nearby, which also benefits the capital and operating costs.” “We are also very fortunate that the local community is supportive of the project and looks forward to the significant economic boost the area would get with a major mine in production,” Singh points out. “Mining has always been an important part of the region economically and there are many mines in this part of the state, so the labour and knowledge pool is very deep and established. Unemployment is still quite high, so the locals appreciate the job opportunities we provide. Generally speaking, Mexico is a very pro-mining country. People understand the benefits that mining brings. The supportive social situation and strong community engagement put us in a very good position to progress the project.” Taj Singh himself joined Discovery Silver in 2017 as President and CEO when the company went public, following a career in mining spanning over two decades. He also has a very good knowledge of the Mexican environment and just prior to Discovery worked exclusively in Mexico for six years as a Vice President for a producing gold mining company. Discovery Silver is relatively young – the company started with earlier stage properties of small scale with a turning point coming in the summer of 2019 with the acquisition of what

is now its flagship project – the Cordero Project in Chihuahua State. “We have been very busy since that and the company has grown substantially. Developing the Cordero project is our key focus now, and our ultimate goal is to bring that mine into production over the next several years,” says Singh.

Oretest Drilling New Rigs, Experienced Personnel, Greater Production Oretest Drilling Mexico believe that diversity allows for complimentary minds to work together. When we achieve this, the result is a safer and more efficient place to work for us all. The future of Oretest will be one where we advance our equipment and train staff to make our tasks easier, safer and more productive. By keeping our machines new and well maintained, Oretest has a vision to create an environment that is more Productive, Safer, Friendlier and appeals to our broader clients requirements. Our values define what matters most with our continued success and production levels at our drilling operations. Our customers, suppliers and employees are a commitment to our values, making our work, decision making and actions more effective. We value Health, Safety, Integrity, Client relationship, and Teamwork. Gernot Wober, VP Exploration, Discovery Silver: ”Oretest Drilling Mexico (Fiscal: Canmex Diamond Drill) has constantly shown high professional standards and production on our Cordero Project, Parral, Mexico. Safety, Production, Recovery, Rig availability, and EnvironmentalvStewardship are all at extremely high levels and continue to be improved on.”

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Resources Feature Exploring the potential Over the last three years, the company has made tremendous progress and was recently named as one of the “8 Mexican mines to watch” by the well-known mining.com platform. Since acquiring Cordero, Discovery’s focus has been on leveraging the under-explored higher-grade zones within the larger mineralized system, with the objective of defining a high-margin project with scale. Aggressive drilling to date has outlined a large high-grade bulk tonnage core with a low stripping ratio. This core sits within an even larger volume of disseminated mineralization meaning that there is a high potential for the mine to go beyond the 16 years of planned mine life and/ or produce at larger throughputs than currently outlined. “Over 120,000 m have been drilled in 18 months, making it one of the most aggressive drill programmes in the silver industry. The resource area only represents 5% of the total concession area and this means we should continue to develop new, exciting targets to drill test over the years, hoping to find more deposits in the district,” says Singh. A new resource, incorporating geology and structure for the first time as well as data from more than 500 drill holes was released in October 2021. This was followed by a new Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) released in November 2021, focused on Cordero’s high-grade resource and integrating new metallurgical test work and engineering studies. The PEA demonstrated that Cordero has the potential to be developed into a highly capital-efficient mine and become one of the largest silver mines in the world (+26 million oz Ag per year over a 16-year mine life) with a very impressive cost profile (life-of-mine all-in sustaining cash costs of $12.35/oz AgEq).

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The metrics demonstrated in the PEA are supported by a mine plan with essentially 100% of the tonnes processed in the measured and indicated category, which speaks of how advanced this project truly is, and a simple and conventional process design based on the company’s metallurgical test work programme of 2021.

Discovery Silver

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Over 120,000m have been drilled in 18 months, making it one of the most aggressive drill programmes in the silver industry.

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Issue 104 · Business Enquirer Magazine

Discovery Silver Sustainable approach Still, it is not all about just profits. Over the last decade, the whole mining industry has undergone a major change towards more environmentally friendly development and sustainability is one of the priorities of any mining company these days. Discovery Silver is no exception. “We have always felt very strongly about sustainability and always wanted to stay ahead of the curve,” says Taj Singh, noting that the company released its inaugural ESG report in the autumn of 2021. “Exceeding the expectations of governments and regulators and the communities where Discovery operates is critical to sustaining strong and trusting relationships with all stakeholders. We strive to ensure full compliance with environmental laws, regulations and standards and aim to prevent, minimize, mitigate and, where appropriate, remediate our impacts on the environment.”

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We have always felt very strongly about sustainability and always wanted to stay ahead of the curve.

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Speaking about the coming months, he affirms that the goal is clear. In 2022, the company will strive to advance Cordero to a prefeasibility study (PFS), which should further de-risk the project, and is expected to be released in the autumn of 2022 - an important milestone. About a year after that, the company plans to deliver the Feasibility Study and continue into construction. Mid-2025 is a reasonable estimate for a production start. The company is also hoping to potentially discover a new deposit on the property through property-wide drilling. “We have been getting several targets ready for drilling in 2022, through mapping, sampling and geophysics and will look to drill-test them through the year.

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“Drill results will be ongoing in both new mining areas and with our first drill testing of brand-new regional targets, but our immediate objective is to aggressively advance the general programme to bring the project into production. That’s the focus,” concludes Taj Singh. www.discoverysilver.com

Resources Feature

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PROJECT DIRECTED BY

WRITTEN BY

Steve Owen

Romana Moares

Bolivian Promise Eloro Resources is making progress with its highly prospective silver asset in northern Bolivia, striving to advance it into a world-class polymetallic project.

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ne of the largest mineral resource discoveries of the last two years is in Bolivia, in the prolific mining region of Potosi. Potosi is famous for hosting some of the highest grade silver deposits in history, including the world’s largest silver deposit, Cerro Rico De Potosi. After 500 years of metal extraction, Cerro Rico De Potosi still contains a world-class silver and tin reserve totalling more than 500 million tonnes. Over the last three years, the region has become the prime focus of Eloro Resources. Headquar-

Eloro Resources tered in Toronto, Ontario, Eloro is an exploration and mine development company with a portfolio of gold and base-metal properties in Bolivia, Peru and Quebec. Since 2020, Eloro has had an option to acquire a 99% interest in Iska Iska, a highly prospective silver-tin porphyry-epithermal complex, where a fully-financed 50,000 m drill programme is currently under way. Drilling and continuous channel sampling results have demonstrated some very high metal values, especially silver and tin, within an immense system, where mineralization has been encountered in every drill hole to date, indicating excellent potential for a world-class bulk mineable deposit.

sions and eight mining claims covering approximately 89 square kilometres. La Victoria has good infrastructure, with access to road, water and electricity, and is located at an altitude that ranges from 3,150 m to 4,400 m above sea level. The company is also pursuing its copper and gold projects in Quebec, Canada, where it has a total of 169 claims within an area of some 85 km2 in the central part of the province. Given the latest developments, Eloro’s current focus is on the exploration and growth of the Iska Iska Project, which the company considers to be its only significant mineral project.

Spread across Americas Iska Iska has good infrastructure and many additional advantages, including the benefits of modern mining laws and a supportive political environment in the country, as Bolivia is now actively seeking foreign investment to grow its underdeveloped mining sector. Eloro has identified three major breccia pipes at Iska Iska: Central, Santa Barbara, and El Porco. The company is currently drilling at the Santa Barbara Breccia Pipe Area with the aim of delivering a maiden mineral resource estimate in March to April of 2022. It is estimated that this maiden resource is likely to be just scratching the surface at Iska Iska. There is significant potential to expand the mineralized zones at the SBBP, El Porco, and the Central Breccia Pipe. In addition to Iska Iska, Eloro also owns an 82% interest in the La Victoria Gold/Silver Project, located in the North-Central Mineral Belt of Peru some 50 km south of Barrick’s Lagunas Norte Gold Mine and Pan American Silver’s La Arena Gold Mine. La Victoria consists of eight mining conces-

Business Enquirer Magazine · Issue 104

Eloro Resources The history of mining in the Iska Iska region dates back to colonial times. Silver and gold veins were discovered in the 19th century, mostly north of the Iska Iska hill where small scale silver mining was reported to have been very active. Eloro conducted geological mapping and preliminary sampling of the surface and underground workings at Iska Iska in 2019 and in 2020 began underground diamond drilling from the Huayra Kasa underground workings at Iska Iska. In November 2020, Eloro announced the discovery of a significant breccia pipe with extensive silver polymetallic mineralisation just east of the Huayra Kasa underground workings and a high-grade gold-bismuth zone in the underground workings. In the same month, Eloro announced the discovery of the SBBP approximately 150m southwest of the Huayra Kasa underground workings. By the end of 2021, the Company completed 40,468 metres in 73 drill holes at Iska Iska, and in January, Eloro Resources announced the restart of diamond drilling. Summarising the progress, Tom Larsen said: “Iska Iska has advanced from a promising grass roots project to being on the verge of outlining a significant NI 43-101 compliant mineral resource. Under the leadership of Dr. Osvaldo Arce, P. Geo., our in-country General Manager, and Dr. Bill Pearson, P, Geo., our Executive Vice President Exploration, we have built a very strong in-country technical team based here in Bolivia.” “This team is supported by several excellent local contractors including Leduc Drilling who have completed more than 40,000 metres of diamond drilling since we started. We have a tremendous amount of work in progress, which will lead to the inaugural mineral resource, confirmation of metallurgical recoveries and drill-testing of more major targets in this remarkable mineralized system.”

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Eloro is committed to Bolivian and local workforce: the on-site team is 100% Bolivian, and the company actively trains recent graduate geologists and technical staff through its intern programme. Eloro also supplied local communities during the pandemic and sponsors local schools and sports, and facilitated practices that contribute to the community’s progress and improve their quality of life

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This team is supported by several excellent local contractors including Leduc Drilling who have completed more than 40,000 metres of diamond drilling.

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Rapid pace

LEDUC drilling

Assurance of quality service is difficult to find, that’s why our clients appreciate us, as a genuine partner. Every project is managed under strict safety and environmental controls. Highly trained professionals are always on the lookout and upgrading procedures. As a Drilling Company, we fully understand the business of exploration and mine development; the importance of core recovery, reaching the target and giving an exploration manager minimum stress over production goals. “Paving the way to production with efficiency and the highest standards of technical knowhow”

www.leducdrilling.com Calacoto, C.23 Edit. Granada, of.1A, Tel. (591-2) 2793406 - 2797813, La Paz-Bolivia

Mining Feature Promising future While exploration is still at a very early stage, the rapid discovery rate shows that the mineralising system is very extensive with potential for multiple large silver-tin polymetallic deposits. Currently three diamond drill rigs are active at Iska Iska, two surface rigs and one underground drill. Planned drilling in the current programme for Iska Iska is 51,000 m of which 40,000 m has been completed. The aim is to outline the initial inferred NI 43-101 compliant mineral resource by the second quarter of 2022. It is still early days in the Iska Iska story, but all indications point to this being a special mineral deposit that hosts copious amounts of silver, tin, gold, lead, zinc, and copper. The scale of what Eloro has already drilled out to date at Iska Iska is breath-taking. Tom Larsen summarised the progress achieved so far: “The last two years have proven to be Eloro’s most transformative and exciting to date. Our decision in 2019 to pursue a new mineral resource project, which resulted in the January 2020 signing of the lska lska silver-tin polymetallic property option agreement, has proven to be the catalyst for the company’s upward trajectory and promising future.” “The upward momentum we experienced in 2021 relates directly to the company’s foresight in pursuing this opportunity in Bolivia. We look forward to 2022 with the goal of advancing lska lska into a world-class “silver/tin polymetallic project.” info@elororesources.com www.elororesources.com

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Eloro Resources

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The upward momentum we experienced in 2021 relates directly to the company’s foresign in pursuing this opportunity in Bolivia

Business Enquirer Magazine · Issue 104

PROJECT DIRECTED BY

WRITTEN BY

Gary Smith

Romana Moares

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Endomines

Endomines workers on site at the mine

Glittering Development Endomines, a mining and exploration company with its primary focus on gold, re-started drilling at its key assets last year, and has ambitious plans on both sides of the Atlantic.

weden-headquartered Endomines is focussed on exploring and developing its gold deposits in Finland and the United States. Last year was a busy period for the company, with a resumption in its mining activities, as well as the re-domiciling of the parent company from Sweden to Finland through a cross-border down-stream merger. The target is to develop profitable mining operations with positive cash flows that enable further development and growth of the business. For investors, Endomines offers long-term growth and value-accretion potential.

Business Enquirer Magazine · Issue 104

Endomines In Finland, Endomines’ production is focused on the Pampalo underground mine, where mining operations started at a larger scale in 2011. On the Karelian Gold Line in eastern Finland, the company holds exclusive exploration rights for the 40-kilometre-long, gold prospective greenstone belt. Endomines intends to conduct this exploration project over a period of several years. In recent years, Endomines has expanded its activities to North America through the acquisition of TVL Gold LLC (now Endomines Idaho LLC), which holds five gold projects in Idaho, USA. The projects consist of 5 patented claims and 129 contiguous federal mining claims, covering approximately 2,720 acres of U.S. Forest

Custom engineered and fabricated Crushing, Grinding, Gravity and Flotation Circuits.

Service land surface. The known resources in the Idaho projects amount to over 500,000 oz of gold, in addition to which the exploration potential in the area is significant. The company’s flagship, the Friday Project, is a gold property located approximately 10 miles to the south-southwest of Elk City in the Orogrande Mining District of central Idaho. Endomines expects production at the Friday mine to amount to around 9,000 oz of gold per year for more than seven years of production. Subject to further exploration and planning, the other four projects, Rescue, Kimberly, Buffalo Gulch and Deadwood, are estimated to go into production within the next 2–5 years.

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In 2021, Endomines further strengthened its financial position by entering into a comprehensive financing package with LDA Capital.

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Resumed position

In addition to the Idaho projects, in October 2020 Endomines completed the acquisition of the US Grant and Kearsarge gold projects in Montana, USA, both highly prospective, high-grade, underground gold and silver projects with significant historical resources. In 2021, Endomines further strengthened its financial position by entering into a comprehensive financing package with LDA Capital for an aggregated amount of EUR 14 million, issuing 14 million warrants.

We go beyond the machines to supply our customers. Call or enquire today. +1 (360) 734-1046 / info@dangelointernational.com

www.dangelointernational.com

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This additional financing arrangement was instrumental for Endomines in continuing its path to bringing both Friday and Pampalo mine projects into production and developing its other mine projects in the US. Endomines has ambitious plans for its assets, and following the difficult Covid years as well as internal business changes, the company is now set to progress towards its objectives.

Resources Feature

Business Enquirer Magazine · Issue 104

Resources Feature The flagship project Steady progress was reported at the Friday mine in Idaho last year, where mining recommenced; the Orogrande processing facility completed dry testing, finalised wet testing and started production. The company has made a significant investment in upgrading its technology and facilities: a new mining fleet was purchased, including underground loaders, a jumbo and long-hole drill rigs and a third haul tuck to speed up progress; the mine’s underground services were upgraded to allow deeper ore development and multiple work areas.

The Orogrande processing facility has also undergone a major refit programme with over $1M spent on de-bottlenecking, which will enhance production capacity to 5,000 tonnes per month. Part of the upgrade at the processing facility included tailings and concentrate dewatering installations, laboratory refurbishment and installation of an instrumentation control system which will allow better management of the entire process. One of the outcomes of this modernisation has been a further minimisation of the inevitable impact exploration and mining operations have on the environment. Endomines strives to follow the ethical rules that the mining industry recommends for its member companies.

Jacobs Oil is your friendly, locally owned and operated complete source for dependable clean quality fuel and oil, serving Grangeville, the Clearwater Valley, the Camas Prairire and surrounding areas.

WWW.JACOBSOILINC.COM 410 North C Street, Grangeville, Idaho 83530

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Endomines New assets in Montana In addition to developing the Friday mine in Idaho, Endomines’ medium-term strategy over next few years includes the development of the US Grant and Kearsarge gold mining assets in Montana. The US Grant and Kearsarge properties are highgrade gold-vein systems located in the historic Alder Gulch (Virginia City) mining district in Madison County Montana. The US Grant property consists of mining claims covering 2.2 km2, along with a processing facility designed to mill 150 tonnes per day using gravity separation and froth flotation to produce gold concentrates. The Kearsarge property consists of mining claims covering 2.5 km2 and is located approximately 8 km from the US Grant mill. The mine is also a high-grade, underground gold project with a historical resource totalling 380,700 ounces of gold contained in 4.1 million tonnes (4.5 million short tonnes) of mineralized material. Planning and due diligence work have now begun at these high-grade gold-vein properties. The work also includes environmental, exploration, metallurgical and project development activities to evaluate the economic potential of the mines.

in 2018 (US Grant) and 2005 (Kearsarge) to allow for underground mapping, sampling and delineation drilling from underground drilling stations. Endomines’ project engineers have reviewed the US Grant processing facilities and identified areas where improvements can be made at the mill. Results of metallurgical studies from the 2021 exploration campaign will be used to refine the process plans for the operation and will be incorporated into restart plans as they become available. The Montana mining assets with their highgrade gold mineralization, the presence of a permitted enrichment plant suitable for producing gold concentrates, and significant additional exploration potential in the area, represent an excellent near-term development opportunity and a strong mid-term growth driver for Endomines. The US Grant and Kearsarge properties are key cornerstones in the future development of the Endomines group in its ambition to become a mid-tier gold mining company. www.endomine.com contact@endomine.com

Once this conceptual modelling has been completed, initial exploration drilling will be carried out from the surface, targeted at confirming the historical database and generating fresh material for metallurgical studies, followed by stepout drilling to extend resources. Mid-tier gold mining company Environmental activities are focused on baseline studies for permitting activities, as well as exploration permitting and monitoring for the projects. The company also intends to re-open accessible underground workings last accessed

Business Enquirer Magazine · Issue 104

PROJECT DIRECTED BY

WRITTEN BY

Liam O’Hara

Romana Moares

Robin Birchall, CEO, Giyani Metals

Electric Prospects Giyani Metals is progressing on its high purity manganese opportunity serving the electric vehicle market, ready to play an active part in the European critical supply chain.

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iyani Metals is a mineral resource company focused on becoming one of Africa’s first low-carbon producers of high-purity manganese sulphate precursor materials – used by battery manufacturers for the expanding electric vehicle market – through the promotion of its manganese assets in the Kanye Basin in south-eastern Botswana, within its wholly-owned Botswana subsidiary Menzi Battery (Pty) Limited. High purity manganese is produced by a handful of producers globally, there being only a

Giyani Metals few companies outside of China, which are all long-established. China supplies over 90% of the high purity manganese market. Giyani Metals’ CEO Robin Birchall describes the company’s position: “Demand is increasing for high purity manganese as it is an important commodity in the lithium-ion battery industry. Giyani Metals is developing a sustainable, low-cost, high-margin project in Botswana to meet this demand. What we make is a chemical product. The actual mining is simple, it is the processing that is really the key.” Reverse core drilling at Otse site

He explains that production of HPMSM (High Purity Manganese Sulphate Monohydrate - the product in increasing demand) directly from ore generates a 70%-80% lower carbon footprint than average Chinese production. The refined product does not require further Chinese processing to be sold to battery or cathode makers. This is the advantage that Giyani Metals can offer. In addition to having a high-quality deposit with low impurities, the Company capitalises on highly skilled local labour and the country’s functioning infrastructure. All this makes Giyani Metals a highly attractive partner from an investment point of view.

Business Enquirer Magazine · Issue 104

Giyani Metals Right place, right time Robin Birchall, with his multi-lingual skills and extensive international management experience, joined the Company in 2017, following a career in banking and private equity. Under his management the project has made significant advancements, turning a brownfield site into an asset soon to be ready for construction. He says: “We are lucky as Botswana is an easy country in which to operate. It is consistently rated as one of the most attractive African countries for supporting investment in mining, due to favourable tax regulations and efficient government processes.” Botswana is also the number 1 ranked jurisdiction in Africa in terms of investment attractiveness, and 11th most attractive jurisdiction overall (out of 77) according to the Fraser Institute Annual Survey of Mining Companies 2020. “The country has had a well-established mining industry since independence in the 1960s. It has an educated population, good legislation and the lowest level of corruption of all African In addition, the location of the assets is excellent - five seaports accessible by rail and road, with cost-effective shipping to Asia, Europe and North America,” adds Robin Birchall. The environmental focus of the enterprise is another advantage. The whole project is based on supporting the renewables industry. Moreover, Giyani Metals’ strategy is to become a low-carbon footprint producer and the Company aims to do so in a manner that has minimal impact on the environment. “This is a relatively new market and quite concentrated. There are only some 35 consumers of battery metals. We have to qualify the product with the large automobile manufacturers in order to be able to sell it to the supply chain. We need to meet the standards the car makers set, and a big part of that is the carbon footprint, which will be a factor mon-

Issue 104 · Business Enquirer Magazine

itored for every vehicle in the near future. For some producers, this may be hard to achieve,” says Rob Birchall. Reflecting on market developments, Birchall acknowledges that Europe, particularly its eastern and central part, will be the key region for the new giga factories. While Covid-19 has brought many industries to a halt, plans to build largescale battery giga factories across Europe have remained largely on schedule, and Giyani Metals was pleased to announce that the Company was recently welcomed into membership of the European Battery Alliance EBA250 network.

Manganese Oxide at Otse

Resources Feature Progressing into production The Company’s Kanye Basin prospects consist of 10 prospecting licenses and include the previously-producing Kgwakgwe Hill mine and project (referred to as the K.Hill Project), the Otse and Lobatse manganese prospects, all of which have seen historical mining activities. Giyani is currently undertaking a feasibility study on the K.Hill Project, based on a current development plan to produce around 0.89 Mt of high-purity manganese sulphate monohydrate over a 10-year project life. With a recent resource upgrade following in-fill at K.Hill, it is very likely that mine life will extend beyond 15 years without factoring in additional exploration at K.Hill, Otse and Lobatse. Metallurgical test work up to the stock solution stage has been completed and a specialist engineering firm engaged to undertake the crystallisation test work to finalise the process flowsheet for the feasibility study and construction of a demonstration plant.

“Once the process flowsheet is finalised, Giyani Metals will proceed to contracting an engineering firm for the construction of the demonstration plant. Following a peer review of the process flowsheet, it is anticipated that the design-build contract for the demonstration plant will be signed with the objective of the plant being operational in H1 2022,” says Robin Birchall. Giyani Metals has also just conducted the first exploration drilling at Otse manganese oxide (MnO) prospect, the site of two historical mine workings, with a planned reverse circulation (RC) drilling campaign, following up on two targets identified with an induced polarisation survey. In all, 66 RC drill holes were completed at Otse and initial results show high-grade mineralisation in multiple holes with intersections in excess of 50% MnO. Otse is located approximately 50 kilometres east of the K.Hill Project and is connected by a well-maintained, sealed road network. Any future production from Otse can easily be trucked to the location of the proposed process plant adjacent to the K.Hill Project.

Giyani geologists examine samples at Otse core shed

Business Enquirer Magazine · Issue 104

Resources Feature Strong position Robin Birchall says: “As we increase the size and quality of our resource, the metallurgical test work is nearing completion, paving the way for the finalisation of the process flowsheet and the start of construction of the demonstration plant. The demonstration plant will produce around 250 kilograms per day of final HPMSM product to share with potential customers for preliminary product testing and we are already assembling interested parties.” “While our flagship project is being de-risked, initial results from Otse appear to confirm our expectations for significant further resource expansion, with some of the intersections offering truly spectacular grades. Otse is a different form of mineralization to the K.Hill Project and will not have the same uniformity, but such high MnO content will provide options to high-grade plant feed and blend lower quality material to increase average run-ofmine grade.” Giyani Metals’ aim as a responsible corporation is to create sustainable and shared value for the communities residing in the vicinities of the Company’s projects, adopting a local procurement policy that prioritises the purchase of goods and services from local suppliers wherever possible. Planning to enter the construction phase next year, the Company has a busy time ahead. Robin Birchall continues: “The fact that major OEMs and cathode manufacturers are engaging with us now to share data speaks to their recognition of the quality of our projects and the critical nature of sustainable HPMSM supply. Currently, only a very small number of companies outside of China produces HPMSM directly from ore and so Giyani will be a valuable and important source of responsible, transparent and low-carbon HPMSM. We look forward to playing an active part in the European critical supply chain.” www.giyanimetals.com

Issue 104 · Business Enquirer Magazine

Giyani Metals

“ The demonstration plant

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will produce around 250 kilograms per day of final HPMSM product to share with potential customers... we are already assembling interested parties.

Business Enquirer Magazine · Issue 104

PROJECT DIRECTED BY

WRITTEN BY

Glen Newton

Jay Benmehidi

Issue 104 · Business Enquirer Magazine

Guinness Ghana

Guinness Ghana 60 years of shining bright Guinness Ghana Finance Director Teye Mkushi on diversity, inclusion and Celebrating Life Everyday Everywhere

ife is about small pleasures, and few beers exist today that provide this like Guinness – a brand that captures the spirit of Auld Ireland like no other. Even today, more than 250-years on from when the first pint of the black stuff was pulled in Dublin in the mid-1700s, the traditional stout evokes passion and a sense of spiritual affinity in the hearts and minds of those who enjoy it, not least in Ghana, where Guinness has gained such popularity over 60 years that it is regarded as an authentic, much-loved centrepiece of Ghanian culture in its own right. Since its inception in 1960, Guinness Ghana has grown to become one of the largest beer producers in Ghana and certainly the most high profile, owing to consumers’ love of the Guinness brand as well as its root and branch commitment to innovation and the delivery of a superior customer experience. Alongside Guinness, the company offers a diverse range of signature beers, stouts, and spirits to consumers such as Star, Gulder, Smirnoff, and Orijin - all of which hail from par-

ent company Diageo’s over 200-strong portfolio of international brands. “Guinness Ghana is the only total beverage business in Ghana, so we offer a range of products from alcoholic beverages like beer, as you would expect the name Guinness, spirits like Johnnie Walker, but also non-alcoholic beverages like Malta Guinness as well. We’ve been in Ghana for sixty-one years, so we’re very much established in the country and we’re looking to be here for the next 60, at least,” explained Teye Mkushi, Finance Director at Guinness Ghana. She continued: “We’re listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange, we’ve got two brewery sites, one in Accra and one in Kumasi, which are brought to life by a workforce of 1500 talented people, who connect to our purpose of Celebrating Life Everyday Everywhere. We’re impacting not just our employees, but our trade partners and our suppliers as well. And you know, we’re very big on our participation in community as well, we work with about 30,000 farmers.” Despite the difficulties posed by COVID-19, business is booming at the company. To say Guinness is popular in Ghana would be an understatement, and this popularity has continued to grow to the extent that one in every three beers sold by Guinness Ghana is a bottle of the black stuff. And then there’s demand for the rest of the company’s range of beverages which has also grown consistently with every passing year. To meet this growing demand, Ghana’s leading total beverage company has recently completed work on a new cutting-edge brewhouse at its Achimota site in Accra, a venture which ties in with Guinness Ghana’s strategy of ensuring continuous investment into the country. “We’re very excited to have this new state of the art brewhouse which we commissioned last year. And you know, that brewhouse is one where we’ve invested about US$25 million dollars and it’s going to give us the capability to use even more local raw materials. So we’re very proud of that. And I think it’s the first of its kind that’s within the Diageo Afri-

Business Enquirer Magazine · Issue 104

Food & Drink Feature

This enhanced production capacity, in addition to boosting Guinness Ghana’s capability and capacity, will also prove to be hugely beneficial to farmers and the wider local economy as demand for local raw materials increases in lockstep. Following the implementation of the Local Raw Materials (LRM) Act in 2012 – Guinness Ghana has increased its local sourcing from 12% to over 60% and expects to reach 70% of all its raw materials locally by 2024. As Teye passionately expressed, Guinness Ghana’s role in investing in the cultivation of sorghum and building close relationships is a particular source of pride for her and the wider Guinness Ghana leadership team: “We have a very formal and very public strategy where we’ve made a number of commitments with respect to sustainability that we want to achieve by 2030 as a Diageo business globally, with Ghana will playing its role within that. For instance, we’re collaborating with, engaging and rewarding local farmers that we currently source more than 60% of our local raw materials from. Recently, we went up to the north to engage 21 aggregators on how we can take our partnership to the next level. These are aggregators that have been with us since about 2012, and the type of grain that we source from them, being sorghum, wasn’t a grain that was heavily farmed before. Over the last decade, we’ve essentially built a new supply chain and the partnership that we have with our farmers is something that we take very seriously and pride ourselves on.” Indeed, the Guinness Ghana story is very much centred around adding value to people and communities, and its drive to be a positive force in Ghanaian society. Another key area of the company’s sustainability strategy can be seen in Guinness Ghana’s commitment to building a diverse workforce and creating a culture of inclusivity which ensures employees are valued and rewarded according to their merits and achievements, regardless of ethnicity, gender, age, or

religion. In-line with the goals of parent company, Diageo, Guinness Ghana is strongly encouraging women to apply for roles in what would have once been considered male positions. Over the coming years, Guinness Ghana is aiming to create a workforce that is split 50:50 by gender. Teye elaborated further, stating: “The next thing on sustainability for us is around our diversity and inclusion agenda. So right now, Guinness Ghana’s executives are largely women. We have seven female executives out of nine possible places. So I think, you know, it sometimes seems unusual to people when they see that but the key point is that diversity of gender, experiences and perspectives creates long term sustainable value for our business.

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So right now, Guinness Ghana’s executives are largely women. We have seven female executives out of nine possible places.

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ca business. This new brewhouse will make our operations about 30% more efficient than ‘standard’ brewhouses.”

Our Quality, your Safety Pens & Plastic Ghana Limited

Physical Address: No. 6 Otublohun Road, North Industrial Area, Accra Postal Address: P. O. Box 10348, Accra, Ghana Telephone: +233 (0) 302 213 460

Business Enquirer Magazine · Issue 104

Food & Drink Feature I think when you look at the business beyond the executive level, we want to continue to encourage ladies to join our supply and our commercial functions because this stereotypically, historically would have been thought of as more male functions. But actually, we have quite a few female heroines that are doing really well and our supply chain director, as an example, is a lady and we’ve had customer marketing leads that are also female as well. Diversity and inclusion is something that I’ve really seen that the business takes very seriously and is very intentional about driving. We’ve all got unique talents and strengths, which the business values.” Going forward, there are a number of exciting projects underway that Teye and the Guinness Ghana team are optimistic about. Much as you might expect from a business with such an innovation-centric outlook, Guinness Ghana is preparing to launch a new range of beverages in the near future which will tantalise the tastebuds of revellers and stay-at-home consumers: “We’re innovating in the RTD category, which is the ready to drink category of things like Smirnoff Ice. We’re adding new flavours, but also in the mainstream spirits category where we’re adding spirits like Smirnoff Chocolate, which is locally produced, and Baileys Delight.”

Diversity and inclusion is something that I’ve really seen that the business takes very seriously and is very intentional about driving.

“

And then there’s the exciting Black Shines Brightest campaign that Guinness Ghana is spearheading, a fizzing and energetic extravaganza of music, arts and togetherness that celebrates African spirit and the African culture. Bar culture is an integral part of Ghana’s DNA. They are the places where everybody from all walks of life come together not only to share an icecold Guinness but also their ideas, energy, creativity; their hopes and dreams as they let loose

Issue 104 · Business Enquirer Magazine

and express themselves freely amongst friends and their community. Black Shines Brightest will work closely with musicians, artists and communities in these lively, charismatic spaces where joy and creativity become one, and where people connect and come together. All in all, these are good times for Guinness Ghana, and indeed Ghana at large. Teye concluded the interview, saying: “I really just want to emphasise how much we pride ourselves on the point that’s we’re a business that has been here for 60 years and are really intent on being here for the next 60 and beyond. We’re demonstrating this with the actions that we’re taking to build local partnerships and bring in investments to grow of our iconic brands and sustainable business in Ghana.” contact@guinnessghana.com www.guinnessghana.com

Guinness Ghana L’AINE; The people’s people. L’AINE Services has been in operation for over 25 years, transforming lives and businesses with total HR Solutions. A big part of what we do is to provide businesses with the right talent needed to remain competitive in the dynamic world of work. We are in the business of making your business more distinct and we take pride in our ability to perfect the most important element of what any organisation does; the human element. We go the extra mile to find, build and improve talent, connection and communications in your organisation for the betterment of your bottom-line. We pride ourselves in being one of the leading names in HR management, as well as people and organisational development. With a mission to positively impact on the lives and businesses of everyone we come across with innovative HR Solutions, we strive to lead in. innovating the world of work in Africa through our various services.

We offer recruitment services, training services, Outsourcing services, Payroll services, and HR Consultancy services. We are also responsible for the publication of Ghana’s first HR Magazine: HR Focus Africa. HR Focus is published quarterly and presents inspiring and insightful content on game-changing business practices and personality achievements in an exciting mix we like to call the “HR Melange”. Beyond the magazine, HR Focus provides different platforms for shared learning and networking, and serves the HR community in Ghana with cutting edge services that span Communications and PR, events, as well as photography and videography. HR Focus is the power behind the annual HR Focus Conference; that brings together over 500 HR Practitioners to discuss pertinent issues in the world of work; and the biennial HR Focus Awards; that celebrates and rewards best HR Practice in Ghana across industries. www.laineservices.com

L’AINE is in the business of finding you the right talent.

Let us recruit for you

Business Enquirer Magazine · Issue 104

PROJECT DIRECTED BY

WRITTEN BY

Glen Newton

Romana Moares

Issue 104 · Business Enquirer Magazine

Hamad International

Redefining Airport Experience Hamad International Airport represents a new era: for aviation in Qatar and for the nation.

amed the Best Airport in the World at the 2021 World Airport Awards, the architecturally stunning, supremely efficient and truly welcoming airport is a genuine gateway to the world, serving over 360,000 flights and 30 million passengers every year. Hamad International Airport rounded off its success at the 2021 World Airport Awards by winning the awards for the Best Airport in the Middle East, the World’s Best Airport in the 25 to 35 million Passenger category, and for the Best Airport Staff in the Middle East. Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, Chief Operating Officer at Hamad International Airport, said: “It is with great pride that we announce that Qatar’s Hamad International Airport has been named the World’s Best Airport at the Skytrax 2021 World Airport Awards. This is not only a truly remarkable achievement for HIA and the State of Qatar, but an endorsement from our travellers for our commitment to service excellence.” The award is a reflection of the airport’s mission: to provide passengers with a world-class experience. Qualities such as comfort and ease; facilities such as check-in and entertainment; aspects such as culture and elegance – the passenger is to be delighted at every turn.

Business Enquirer Magazine · Issue 104

Hamad International While an airport at Doha has served the country since the 1960s, Hamad International is Qatar’s new airport, opened in 2014 next to the city of Doha. The airport is an architectural masterpiece, a showcase for the country itself. Qatar embodies opportunity, ambition, inspiration – and a new era for society. Hamad International Airport is at the forefront of this vision. Its story began with the start of construction in 2006, and the undertaking was immense. For example 60% of the site is land reclaimed from the Arabian Gulf. This involved moving and desalinating 6.5 million cubic metres of waste material for landfill – the largest environmental project the region has ever seen.

size of Doha International Airport – everything is under one roof and cleverly designed to be accessible. Next to the airport 100 hectares have been set aside for an Airport City – with future commercial development opportunities available such as a free-trade zone, office and business park, hotels and a retail mall.

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It is with great pride that we announce that Qatar’s Hamad International Airport has been named the World’s Best Airport at the Skytrax 2021 World Airport Awards...

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Building a vision

Driven by the combined vision of HH Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and Akbar Al Baker, Group Chief Executive of the airport, an ambitious and exciting blueprint was drawn up: for a vast airport on a site a third the size of Doha itself, that would be purpose-built for the world’s largest aircraft, that would be designed to provide the ultimate passenger experience, and that would serve the nation and region for generations to come. The first two phases opened in 2014. The third and final phase is now underway. The spacious and stunning Hamad International Airport is all about flow. The flow of passengers, smooth and seamless. For that reason, the airport has an aquatic theme. Many buildings feature a water motif, such as the passenger terminal’s wave-styled roof. The surrounding landscaping uses desert plants irrigated with recycled water. And the private Amiri terminal resembles a billowing sail. The main terminal is designed in an oval shape to minimize the distance passengers need to move – to connect, to board, to disembark, to shop, dine or indeed use any of the facilities. Despite the huge scale – for example, the checkin and retail areas are each around 12 times the

Engr. Badr Mohammed Al Meer, CEO, Hamad International Airport (HIA)

D OH A , Q AT A R

National Museum of Qatar

National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ) features an innovative design by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel that is inspired by the desert rose and grows organically around the original 10th century palace The terrazzo floor design was a combination of approximately 25,000 connected circles, designed with different diameters, that covers all the terracco scope. The total buildup of the terrazzo floor was 3/8” thick (10mm) of epoxy terrazzo floor, designed with sandy epoxy and microchip marble aggregates, with 1/8’ (10mm) divider strips that forms the connected circles, and finished with matt sealer.

www.fribel.com

5F Office 503 Arian Tower Omar Al Mukhtar St. Musherib Doha, Qatar, PO Box 200362

Travel Feature

Environmental awareness Hamad International Airport is part of the Qatar National Vision 2030. This inspiring strategy has four themes: human, social, economic and environmental. As a leading international hub airport, HIA takes steps to minimise its consumption of natural resources, to control emissions and to manage waste carefully. During Hamad International Airport’s construction, over 6.2 million cubic metres of soil was excavated, which was desalinated and then re-used as fill material. The actual design of the airport is “smart”. For example, to limit the energy needed for cooling, the walls of the passenger terminal are coated with solar reflective material and the roof is insulated and designed with overhang shading. In addition, carbon dioxide sensors regulate air intake based on how many people are inside. The airport management insists that it focuses its efforts each and every day on using energy efficiently. As part of this, the carbon emissions

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generated through every part of the airport operations are measured and monitored – this includes the electricity used to provide a comfortable temperature in the terminal and to light the car parks, the energy used to power the airport’s waste water treatment facility and the fuel consumed by road vehicles. In recognition of this, in April 2017 HIA achieved Level 3 in the Airports Council International’s Airport Carbon Accreditation programme. The award underpins HIA’s commitment to tackling climate change and covers the airport’s carbon emissions from its first day of opening in 2014. As central to this commitment, Hamad International Airport has announced a target to improve carbon efficiency per passenger by 30% by 2030 against a 2015 baseline, which the airport aims to reach by engaging all airport stakeholders to continually reduce energy demand through new technology and improved operational practices. Further investments in low-carbon energy generation are being considered.

Hamad International

Facilities Management & Maintenance Co. LLC FMM is a leading Multi-Service Provider Company in the State of Qatar with more than 3,000 employees and providing a 5* quality service. Thanks to their commitment and delivery, the perception of the quality in our client’s facility improves and therefore this impact by improving their reputation. Our main client, Hamad International Airport, has consistently received awards for the past years for being the ‘Best Airport in the Middle East’ and the ‘Best Airport in the World’ by the Skytrax World Airport Awards.

Art, Schlumberger Qatar, RKH Qitarat (Doha Metro) or Qatar Free Zones Authority. Having the support of our local shareholder, Qatar Airways, we have developed capabilities to mobilize big teams in short periods of time, and the company enjoys a wide pool of talent with a vast range of expertise and nationalities. At FMM, we believe that people are important and therefore, we are committed to ensure the safety and good welfare of our employees across all the communities where we operate.

FMM takes pride for its contribution in cleaning with an excellent benchmarking for the airport industry. We work to achieve our client’s high standards in their key landmark facilities such as Msheireb Downtown Area, National Museum of Qatar, Museum of Islamic

Business Enquirer Magazine · Issue 104

Hamad International Ready for a busy future The 2021 World Airport Awards recognise the efforts of global airports in adapting to and meeting the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic. The past 18 months have been the most challenging and financially difficult period ever experienced by the world air transport industry, and airports have invested to provide the safest possible environment for their customers and staff during the global pandemic. Investment was also made in further improving passengers’ experience. An example is Hamad International Airport’s collaboration with Smiths Detection to equip the security checkpoint with a new baggage screening technology. With this new deployment at the HIA’s transfers hall, passengers will not be required to remove liquids or larger electronic devices from their baggage, enabling quicker passenger processing. The technology will allow up to six passengers to load their belongings into trays simultaneously. The system has been designed to scan the trays after the passengers take back their items, in order to ensure that no possessions are left behind. In a statement, the airport said: “The technology also incorporates passenger boarding pass scanners prior to screening; this enables a range of benefits, one of which is to electronically ‘tag’ each passengers’ belongings to their boarding card to ensure their belongings are tracked.” Hamad International Airport is today one of the busiest airports in the world. Preparations, expansion and development continue at the airport in the build-up to the World Cup in Qatar, which commences at the end of 2022. Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer summarised the airports vision for the future: ”HIA continues to serve as a global benchmark for airports around the world, thanks to the dedication and collaboration of our team and stakeholders. To

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this day, HIA’s crisis preparedness, business continuity strategy, and agile and effective response to the Covid-19 pandemic continue to be recognised by leading industry institutions. As we look towards the future, HIA remains devoted to boosting its efforts to provide the best airport experience for all our passengers.” www.dohahamadairport.com

Louvre Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates Designed by France’s Pritzker prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel Fribel Gulf proudly presents its involvement in this prestigious and artistic architectural landmark, the Louvre Abu Dhabi. The Louvre Abu Dhabi’s debut took place on November 8th 2017, after a decade of careful and artistic work on all levels. In 2007, France and UAE agreed to a 30 year partnership for which UAE paid at least half a billion dollars for the right to the Louvre brand alone. It has been speculated that the total contract value to be worth $23.5 billion USD. However, the total construction costs remain a secret. The Louvre Abu Dhabi is the first universal museum in the Arab world. It is considered “the most ambitious cultural project of the early 21st century” by the president of the Louvre, Jean-Luc Martinez. The main focus of this project is on world history and religion, opening up our understanding of diversity in a multipolar world. www.fribel.com

Aviation Feature

Business Enquirer Magazine · Issue 104

PROJECT DIRECTED BY

WRITTEN BY

Malvern Kandemwa

Romana Moares

Banie van Vollenhoven Group CEO, iMas Finance

Issue 104 · Business Enquirer Magazine

iMas Finance

iMasFinance is South Africa’s largest primary financial services co-operative, serving members working at more than 600 employer partners. Last year, the company embarked on a re-positioning and re-branding journey to better meet the needs of modern customers.

or almost 85 years iMasFinance, established as an employee loan society within the former Iscor back in 1937, has been providing affordable and convenient financial solutions to employees at its contracted employer partners. As a co-operative, iMasFinance is founded on the principles of democracy, equality and social responsibility. Its business model promotes shared value for its members by enabling them to share in the profits of the co-operative through an annual member reward payment based on their patronage.

In October of last year, the co-operative, well known for helping South Africans with personal financial solutions conveniently at their places of work, announced that it had embarked on an exciting re-positioning and rebranding journey: the former Iemas Financial Services Co-operative Limited has since then been known as iMasFinance Co-operative Limited. The new brand epitomises the co-operative’s accelerating digital capabilities, among other initiatives, and will be implemented over the next 12 to 18 months. This involves the rebranding of all iMasFinance’s assets, including 27 national branches and its digital presence. iMasFinance’s commitment to its customers and employer affiliates is its priority and remains a key strategic focus. “With a rich legacy spanning over eight decades years, iMasFinance has been helping employers with affordable employee benefits by providing solutions that promote financial inclusion. Our business excellence model prides itself on offering solutions that are almost unmatched when it comes to affordability and personal financial services offered in the work environment,” says Banie van Vollenhoven, Group CEO at iMasFinance.

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Solutions that are almost unmatched when it comes to affordability

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Promoting Financial Wellbeing

Rebranding journey

He explains that the rebranding strategy reflects the co-operative’s purpose which is to both empower and protect members to live well financially, while creating shared value. “Our refreshed iMasFinance brand strives to get closer to our members through digital solutions and to fulfil their financial needs. We will also continue to empower them with financial health while creating the kind of shared-value proposition that is relevant for the African market,” he affirms.

Business Enquirer Magazine · Issue 104

iMas Finance

Issue 104 · Business Enquirer Magazine

Finance Feature Diverse offering The co-operative is synonymous with providing affordable and trusted financial products and services for employees at many corporates and organisations, across various sectors and industries. iMasFinance’s diverse offering includes vehicle finance, pension-backed home loans, debit and credit cards, educational and personal loans. Comprehensive insurance solutions are offered through its wholly-owned subsidiary Iemas Insurance Brokers – soon also to reveal a similar trading name. The iMasFinance business model works by entering into agreements with progressive companies wanting to invest in their greatest asset, their employees, by providing financial wellness solutions. In essence, iMasFinance invests in its members’ employees by offering complimentary financial wellness training as well as short-term financial advisory services, housing solutions, personal loans, payment cards and vehicle finance. At the workplace level, iMasFinance gives employees the opportunity to take up its products and gives them a share in the co-operative’s profits through its rewards programme. In terms of personal lending, the co-operative offers a number of products including iCar, iLoans, IHome, Insurance as well as financial wellbeing, i.e. financial wellness workshops and life-file training at all the companies and organisations that have agreements with iMasFinance – at no cost to the employer or employee.

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Finance Feature “Our purpose is to empower people to live well financially while creating shared value for our members. So as we have navigated the last two challenging years, it has re-ignited the passion to do what we do, as we believe that it is the reason for our existence,” says Banie van Vollenhoven. He notes that the focus over the past two years has been first on stabilising the business and then on starting to enable operations for growth while maintaining good profitability and earnings growth ahead of GDP growth. “The theme over this period has been enablement in relation to IT system development, digitisation, process improvements, support function readiness and people empowerment. Covid-19 not only forced the shift to remote work, it also forced us to engage virtually with members and employer partners, increasing the urgency to leverage IT as an enabler for our business.” Speaking about imminent tasks, he acknowledges that the co-operative has planned to shift focus to customer excellence, to improve the customer experience and increase the ease of doing business with iMasFinance. “While we have implemented many initiatives to simplify processes and improve the efficiency of customer engagement, the ongoing impact of the pandemic has meant that we have had to focus first on improving back-office execution and enablement in a virtual world, in order to facilitate the focus on customer service.” He further explains that the co-operative’s strategy prioritises four distinct battlegrounds it aims to win on while delivering on its strategic priorities: product enhancement, employer diversification, digitisation and efficiencies. “While operational expenditures were well controlled year-on-year, we exceeded our planned investment in IT in order to accelerate the digitisation journey. The goal of our process improvement initiatives is primarily to improve the customer ex-

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perience by increasing the speed and efficiency of service, although some cost benefits will be realised as these improvements compound.”

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The goal of our process improvement initiatives is primarily to improve the customer experience

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Turbulent times

Customer-centric identity The purpose of embarking on a rebranding journey last year was to ensure that the co-operative remains relevant to the ever-changing needs of its members, to drive growth in new member segments and to make sure its branding continues to align with the evolving and expanding business it creates. “The initiatives implemented over the last two years have established the necessary platforms, systems and structures to return the organisation to growth, once the economic situation stabilises. Our investment in our people has improved capacity and alignment to support improved service delivery and performance. Recent trends in both the insurance and lending businesses show improved monthly volumes, although a strong rebound in financial performance is only likely once interest rates revert,” reflects Banie van Vollenhoven. He affirms that going forward, iMasFinance’s passionate, competent and innovative workforce of 550 people will continue to work hard to deliver excellent service to the co-operative’s members. “We are excited to present our new identity, which underpins and drives enhanced member value propositions and digital innovations – all focused on a customer-centric service offering.” enquiries@imasfinance.co.za www.imasfinance.co.za

iMas Finance

Issue 104 · Business Enquirer Magazine

PROJECT DIRECTED BY

WRITTEN BY

Gary Smith

Romana Moares

Amandip Singh, VP of Corporate Development, Magna

Mexico’s Next MidTier Gold Producer Magna is a Canadian mining company that acquires, explores, develops and operates mining properties in Mexico, with a focus on precious metals. Its primary asset is the San Francisco Gold Mine in Sonora but the company is also exploring several other projects.

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he company is committed to advancing its 100% owned flagship San Francisco Mine and other highly prospective mineral properties located in Sonora and in Chihuahua. The aim is to become a multimine precious metals producer, and to develop substantial gold and silver mineral resources on its properties.

Magna’s San Francisco gold mine at Sonora

Magna’s team of highly experienced mining professionals is the company’s primary strength as the key catalyst for a proven track record in the development of properties in Mexico, from discovery to production, within budget and on time.

Magna Gold Driven by expertise “People in our industry are key, the personalities are important, we have a phenomenal group of people in Magna,” says Amandip Singh, the company’s Vice President of Corporate Development.

Plant equipment at the San Francisco mine

“With a great team, with intimate knowledge of the asset, we managed to bring the mine into production on schedule. In fact, 1st June last year, my first day in the company, was actually the day we declared commercial production. Our next 12 month run rate is about 70,000 ounces, at very favourable cash costs of just under $1,250-1,350 an ounce. Bringing a dead mine into full commercial production over such a short period of time is remarkable, and could only be achieved with the best team possible.” He himself is a geologist and mining professional with close to 15 years of experience in the mining industry, finance and academia. Prior to joining Magna Gold in June 2021, he was the Vice President, Corporate Development for Aurelius Minerals and Director, Corporate Development for GT Gold Corp.

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Bringing a dead mine into full commercial production over such a short period of time is remarkable, and could only be achieved with the best team possible.

Mr Singh was part of the management team that saw the Saddle North Cu-Au porphyry advance from discovery to eventual acquisition by Newmont Mining in a transaction valued at $311M. As a finance professional, Mr Singh was a sellside mining analyst at a boutique mining-focused brokerage, his coverage ranging from developers all the way up to senior producers. Speaking about his varied background before joining the company just a year ago, he says: “The combination of technical and financial knowl-

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engineering / Development / mining fortification / material movement

www.cominvi.com.mx

Resources Feature edge provides one with a well-rounded perspective on the business, I believe. I’m effectively the banker and analyst, except I only have one client and that client is the company I work for.” He further affirms that being in Mexico, a mining-friendly jurisdiction with a long mining history, has been a great advantage. “We are operating in Sonora which is effectively the mining state of Mexico, with a large concentration of mining companies, suppliers, contractors and drilling companies. This means that availability of local skilled labour has been great.”

Mining underway at Magna’s San Francisco site

Cominvi We are a contractor company in the mining sector, specialized in the construction of underground mining works and exploitation of mineral deposits based in Guanajuato, Mexico. We are committed to safety, ecology, the development of its staff with total social responsibility. With more than 18 years of experience and business solidity, CoMinVi has managed to position itself as the leading contractor company in the field of underground mining in the Mexican Republic, also making its way abroad. Our main mining activity is the development of tunnels and production of deposits for national and foreign companies. During our trajectory we have collaborated in more than 36 projects with leading companies in the mining sector dedicated to the exploitation of minerals. We have the vision of being a nationally and internationally recognized company with high standards of quality and innovation that contribute to the achievement of the goals established by our clients. We are currently operating in 9 projects in different regions, obtaining a monthly development average of 6,000 linear m and around 192,000 tons of mineral. Our specialized mining services range from engineering, development, mining, fortification and material movement. www.cominvi.com.mx

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Resources Feature Advancing the assets The San Francisco mine commenced operations in 2010 and has produced over 820,000 ounces of gold. The mine is situated in the north central portion of the state of Sonora, Mexico, approximately 150 kilometres north of the state capital city of Hermosillo. The project is comprised of two previously mined open pits (San Francisco and La Chicharra), together with heap leach processing facilities, and associated infrastructure located close to the San Francisco pit. Currently, the leach pads are on a residual leach cycle with no mining being conducted. Magna restarted mining and processing operations during Q3 2020. The company today produces 70,000 to 80,000 ounce per year, a remarkable outcome achieved over a short period of time, says Mr Singh. “We have been a company for just over three years now. We went public, we made our acquisition just over a year ago of the San Francisco mine, a mine that at that time had considerable challenges and problems. The mine was effectively dead, even beyond care and maintenance. Last year, we managed not only to re-establish production but also ramp it up, so that production targets were actually exceeded.” Work also continues on the development of the Margarita project, an exploration property within the Sierra Madre Occidental province. Precious and base metals are the target commodities sought at Margarita and the property exhibits textures and alteration consistent with epithermal systems, typical of important discoveries in the region. Within the Margarita Silver Project, the first phases of exploration drilling were completed in 2021. Resource definition drilling is anticipated to be completed by mid-February for inclusion in the resource estimate. The exploration programme and deep targeting are to continue, and results so far have been encouraging. The company is currently on schedule to release its maiden resource estimate, which will lead to a Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) by the end of Q1 2022.

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Mr Singh working with staff on site in Sonora

MINING CONTRACTOR Blvd. Eusebio Kino, No. 315 Edificio Grand Kino, Suite 905 Colonia Lomas del Pitic, CP 83010 Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico

Tel: +52 662 216 4500 E: rperez@peal.es

www.peal.es

Magna Gold Transformative year It is not all just about profits, though. “Environmental, social and corporate governance is a fundamental pillar of what we do. We are operating within an eco-system that involves not just the environment and sustainability but also a real community, the human element,” says Mr Singh. “We have been very involved with the local communities, we make sure from day one that all stakeholders are well aligned and have a constant dialogue going on. In this way, we manage to navigate a lot of the challenges that the industry faces, simply by being proactive.” The fact that Magna takes ESG very seriously has been demonstrated by various awards the company has collected, including the Social Responsible Company Award and the Inclusive Company Award. Mr Singh affirms that prospects look good. “In 2023, we would like to be at 200,000 ounces plus of production with 5 million ounces of resource and reserves. We can get to about 100,000 ounces at our current San Francisco project and we are very actively pursuing new opportunities. Sending an asset with a troubled history into commercial production on schedule, on budget, is a sign that we can deliver on our promises.” Concluding, he affirms that Magna Gold is a true success story. The management expects 2022 to be a transformative year for Magna, as it looks to generate meaningful cash flow, increase production at its operation and continue its aggressive growth plans through both organic and M&A driven initiatives. www.magnagoldcorp.com

Sandvik SANDVIK ROCK PROCESSING SOLUTIONS is a leading supplier of equipment, tools, parts, service and solutions for processing rock and minerals in the mining and construction industries. Applications include crushing, screening, breaking and demolition. The focus lies on bringing value to customers through high-performing products that increase productivity and safety as well as to provide services and flexible maintenance programs that extend uptime and cut costs. A growing part of the business area’s offering is targeted towards more energy-efficient comminution, processes, and technologies together with larger data sets to meet future customer requirements. This contributes directly to the industry’s target of sustainable comminution, protecting the environment, and reduction of operational costs. Our Sandvik crushing and screening equipment is engineered for maximum productivity. We offer advanced, proven solutions for any size-reduction and classification challenges. Our Application expertise can cover individual or multi-equipment replacement or expansion projects. We also supply components, extensive training, service solutions and a wide range of crushing and screening wear parts. STATIONARY CRUSHING & SCREENING. We offer jaw crushers, cone crushers, impact crushers, roll crushers and primary gyratory crushers, together with a wide range of screens and feeders for applications such as quarrying, mining, and aggregate production. We also offer complete plant solutions. Regardless of size or application, we have a plant solution that matches your exact needs and the aftermarket support to keep your operation running like clockwork. We are your long-term partner providing safe and sustainable solutions to optimize productivity through proven expertise in stationary crushing & screening. www.home.sandvik

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Resources Feature

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Sending an asset with a troubled history into commercial production on schedule, on budget, is a sign that we can deliver on our promises.

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PROJECT DIRECTED BY

WRITTEN BY

Steve Owen

Romana Moares

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MEO Group During his career, Ang has also been employed as an assistant engineer at A.P. Moller, and a marine consultant at Bureau Veritas. He also worked at SvitzerWijsmuller from 1999, holding various positions in the company, including Fleet Operations Manager, Deputy General Manager and General Manager, until joining Express Offshore Transport, MEO’s predecessor, in 2005.

Darren Ang, CEO, MEO Group

Making a Difference Singapore-based offshore vessel owner and operator, MEO Group has recently appointed Darren Ang as the new CEO. With a clear vision, Darren Ang is determined to propel the marine company to new heights.

arren Ang has been with the company since its beginnings. Prior to becoming CEO, he served as Deputy Chief Executive Officer, following his prior roles as Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Operating Officer.

On his appointment, Ang addressed his colleagues, saying: “I have now been with this company for 22 years, going through various transformations, via mergers and acquisitions, with MEO as the outcome. Over the years, I have had many jobs offers, but I chose to stay the course with MEO. I genuinely believe MEO is one of the best offshore support vessel companies and solution businesses in our industry, driven by strong leadership with a highly motivated team. I wanted to make a difference. This remains the same inspiration that continues to drive me today.” With a bachelor’s degree (first class honours) in Marine Engineering from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Darren is a member of the Institute of Marine Engineers, the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers and the Singapore Institute of Management. When asked about his management style, he pointed out that leading by example is key: “A leader must have the know-how and work hard. Good leaders also must be able to admit when they are wrong, listen to their staff and lead without bias. Last but not least, they should have the ability to be motivational, inspirational and positive – and of course stay calm.” Under his management, the Group will continue to focus on safety as the highest priority, on business integrity, teamwork, respect, and excellence for producing work of the highest quality. MEO will also further promote its dedication to major digital and green transformational changes over the next four years.

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MEO Group Headquartered in Singapore, MEO Group has been providing specialised marine services since the 1970s, with the majority of their operations in Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. Trusted by the world’s largest companies across the maritime and energy sectors, the Group has a demonstrated track record of operational and safety excellence when providing offshore and project transportation vessel solutions. MEO is the largest crew boat operator and one of the largest barge operators in South East Asia and the Middle East, but its service portfolio is much larger. The Company operates their range of vessels and services across the oil and gas and renewables industry from crew passenger transportation services and specialised subsea solutions to transportation of large project cargo for their clients.

MEO Group tug vessel Uniwise Rayong

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“Our competitive advantage is also our project transportation division with a track record of over 10 years. Through this division, we are able to provide integrated solutions to our clients and be a one-stop solution through collaborations, supplying the required fleet mix, engineering services and project management.” Ang added.

“

We are able to provide integrated solutions to our clients and be a one-stop solution.

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Solid foundation

With over 1,500 employees, the Group has multiple satellite offices and dedicated shore bases to provide timely support to its clients. “One of our key success factors is our ability to turn vessels around efficiently because of our bases and our people. This efficiency sets us apart from competitors,” he noted.

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Logistics Feature The core asset While MEO operating base’s close proximity to clienteles is one of the reasons for the Group’s success, Ang affirmed that the most valued asset of the company are its people. “Our employees have always been and always will be our key focus,” he said. “In order to retain talent, it is our philosophy to guide, develop, and train our people through various approaches which are not limited to on-thejob training, educational development, exposure through job rotation, and opportunities to participate in cross-functional projects. Through this involvement, our people will benefit by developing their soft skills and further polishing their hard skills.”

Our employees have always been and always will be our key focus.

“

For its offshore staff, over 1000 in service, the company makes sure they are taken care of. Measures include regular virtual leadership talks, making sure the crew has the ability to contact their families as well as ensuring financial and mental support for them and their families. Ang took over the position of CEO at a challenging time but remains firmly focused on the future ahead. “The industry has been taking a hit for the past 7 years with falling oil prices and projects coming to a standstill as a result of price wars brought about from the over-production of oil as well as market speculation that has resulted in an oversupply of offshore vessels.” “Now, with the market picking up, we are facing new challenges as a result of Covid restrictions, including difficulties for crew on joining our vessels in different countries as well as for crew repatriation. Hence our intensified efforts on making sure our people are well looked after.”

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Cummins Whether you are maximising uptime of your fleet, bringing a vessel back into service, or considering a new vessel, Cummins is a partner you can count on. We are not just about engine technology. We are your partner in ensuring that your vessel is operating efficiently and cost-effectively, enabling you to reliably complete your mission and satisfy your customers. Cummins has the most extensive service network in the world, ensuring fast access to reliable service, engineering expertise, and parts support when and where needed, even in the most remote operating locations. Our world-class service and support network in more than 190 countries means that no matter the vessel or port, Cummins will keep your fleet moving, For a world that’s always on.

cummins.com

MEO Group

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Logistics Feature Sustainable future Ang explained that with an increasing focus on sustainability, he would lead the company to strengthen its footing in the renewables industries, while making sure that MEO itself operates in the most sustainable manner as possible. “At MEO we are embarking on an Environmental, Social, and Governance plan to future-proof our business and operations with conscientious efforts towards social and environmental aspects of the business.” “In view of Net Zero Emissions 2050, we will do the right thing and consider environmental factors in our business and operations. We will manage our direct environmental footprint and will endeavour to influence our supply chain towards responsible and sustainable practices that will help to reduce our carbon footprint.” Business-wise, the company is set to expand its portfolio in the renewable sector, especially in the offshore wind sector in countries like Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, China, Australia and Europe. “Moving forward, we will need to embrace technology to transform the way we work and enhance our efficiency and reliability with focus on a greener tomorrow. MEO has proven that it has what it takes to survive the many downturns with a strong foundation, and now as the new CEO, I will make sure that it continues to develop and grow.” info@meogroup.com www.meogroup.com

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Hansway Group Hansway Group With a history spanning 17 years, Hansway Group was founded by Mr Franky Tan, has emerged as an industry-leading ship management company that is committed to the highest standards of operational excellence, integrity, professionalism and service quality-driven growth of the industry. Hansway Group has progressively established a good track record of professionalism and competency in its field by providing PT. Pelayaran Nasional Sumdra Tujuh. A reputable first class shipping agency located in Batam island that engaged in Ship Management, Ship Husbandry, Port Agency and Vessel Clearance Services. For over a decade, PT. Pelayaran Nasional Samudra Tujuh continue to grow alongside our esteemed customers, business partners and hard-working employees by investing in the versatility of our fleet and human resources to deliver the most efficient services specialize in an arrantement of Crew Formatlities, Documentation of Incoming Vessel and Loading of Cargo Transhipment. Matching real time, on the ground, local knowledge and expertise with our strict operational standards, whether it is vessel, crew, cargo we are looking after, PT. Pelayaran Nasional Samudra Tujuh can be relied upon to consistently make port calls as efficient as possible and we use our expertise to make everyday life more convenient by effective ship agency. Komp. Citra Super Mall Blok B No 5-6 Harmour Bay JI. Duyung - Batu Ampar, Batam (29453) Indonesia Website: www.samudra7.com Email: info@samudra7.com Phone: +62 812-7001-207

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Hansway Group We will continue to deepen these partnerships and develop new ones over time and space, strengthening our participation in the shipping and logistics supply chain for our partners’ success. Website: www.hanswayindonesia.com Email: inquiry@hanswayindonesia.com Phone: +62 778-7415-227 (Hunting) We serve with integrity

During the years, our company experienced peak periods as well as tough times followinf the up-down waves and also undergoes rapid increasing need on-stop services. Along the way, as a form of our commitment to continue growing and developing, Hansway Group preparing to start operating our registered Ship Chandler and General Services company, PT. Hansway Indonesia, now considered as one of the trusted Ship Chandler in the region for the conveniences of loyal custom in marine industry. We are grateful for the longstanding relationships that we have cultivated with our customers and associates without which the sustainability and growth of PT. Hansway Indonesia would not have been possible. Providing Ship Constructions, Engineering and Repair Services; Ship Chandler for Marine and Shipping Industry; Tugboat and Barges Services; Warehousing Logistics Services; Provision for Marine and Shipping; General Contractor Services; LSA and FFA Services; Load Test and NDT Services; Fumigation; Under Water Inspection Services means can always have PT. Hansway Indonesia taking care of your interests, wherever it is to do business. Through prudent management and a well-managed expansion strategy, Hansway Group has been able to successfully build up its position as a credible and well-respected industry player in the region today and have successfully navigated countless challenges over the years and emerges stronger with every season.

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PROJECT DIRECTED BY

WRITTEN BY

Jamie Waite

Romana Moares

Sustainable Finance for Social Growth Municipality Finance Plc is one of Finland’s largest credit institutions with a bold mission to build a better and more sustainable future with its customers, with social responsibility at the heart of its operation.

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uniFin has a special role in Finland and its activities are geared towards supporting the creation and development of society’s welfare. The company is jointly owned by Finnish municipalities, the public sector pension fund Keva and the Republic of Finland. Its customers are domestic entities but the company operates in a completely global business environment. It is the one of the most active Finnish bond issuers in international capital markets and the first Finnish green and social bond issuer. MuniFin’s customers include Finnish municipalities, joint municipal authorities, municipally controlled entities and non-profit housing organisations. MuniFin grants financing for environmentally and socially responsible investment targets such as public transport, sustainable buildings, hospitals and healthcare centres, schools and day-care facilities.

Municipality Finance “We are unique when it comes to our business model,” says MuniFin’s President and CEO Esa Kallio. ”We are a financial institution and as such the third largest in Finland. We fund 100% of our operation through international capital markets, and then sell those funds in open competition with external banks to our customers who can be divided into two groups - the Finnish municipal sector and the Finish social housing sector, which I prefer to call central government subsidised housing.” The human factor He further explains that in the segments where the company operates, MuniFin holds around 60% market share. “The municipal sector accounts for about 60% of our lending, with the housing sector representing 40%. Volume-wise, our total assets as of June 2021 totalled around 46 billion euros. In terms of people, we are still quite small, with about 160 employees working in our offices in Helsinki. Interestingly, although the company is publicly owned, we are not civil servants, most of our employees have a background in finance.” That is also the case for Esa Kallio, who assumed his position as CEO and President of Municipal Finance in 2018, following an impressive track record in finance. He has worked for MuniFin since 2005, most recently heading the company’s funding and treasury functions. He has a clear vision where he wants to take the company in the post-pandemic environment and openly admits that people are key to achieving any vision. “Good relationships at the workplace and good teamwork are essential. My philosophy has always been that I want to work with a team, my role being that of a team member. We go together through thick and thin, with transparency and trust as essential elements, enabled by open communication. As a team, we are having continuous discussions, and together we are creating guidelines and targets that we want to achieve. Staff engagement is essential, and in this way everyone is motivated to work hard towards those goals.”

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Bringing ESG funding solutions to Europe

We are proud to have supported MuniFin’s inaugural green bond in the Sterling market. The transaction added a fourth currency to MuniFin’s green offerings. “Over 40% of our underwritings through Dublin fall under the ESG umbrella. As well as Euros and U.S. Dollars, we are seeing increased supply in Sterling, Canadian Dollars, Aussie Dollars and in emerging markets currencies.” Laura Quinn Managing Director, Head of Primary Markets, TD Securities Dublin

Finance Feature He points out that getting the right people is not easy, as MuniFin competes for the same type of talents as the banks and other financial institutions. Still, the company offers some unique benefits, such as a high degree of flexibility, a flat organisational structure, additional health insurance and a clear focus on social and environmental development, which many people these days find highly attractive. The combination of domestic (lending) and international (funding) markets is also very interesting, and the fact that MuniFin plays a very important role in Finnish society and the development of its welfare are also factors that make the company stand out in the financial sector. Special status Speaking about current markets, Esa Kallio explains that Finland’s economic and employment situation exceeded expectations in 2021 and reached a surprisingly good level. The central government’s Covid-19 support package ensured that municipalities have not had to shoulder the negative economic effects of the pandemic.

niFin’s obligation to comply with the leverage ratio capital requirement. This has allowed the company to increasingly transfer the benefit of negative interest rates to its customers, making its loan financing even more affordable than before. This change in the credit terms took force in October, and its benefits will begin to have a wider impact in the interest expenses of MuniFin’s loan customers in 2022. “Once again, our funding succeeded excellently, and the availability of funding in the international capital market remained good. Thanks to our effective funding, we were again able last year to ensure affordable financing for our customers,” says Esa Kallio.

Virgin Media engineers in the field

“The municipal sector’s demand for financing was lower than expected in 2021, while the demand for state-subsidised housing finance grew moderately, also as expected. MuniFin’s market position is strong, and we continue to be by far the largest single credit institution offering long-term loans for our customer base.” “Despite the temporarily improved financial situation, the fiscal sustainability gap and structural problems in the public economy continue to exist. In 2022, we therefore expect the demand for financing in the municipal sector to return to the pre-pandemic level.” The European Union’s changes to the capital adequacy regulation were applied at the end of June 2021. Under the new regulation, MuniFin gained the status of a public development credit institution, which significantly eases Mu-

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Finance Feature TD Securities Global Platform As a leading corporate and investment bank, TD Securities offers a wide range of capital markets products and services. With more than 4,700 professionals operating out of 15 offices around the world, we provide trusted advice, industry-leading insight, access to global markets, and value for our clients every day.

European Hub Operating in Ireland for more than 20 years, we opened our new European Hub in Dublin in 2019. Trading as TD Global Finance (TDGF), we leverage The Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD) strong balance sheet and high credit rating and operate as a fully licensed broker dealer regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. Our dedicated team of approximately 120 employees help extend our global reach and knowledge to serve clients on the ground in Ireland and throughout Europe. Our Origination and Syndication team are global lead underwriters of fixed income investment-grade products across all G10 and EM markets for our European clients in the Supranational Sub-sovereign and Agency (SSA), Financial and Corporate sectors.

Leaders in Post-LIBOR Solutions As market-leading advisors in post-LIBOR and riskfree rate funding solutions around the globe, TD acted as a joint-lead manager on the SSA market’s first ever floating-rate notes linked to SONIA and ESTR issued by the European Investment Bank, as well as joint-lead manager on EIB’s inaugural SOFR floating-rate note. We also acted as a joint-lead manager on IFC’s 5y USD 2bn trade in August 2021 which was the first trade to utilize SOFR mid-swaps as its primary pricing reference and marked a significant market milestone in the shift away from LIBOR

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ESG & Multicurrency Capabilities Our team in Dublin issued over 100 trades in 11 currencies with 30 global issuers in 2021. Approximately 40% of these trades fall under the ESG umbrella. Our Sustainable Finance & Corporate Transitions group provides environmental, social and governance (ESG) advisory services to our worldwide client base across our Global Markets and Corporate & Investment Banking businesses. Our firm has been actively involved in the green bond market since 2010, participating in over EUR 26 billion of green bond underwriting to date. We are proud joint lead managers on inaugural deals for European clients -- including Municipality Finance and the EU Commission.

Find out more When your business is looking to raise debt globally, our team of seasoned professionals bring together skills and experience from across international debt markets. Take advantage of our extensive networks, proven history of success and ability to exceed the needs of issuers around the globe. Spread across Toronto, New York, London, Dublin, Singapore and Tokyo, our debt capital markets team provide services to clients in all major currencies. Learn more about our corporate and investment banking capabilities.

Municipality Finance Building a better future As for every company in every sector including finance, sustainability is a key topic, he affirms. “Our customers play a key role in mitigating climate change and promoting the green transition. We support our customers in this transition by offering them green finance and sharing our expertise. In 2021, the demand for our green finance continued to grow, and the social finance that we launched in 2020 established its position among our customers.” Reflecting on the future, he notes that Finland has ambitious goals in terms of the role the municipal sector will play. “In 2022, the new health and social services reform will be reflected in the company’s operations as practical preparation to act as a financing counterparty. What we can do for the municipalities is to help them do more in terms of reducing CO2 emissions and increased focus on the environmental side.

adjust the operation in line with the special status obtained in 2021. As a public development credit institution, MuniFin has decided to change the conditions of its long-term customer loans with variable interest rates in a way that will allow customers to benefit from negative reference rates better than before. This is a positive development for our customers.” In concluding, Esa Kallio affirms that going forward, MuniFin’s vision of building a better and more sustainable future with its customers will remain unchanged. “Social responsibility has been part of MuniFin’s DNA ever since the company was established in 1989. That is at the heart of everything we do. We will continue helping local authorities to maintain and to develop the welfare system in Finland. In this respect, MuniFin will continue to play an important role in enabling the achievement of environmentally and socially responsible investment targets.” www.munifin.fi

“Regarding the future, we are in a nice situation. We have a good business model, and we can now

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PROJECT DIRECTED BY

WRITTEN BY

Chiara Salter

Romana Moares

Mark Tory CEO, Northern Minerals

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Northern Minerals

Helping to Achieve a Greener World Northern Minerals Limited aspires to be a major supplier of ethically produced rare earth metals and separated products from the world’s largest heavy rare earth element inventory within 10 years.

Mark Tory demonstrates Northern Minerals’ new Ore Sorter

orthern Minerals has a large landholding in Western Australia and the Northern Territory, with a current portfolio consisting of three projects, the Browns Range and John Galt projects in Western Australia, and the Boulder Ridge Project located in the Northern Territory. Of these projects, Northern Minerals’ 100%-owned Browns Range Project is its flagship, where it has built a pilot plant to test a number of deposits and prospects that contain high-value dysprosium and other heavy rare earths (HREs), hosted in xenotime mineralisation. Following a review in 2016, Northern Minerals developed a new business plan to support the Project’s pathway to production. The plan separates the Project into three development stages and allows Northern Minerals to test the process and market the mixed RE carbonate product, then develop the Project to bankable feasibility study level and finally build the full-scale operation.

The view over Northern Minerals’ Browns Range camp at night

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Resources Feature The Browns Range Today, China is the dominant force in the rare earth industry, supplying approximately 98% of global demand for heavy rare earths (Dy, Tb) and consuming approximately 70% of global supply. The vital role rare earths play in the manufacturing of hybrid and electric vehicles and other high-tech applications has prompted countries to seek long-term sustainable supplies to support their domestic industries. Located 160km south-east of Halls Creek in northern Western Australia, the Browns Range Project is the first significant dysprosium producer outside of China. Northern Minerals’ tenure around the Browns Range Project covers an area of approximately 2,750km2 and is centred on the Browns Range Dome, a major geological feature covering approximately 1,500km2. The Dome is located in the northern Tanami region, within both Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

This massive landholding is highly prospective for heavy rare earth mineralisation with outstanding potential for further discoveries. Northern Minerals’ exploration success to date has been exceptional, with seven of the targets that have been drilled converted to mineral resources and many more highly prospective targets still to be drill tested. Northern Minerals has 100% ownership and marketing rights for all but three of the tenements covering the Browns Range Dome. The other three tenements are held by Northern Star with Northern Minerals retaining the full REE rights. The Project is a standout amongst its peers. Its xenotime mineralisation is a proven source of supply; its richness in dysprosium, and the ability to upgrade the ore 30 times through beneficiation, clearly sets it apart. This coupled with the Project’s advanced stage of licencing and future exploration potential puts it ahead of many of its competitors. Browns Range Processing Plant

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Resources Feature A decade of fast development CEO Mark Tory describes the progress Northern Minerals has made over the last decade: “Since the first discovery some 10 years ago, we have spent over $300 million to date both on exploration and on development of the pilot plant. We are currently reviewing our strategy in relation to downstream processing, with the aim of going full-scale as quickly as possible.” The pilot plant project has been a three-year research and development project which forms part of a broader ongoing economic and technical feasibility study. In parallel to the feasibility study on the beneficiation plant, Northern Minerals has continued its commitment to invest in exploration across its Browns Range tenement package, says Mark. He himself has been working in the mining industry for over 30 years. Prior to Northern Minerals, he held senior positions at Crescent Gold Limited, Anglo American Exploration and Homestake Gold (now Barrick Gold). Before joining Homestake, Mark worked for Deloitte in the Audit Division with the majority of his clients being in the mining and resources industry. Mark is also a member of the Executive Council of the Chamber of Minerals and Energy. He explains that the key rare earths are dysprosium and terbium, both elements used in permanent magnets to retain charge at high temperatures. “That’s really important for motor vehicle manufacturers for their production of electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles. They don’t want to see their cars sitting on the side of the road, because the magnet doesn’t work. These two elements represent our major revenue items.” During the pilot plant stage, the Northern Minerals has supplied a mixed RE carbonate to the market. Once in full production the company could deliver a range of products to market, including a mixed RE concentrate, a mixed RE carbonate, individual RE oxides and DyFe metal.

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Northern Minerals Ethical producer Northern Minerals is set to have truly geopolitical importance. The drive to reduce the world’s dependence on fossil fuels and to decrease carbon emissions, coupled with the growing demand for technology that is faster, smaller and more efficient, is expected to foster significant growth in the rare earths market in the coming decade. With primary approvals, community support and the use of mining best practices, Northern Minerals is positioned to become the first significant world producer of dysprosium outside of China. Accounting for 60% of the Browns Range Project’s revenue, dysprosium is the key value driver of the Project and is at the core of Northern Minerals’ marketing strategy. With a high value, high purity, dysprosium-rich product, the company is set to become a long term and reliable supplier of dysprosium and other critical heavy rare earths to world markets.

As a mining company, we’re trying to do everything we can to become greener and find more efficient ways of operation.

“

But the company will also be a green and ethical producer, Mark Tory affirms. “As a mining company, we’re trying to do everything we can to become greener and find more efficient ways of operation. We are looking at solar power and we actively engage with all communities in which our projects are located. By working together, we gain a better understanding of the expectations, challenges and opportunities that are created in these communities through the development of our projects.” Mark Tory points out that the company made strong progress during 2021 and is well-funded to drive exploration and feasibility studies towards full-scale commercial operation. The main objective of the company’s exploration

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team is to increase the proposed mine life to at least 20 years which means a doubling or more of the current mineral resource. “We are also committed to a large exploration programme with $10 million over 12 months. Our aspiration is to be an ethical supplier of heavy rare earths out globally, to help fill a supply gap that the western world has outside of China, in relation to greening the world through electrification.” www.northernminerals.com.au

Resources Feature

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Steve Owen

Jay Benmehidi

Jared Bennet Feiger CEO, Porsche Consulting

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Porsche Consulting

Empower and Inspire We speak to Porsche Consulting CEO Jared Bennet Feiger about Industry 4.0 and innovation during a pandemic.

ince its emergence, the COVID-19 crisis has upended virtually every aspect of modern life in unprecedented fashion. Like all once-in-a-lifetime crises, the pandemic has been a difficult and painful experience for the world but for all its destructiveness, as an ancient Chinese proverb observes, “a crisis is an opportunity riding a dangerous wind.” After a year of gruelling lockdowns that confined entire nations to their homes, the world has moved online in a way that was scarcely imaginable pre-crisis, which in-turn has accelerated the pace of the Industry 4.0 revolution ten-fold. In the space of only 18-months, the digitalisation of internal operations, and customer and supply chain interactions is occurring up to a decade ahead of schedule by some estimates; digital product and service offerings have expanded exponentially, and efforts to integrate new disruptive technologies are at the vanguard of executive strategy across the board. As executives across all industries know all too well, the growth potential for companies that are able to get ahead in the Industry 4.0 race is vast, and yet seeing opportunity is one thing – being able to actually seize it is quite another. Competition in the race to digitalise is fierce and, to gain an edge, executives are increasingly reaching out to management consultants to accelerate and fine tune the technological transformation of their businesses – an area of business that US-based Porsche Consulting

Inc. happens to specialise in, says President and CEO, Jared Bennett Feiger: “Industry 4.0, I would say, is something that Porsche is a leader in, and certainly Porsche, if you think beyond Porsche consulting. Porsche AG has been a leader in embracing and being a first mover on many Industry 4.0 topics. We have benefited tremendously from our expertise and how we can leverage it, and from the expertise that many of our people have from having worked within Porsche. We do focus extensively on helping clients solve those challenges, as well as innovate in those areas specifically focused on digitalisation and automation. Our ability to equip them with the tools, the capabilities and the knowledge to be able to deploy Industry 4.0 solutions to great effect is a core offering we have. And we’ve leveraged some of the work that Porsche has done internally to accomplish that.” To those with limited knowledge of the management consultancy space, Porsche’s presence may come as a surprise. Anybody with a little petrol in their blood will instantly recognise the Porsche brand, which is revered for its automotive prowess and seamless ability to marry luxury, aesthetics, and function – the iconic Porsche 911 being the perfect example of this. In much the same way that Porsche is a byword for engineering passion, chic design, and Teutonic efficiency and quality in the motoring world, Porsche Consulting Inc. has carved out an elite reputation in the management consultancy industry as a strategic partner capable of delivering the results needed to help its clients move the needle: “Porsche Consulting can address what I think is an ongoing and increasingly urgent need of companies, which is for them to have a partner to help navigate the uncertainty associated with the pace of change, and whether it’s due to COVID or the international trade landscape, the pace of change is accelerating.

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Porsche Consulting

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Consulting Feature

Companies increasingly are needing the support of consultancies like Porsche Consulting because of the perspective that they bring, the outside-in perspective they bring, the insights that they can bring, the impact they can help deliver. Consultancies tend to be more agile and more nimble than some of the in-house groups or capabilities that the company may have. And so that gives us an advantage and makes us able to offer advice that is compelling and that enables the achievement of a company’s objectives.” As a subsidiary of its famous German parent companies, Porsche AG and Porsche Consulting GmbH, Porsche Consulting, Inc. is uniquely able to leverage the expertise, experience and insights of a leading global automotive group that for decades has provided a competitive advantage to its clients. Since the business opened its doors for business in the US in 2011, Porsche Consulting has steadily expanded its service offerings to clients, ranging from mid-sized companies to industry giants in the automotive, transportation, aerospace, and industrial goods, and financial services sectors, as wells life sciences, construction, consumer goods, and retail.

the expertise from our team here and across the globe, from projects that we’ve led or from work that we may have done ourselves.”

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Consultancies tend to be more agile and more nimble than some of the in-house groups or capabilities that the comany may have...

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If you think about how companies have needed to adapt to different circumstances within our global economy, within the global ecosystem of goods and services, companies need a partner to help them adjust to a changing environment.

Owing to the company’s growing reputation as a specialist driver of major strategic transformations, innovative capacity enhancements, and performance improvement, Jared and his 50-strong team are increasingly better able to help Porsche’s clients to achieve measurable results from their offices in Atlanta and Palo Alto, a footprint which is soon to expand with the imminent opening of a third office. Jared Bennet Feiger CEO, Porsche Consulting

When asked to elaborate further on the company’s services to clients, Jared explained: “Advising clients on how to achieve market advantage can take many different forms. It could take the form of many of the different functional areas, such as how to grow share in terms of how to compete more effectively in a space, how to address customer needs in a more optimal way, how to think differently or in a more innovative fashion about the products and services that it offers and be a first mover, how to operate more efficiently or effectively. We will advise clients to do all of these different things, which we can do effectively by leveraging

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Consulting Feature The business continues to grow steadily in scale and reputation, and with the company having recently celebrated its ten-year anniversary in the US, there is much optimism at the upward trajectory Porsche Consulting Inc. is on within the company. It is easy to see why. Alongside the likes of giants, McKinsey and Jared’s former company, BCG, as well as the industry Big Four, it speaks volumes that Porsche Consulting has come to be recognised as an industry A-lister in the US consulting market – a hyper competitive space that accounts for a third of the US$100 billion global consulting market. Bearing in mind that the company has achieved this in the face of competition from rival firms that, as Jared noted, have been in the industry for decades and are larger and have scale, this is a remarkable achievement. The question is how has Porsche managed this? Since he joined Porsche Consulting Inc. as President and CEO only this July, Jared has observed that the two key pillars underpinning the company’s success are, firstly, its ability to leverage the incredible strength of the Porsche brand and the rich reservoir of expertise that exists within Porsche on a global scale, and – most importantly – the deep talent pool of skilled and experienced people he leads. In a line of business such as management consultancy, the quality and capability of your people are your primary asset bar none. Indeed, success or failure hinges on first of all being able to find the right people and then, upon recruiting them, creating a culture of inspiration and empowerment in which staff can train, grow, and progress, both personally and professionally, in an environment where people want to succeed together, day in, day out: “From a training perspective or a benefits perspective, we have both a local and global new hire training programme - we call the global programme Warm Up - and it’s basically an opportunity for people new to the company to learn from the expertise that people have here and from the

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different service offerings that we’ve established since the company’s inception. From a promotional perspective, we have a flexible and accelerated promotional, based on performance, that greatly encourages promotion and elevation from within. Our people can be promoted in as little as a single year from level to level. We certainly encourage people to remain with the firm and not only because we try to establish, encourage and foster a great culture and a place where people love to be and love to be around each other, but also because as people become more senior here, others that are more junior can benefit from the expertise and the experience they have. This adds to the deep well of expertise that we have within the firm.” With the company already positioned as one of the top premium consultancies in the US and with plans for continued expansion of the business underway, there is no need to re-invent the wheel. Porsche Consulting is thriving, and Jared is of the view that organic growth over the coming 18-months will see the firm continue to do what it does best: keep empowering and inspiring its clients and partners to help them succeed in their objectives, in-line with Porsche’s commitment to excellence, excitement, passion and aspiration. contact@porsche-consulting.com www.porsche-consulting.com

Porsche Consulting

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We try to establish, encourage and foster a great culture and a place where people love to be and love to be around each other...

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Glen Newton

Romana Moares

Reggy Vermeulen, CEO, Port of Duqm

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Port of Duqm

Aerial view out over The Port of Duqm

Strategic Port of the Future Overlooking the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean beyond, the Port of Duqm with its deep draft, lengthy quay walls, and extensive basin is a world-class, multi-purpose commercial gateway, poised to soon become one of the largest ports in the region.

he Port of Duqm is part of the ambitious SEZAD project (Special Economic Zone Authority of Duqm) in the Sultanate of Oman. Established with the objective of diversifying the economy, the port is a greenfield project, fast emerging as a hub of economic activity due to its central location. The Port of Duqm Company is a 50:50 joint venture between the Government of the Sultanate of Oman (represented by ASYAD Group) and a Belgian Consortium between Port of Antwerp International (PAI) and DEME Concessions, called Consortium Antwerp Port (CAP). ASYAD is Oman’s global integrated logistics service provider with investments in ports, shipping, logistics and public services within Oman. PAI brings its vast know-how as the second largest port of Europe, while DEME brings private

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Logistics Feature sector expertise as a multinational corporation, having diverse interests including dredging, marine engineering, port development, as well as renewable energy. The Government of Oman has positioned Duqm as a safe, stable and business-friendly haven for industrial and economic investment, reflecting the Sultanate’s international reputation as an oasis of tranquillity and a bearer of peace. The Port of Duqm is the only port in the Sultanate which is fully integrated within the Special Economic Zone (SEZ), enabling investors to reap the benefits of the operational and financial incentives offered by the Government of Oman. The facility is being developed into an integrated, multi-modal logistics hub, encompassing maritime links, a well-connected road network, and a fully operational airport and railway system making it a strategic stronghold. The port offers modern services and utilities and an unparalleled business setting for industries to operate and prosper. The Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with the USA and Singapore add further appeal to the Sultanate of Oman as an investment destination for global investors.

Khimji Ramdas Shipping Keeping Oman on the Move! Khimji Ramdas Shipping (KRS) is the shipping arm of the Projects & Logistics Cluster of the Khimji Ramdas group in Oman. KRS offers one-stop solution for clients seeking integrated marine and logistics solutions. With indepth experience in the cargo logistics and maritime services, KRS has an experienced operations team, well versed with local regulations ensuring smooth and timely handling of client’s requirement. Further with its market presence, the brand has developed a vast network of associates across the globe to handle international clients from all over the world. A key player in regional logistics since 1985, KRS today has eight offices across all Omani Ports and its services extensions into UAE with full-fledged vessel operations team taking place at Dubai, Fujairah and Ras Al Kamiah. KRS has always worked towards enhancing business processes to provide continual value to its clientele. Trust & reliability have been the cornerstone of our legacy. This is why some of the world’s leading brands choose to work with Khimji Ramdas Shipping in Oman. For more about KR Shipping and its operations, please visit: www.pnl.khimji.com

Reggy Vermeulen, CEO, Port of Duqm

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Logistics Feature Enabler of efficient logistics The Port of Duqm is perfectly positioned to serve both the Eastern and Western trade corridors, thanks to its central geographic location; it opens directly onto international waters and lies in the immediate vicinity of the international trade route between Asia and Europe. Duqm’s central location within the Sultanate of Oman makes it an ideal point of entry for all cargoes destined for the major inland projects and oil and gas concession areas. Additionally, Oman as an integral part of the GCC alliance enables the Port of Duqm to readily serve the GCC countries, in close proximity to the port and it is also ideally located to serve the Indian subcontinent as well as East Africa

Nothing less than flawless Precision-cut perfection There is no place for glitches in ship agency, husbandry, ship spares, freight services, supply chain management, project logistics and more. It calls for precise planning and blemish-free execution. With GAC Oman on the job, you have all facets covered for a flawless outcome every time. gac.com/oman

GAC Oman GAC Building, Dohat Al Adab St. Al Khuwair, 112, Ruwi, Sultanate of Oman E: muscat@gac.com | T: +968 2447 7800 linkedin.com/company/gacoman

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The region is rich in minerals and both onshore and offshore oil and gas represent an important contributor to the economy. Fisheries is another important sector. All of these industries were the reasons for constructing the port in the first place, with a view to accelerating their development. The port has a record of being an enabler of logistics for the region, and to this end, a massive industrial zone has been built that has attracted refineries and fisheries-related entities. “Our goal is to be a logistics support partner for all these industries to allow for a smooth import of either raw materials and equipment and export of finished products,” says Reggy Vermeulen, CEO of the Port of Duqm, adding that the port plays a key role in contributing to the country’s and the region’s economic development.

Port of Duqm

High competence is also critical - I employ highly intelligent people.

The right team for the right task Reggy Vermeulen is an experienced manager who knows the sector inside out. He holds a Masters degree in Economic Science and Administration from Louvain University in Belgium, and started his career as a consultant at Deloitte, with a specialisation in supply chain optimisation and company restructuring. Before joining Port of Duqm in 2012 as Commercial Director, he was the CEO of the port and industrial zone of Haiphong in Vietnam. Under his leadership, the location attracted over $1.5 billion of investment and was elected amongst the top five business entities in Vietnam. He became the CEO of Port of Duqm in 2015. Speaking about his leadership philosophy, he says: “My two pillars are teamwork and hiring highly competent people. Teamwork is key, I have seen many organisations failing to reach potential as a result of missing teamwork and team spirit.”

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“High competence is also critical — I employ highly intelligent people to make sure that their brains and their expertise in their given fields combined together can achieve real progress. My role as a leader it to make use of this joint knowledge to move the organisation forward, working together as a team towards our vision.” He explains that there are currently three large entities operating within the port complex: the two major ones are the dry dock operators employing some 2,000 people for ship repairs, conversions and building. The Port of Duqm Company, as the terminal operator, employs just under 500 people including the economic zone. “These are sizeable organisations. We try to hire as much as possible locally, and we have appropriate training programmes in place to develop and progress the staff as well as to enhance their skills,” he affirms, saying that the company has a good level of Omanisation from shop to top floor and if needed, hires additional staff and recruiting from neighbouring countries.

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Port of Duqm Green development Sustainability is an important topic at Port of Duqm and the management is implementing actions in line with the UN sustainability development goals, from staff training and education to energy saving and environmental protection. Mr Vermeulen points out that all vehicles deployed in the port are hybrid and solar panels have been installed wherever possible. The port is now taking steps to position itself as the country’s leading hub for the handling export of green hydrogen to markets within the region and beyond. In this respect, what is very important is the port’s linkage with the Belgian Port of Antwerp, which is not only a potential market for green hydrogen, but also a key entry point for the import of this green fuel for European markets. Reggy Vermeulen explains that within close proximity of the port itself, a vast area of land is available for investments linked to the downstream end of the green hydrogen value chain, including electrolyser and desalination plants, ammonia and methanol projects, and other support infrastructure. In addition, large intake systems already in place at Duqm will allow for water to be drawn from the sea for green hydrogen production. “Two years ago, we took the bold step of reserving within the port’s master plan an allocation of land for green molecules production; so there is not only space onshore for green hydrogen production, but around 50% of the liquid terminal’s capacity is also reserved for green fuels. That means we are not going to have any bottlenecks in our capacity to export green fuels to international markets.” “Attracting tenants from various industries to generate additional cargo and thus to secure organic growth is the task for the coming months, coupled with efforts within the regional markets to attract transhipment capability. The view is to push to develop this multi-purpose port, handling a range of

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cargoes from liquid to container to bulk as well as project cargo, while promoting an extremely strong focus on green development,” Reggy Vermeulen concludes. www.portofduqm.om

GAC Oman Committed to delivering integrated services to the Shipping, Logistics, Marine and related markets at the highest levels. Established in 1972, GAC Oman is one of the country’s leading shipping and forwarding agent, providing shipping, forwarding and logistics services in the Sultanate and part of the global GAC Group. The company operates at the ports of Muscat, Salalah, Sohar, Sur, Khazab and Duqm. GAC Oman delivers a complete portfolio of shipping and logistics services to support a diverse range of sectors including energy, events and dry bulk. From ship agency, husbandry services, protecting agency, hub agency, bunker fuels, launch services and dry docking support, it can handle all types of cargo and vessels at all Omani ports. Its end-to-end logistics services include freight services, project logistics, warehousing and distribution, land transportation, ship spares logistics and international moving. Phone: +968 2447 7800 Email: muscat@gac.com Website: gac.com/oman

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Malvern Kandemwa

Romana Moares

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Shoprite SA

s Africa’s largest retailer, the Shoprite Group is one of the continent’s most fast-paced, innovative and technologically advanced retail organisations, with more than 140,000 employees. Its core business is in food retailing, complemented by furniture, pharmaceuticals, hospitality, ticketing, digital commerce, and financial and cellular services. Through its wide range of customer-facing brands, value-added services and B2B logistics services, the Group operates across various industries to deliver a comprehensive product and services offering.

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The Shoprite brand has always strived to provide low-cost goods and services without compromising on quality

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Affordable, Accessible, Innovative With a number of subsidiaries and brands, Shoprite is the largest retailer in South Africa across a range of segments. Affordable and accessible, the company is proud to provide basic goods and services to the mass middleincome market.

Shoprite’s story starts with the purchase of an eight-store grocery chain in 1979. The brand first developed in South Africa and from 1990 expanded further afield with the opening of its first non-RSA supermarket in Windhoek, Namibia. Since then, this award-winning retail brand has grown to include hundreds of stores across the African continent. The Shoprite brand has always strived to provide low-cost goods and services without compromising on quality. Shoprite credits much of its success to its centralised distribution system and the fact that it controls its own logistics. Investment has been an integral part of the brand’s strategy, and has continued unhindered by the global pandemic. A recent example is Shoprite’s newly opened distribution park outside Cape Town, dubbed Cilmor, covering a massive 123,000m². The park is claimed to be one of the most technologically advanced facilities of its type on the continent, bringing together the operations of five distribution centres in Cape Town.

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Shoprite SA Inspiring leadership Pieter Engelbrecht, Shoprite’s chief executive, recently presented the Group’s annual results at the Cilmor facility. Despite lockdown restrictions, Shoprite delivered an exceptional financial performance for the last financial year (ending in July 2021), as evidenced by 8.1% growth in sales, a 55-basis point improvement in gross margin to 24.5% and expense growth of 6.7% as well as increased market share. The Shoprite Group currently operates 2,252 stores within South Africa, and 437 outlets in 14 other African countries. Shoprite’s core South African supermarket operation represents 72% of total sales and 79% of trading profit. In the rest of the continent, Angola and Nigeria continue to be the top performers. Much of this excellent result may be credited to the leadership of Pieter Engelbrecht, who has been the driving force behind the strategic thinking and decisiveness that characterises the Shoprite Group’s actions and has led Shoprite to become not only Africa’s largest food retailer and low price leader, but also South Africa’s largest private-sector employer. His leadership has been characterised by the Group’s mission to be Africa’s most affordable, accessible and innovative retailer, driven by a relentless focus on innovation which has led to the repositioning of Checkers in the fresh and convenience space, the development of the fast-growing Shoprite and Checkers Xtra Savings Rewards programmes, Sixty60 food delivery service and virtual vouchers, among many other innovations. He has successfully steered the Group through the coronavirus pandemic, ensuring job security for the Group’s workforce and product availability and a safe shopping environment for the Group’s 24 million customers while increasing sales, profitability and market share.

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Engelbrecht and his team are focused on implementing the Group’s growth strategy to maintain its lead in discount retail. His key priority is serving customers through a determined focus on lowering prices through an optimised supply chain and world-class operating efficiencies.

Retail Feature

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Complete intralogistics from a single source. This is how we move industries.

We develop, produce and sell new trucks and are also involved in the logistics system and mail-order business. In addition, we rent both new and used forklift trucks, recondition and sell used trucks and offer maintenance, repair and spare parts services. Add to this a comprehensive range of financial services, and you can see that we represent a one-stop shop covering the entire product life cycle.

Find out more at www.jungheinrich.co.za

Shoprite SA With environmental protection defined as one of its priorities, Jungheinrich is among the Top 1% most sustainable companies worldwide. For its above-average performance in environmental protection, human rights and sustainable procurement, the company has recently been awarded the highest – platinum – sustainability certificate by the EcoVadis rating agency.

Jungheinrich Moving the World Founded in Hamburg in 1953, Jungheinrich has grown into one of the world’s leading intralogistics companies, with its products marketed by 40 direct distribution companies around the world. The Group strategy is focused on sustainable, profitable growth in order to enhance the value of the company. Its portfolio includes forklift trucks for all sectors and applications, which are supplied as new, used or for rent, complete with a range of services such as the planning, development and implementation of complex storage systems and automation solutions. Jungheinrich represents a reliable one-stop shop for everything from planning and analysis to digital controls; from racking and warehouse equipment to sophisticated energy options and a global service network. Sustainable growth The company strives to optimise its customers’ process flows, improving warehouse productivity and lowering operating costs, while reducing environmental impact. In its recently presented Strategy 2025+, Jungheinrich has embedded the issue of sustainability even more firmly in its operation and has set itself the ambitious goal of becoming CO2 neutral in the coming years. To this end, the company has introduced systematic sustainability management within the company and along the entire supply chain.

Dr Lars Brzoska, Chairman of the Board of Management of Jungheinrich AG says: “Jungheinrich creates sustainable value. For us as a family-owned company, this means in concrete terms that we combine social and ecological responsibility with profitable growth. This self-image drives us to shape intralogistics and the warehouse of the future. The platinum EcoVadis certificate is a great confirmation for us and, of course, an obligation at the same time to continue on our path in the future.” Pioneer of electromobility As the first manufacturer to launch industrial trucks with lithium-ion batteries, the company has been working intensively on the development of sustainable lithium-ion vehicles for almost 10 years, in order to secure maximum efficiency, safety and comfort at minimum consumption and cost. Thanks to its own research, development and production, the company can now offer a li-ion vehicle concept that is unique on the market – a connected overall system in which battery, charger and vehicle are optimally synchronized, supplemented at all times by competent customer service. The result: high power and performance, fast charging times, smart energy recovery, timeand resource-saving zero maintenance and three-times longer service life. ”In the future, we will continue to practice our family values in the conflict area that exists between market demands and corporate responsibility. As a family company with a solid foundation of values, we will play a big part in shaping the future of intralogistics. Our aim is to establish our exacting standards as industry-wide benchmarks. After all, everyone shares the same corporate responsibility towards society and the environment – and we intend to lead the way,” says Dr Brzoska.

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Shoprite SA People’s business Speaking about the Group’s performance, Pieter Engelbrecht highlighted the importance of the Group’s key asset – its people. “Our business success depends on the wellbeing of our people,” he said. “We work hard at nurturing our relationship with them while we look after the sustainability of the Group. We aim to be an employer of choice and pride ourselves on being a job-creating company with a strong hire-to-retire model.” “To remain globally competitive we have to retain and grow our talent. Our HR strategy addresses the need for an engaged and empowered workforce, providing ongoing learning opportunities and promoting diversity, where every position in our business will be evaluated to make sure we have the right people in the right places to deliver on our purpose.”

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Our business success depends on the wellbeing of our people. We work hard at nurturing our relationship with them.

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The Shoprite Group was announced as the 2021 Graduate Employer of Choice at the 2021 GradStar Student Choice Awards. This accolade is based on the results of nearly 3,000 students who listed the Group as one of the top five companies they’d like to work for based on their knowledge of the employment landscape. Earlier last year the Group was also awarded the 2021 Employer of Choice in the retail category of the South African Graduate Employers Association (SAGEA) Employer Awards. Pieter Engelbrecht acknowledged that finding enough skilled people to employ across the Group’s diverse operations is a continuing challenge. “Retail requires a specific level of experience on all levels. We mostly recruit from outside at a junior level, addressing unemployment and youth development; and then train, develop and promote from within as individuals gain the knowledge and experience required in our environment.”

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“We acknowledge that we need to build our talent and succession pool with experts to stay ahead of the game. In recent years we have employed several senior executives who contribute to strengthening our position as the largest retailer on the continent. They, too, are strengthening their own teams to be future-fit and demographically relevant.”

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Shoprite SA §

Mix Telematics Mobile Information Exchange Operating at optimum efficiency is critical for supermarket retailers where the safety of the drivers and the efficient delivery of the thousands of products being transported every day is of paramount importance. Numerous factors can make a standard journey accumulate unnecessary costs, be less efficient and exposed to risks. When managing a fleet of vehicles, fleet managers and operators within the FMCG industry specifically, need to be able to adapt to the demanding day-to-day challenges that fleet operations can face. As the largest supermarket retailer on the African continent, the Shoprite Checkers Group has been a long-standing customer of MiX Telematics. Since 2011 they have entrusted MiX Telematics to supply a full suite of fleet-management services to their fleet of more than 1000 trackable assets. Specific solutions being provided to Shoprite include a combination of MiX Fleet Manager Premium software and hardware, MiX Talk (MiX’s hands-free, in-vehicle communications device aimed at reducing the risk associated with making and receiving calls whilst driving), MiX Track and React, a 24/7 service that assists with real-time driving event management while mitigating hijacking and theft risks, MiX Fleet Manager Essential installed into their pool fleet to assist with managing fines and vehicle misuse and the MiX Shoprite BI Tool. The MiX Fleet Manager Premium solution offers Shoprite unlimited access to information about their vehicles and drivers. The solution comprises a sophisticated on-board computer that collects and transmits valuable vehicle and driver data. This data is hosted in one of several top-tier data centres, with information accessible online or via the mobile app. The MiX Shoprite BI tool is an online, custom-built platform that allows Shoprite to use Big Data to answer pressing fleet questions and make informed operational decisions by presenting relevant and accurate fleet data in a simplified way. With this BI platform, Shoprite has access

to various dashboards, trend charts and graphs that analyses the data for fuel management, utilisation, driver scores, temperature violations, on-time arrivals and departures at stores, turnaround times, and status overview and fleet health status check dashboards just to name a few. “The online dashboards and telematics data provided by MiX is vitally important for the daily operational decisions that the Shoprite Checkers Group has to make,” says Gert Pretorius, Managing Director, MiX Telematics Africa. “The active fleet data is used to detect trends, monitor vehicle utilisation and driver behaviour, as well as fuel consumption. Considerations that have become even more important during the pandemic and the current economic climate.” The rich telematics data is utilised to improve efficiencies, better asset security, lowered risk and compliance with industry-related regulations and procedures. In addition to the premium fleet management solutions, MiX also supplies a cold chain solution that is integrated with their telematics system. This improves the management of cold-chain adherence parameters and minimises out-of-tolerance temperatures during critical times. A full temperature history of a shipment can also be made available to assist in calculating the loss of shelf life or the likelihood of spoilage, identify the time and the location of a shipment when out-of-tolerance temperatures are encountered, which allows for immediate corrective action. The journey execution management software, MiX Journey Management, assists with the correct allocation of drivers, trucks, and trailers to specific routes. This results in the monitoring of temperature violations, on time arrivals and departures at stores and turnaround times, just to name a few. MiX Telematics solutions enable Shoprite to not only benefit from managing their vehicle and drivers, but also to have better fuel efficiencies, improved safety, increased utilisation, and enhanced customer service. MiX Telematics, a leading global SaaS provider of connected fleet management solutions, is continuously adding value to the operations the Shoprite Checkers Group and is testament to how successful its solutions are at meeting the specific requirements of the FMCG industry. Find out more www.mixtelematics.com.

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Shoprite SA Set to seize opportunities The sophisticated nature of Shoprite’s supply chain management is a major contributing factor to its success. The Group has invested heavily in its systems and infrastructure, aligning with international best practice. “The physical aspects of our supply chain, from supplier to customer, are dependent on a symbiotic relationship with the technology back-end that ultimately connects the product source to the customer. Our bricks-and-mortar footprint remains key to our ability to drive growth and expansion into new channels, as we use our stores as initial contact points with customers.” Long-term sustainability is becoming more important as countries and companies across the world are battling with increased pressure on resources. Shoprite is doing its best to reduce its environmental impact and influence change, addressing the challenges and developing and supporting community projects. “This year we engaged with suppliers to understand what they monitor within their own supply chain and how they are reducing their impact. Understanding the issues our suppliers monitor and manage allows us to better understand the supporting role we could play as well as the risks and problems we may encounter in our own supply chain. Responsible sourcing is an imperative, not only from environmental and social perspectives, but it also plays an important role in providing the best-quality product to our customers.” Over the past 40 years, Shoprite has proved its resilience and value by creating brand trust, recognition and goodwill in the countries where it operates. With more than 2,913 outlets across Africa and over 142,000 employees, the company is set to seize new opportunities for growth in the years to come. www.shoprite.co.za

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Swiss SPC

Premium Quality for Better Health In a global pandemic, health protection using reliable, high-quality equipment is of prime importance – something that Swiss healthcare company Swiss SPC has made its core business. Its founder and Managing Director Alain Schibl spoke to Business Enquirer about the principles that have driven his business to global success.

Alain Schibl, Founder & MD, Swiss SPC

s the COVID-19 pandemic continues to claim thousands of lives around the world, governments and corporations have been left with few options to obtain products that are able to guarantee the safety of their citizens and employees. “The sheer scale of the problem has created a frenzy for preventative medical goods and a correspondingly large number of supply-side distortions, astronomical prices, scams, and delivery issues,” says Alain Schibl. He affirms that Swiss SPC, established only three years ago, but drawing on the decades of experience of its owners, entrepreneurs, and corporate managers is able to provide its clients with the reliability and clarity that is lacking in the current environment. Alain, having managed several businesses throughout his long and successful career, describes himself as an entrepreneur, committed to conducting business in a transparent and ethical manner. As a shareholder in Biokema, a company distributing animal medicines, from antibiotics to food supplements, to veterinary practices in Switzerland since 1964, Alain has been involved in the medical business for fifteen years. When the pandemic hit two and a half years ago, his vet clients started to complain about the shortage of equipment they needed such as face masks and gowns, indicating a coming growth of demand on a global scale. In parallel with his animal drug company, Alain established Swiss SPC specialising in sourcing much-needed PPE equipment directly from factories. “The more we dug into this segment, the more we saw that it was subject to scams and dubious entrepreneurs, people with no knowledge or scruples but seeing an opportunity to make money, taking advantage of governments and companies desperately trying to respond to the situation. We have all heard the stories of governments purchasing large volumes of face masks of questionable quality for astronomic prices only for these to be scrapped in the end as unusable.”

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Swiss SPC Growing by partnerships The company, founded in Switzerland, soon received – amongst the first – approval from the Swiss army, the entity officially authorised to distribute PPE in the country, and the business took off from there with great speed, expanding not only in Europe but worldwide. “We provide our PPE solutions to people in about 50 countries around the world, working on the basis of longterm contracts with big corporates, and we want to keep it that way,” says Alain. Swiss SPC is positioned as a solution provider, he explains. The company advices its clients on where to purchase the material, inspects the quality and price and does due diligence on the suppliers to make sure that contracts are genuine. “It is very important to verify appropriate and acceptable product quality. For example, a face mask is made in several protective categories which all look the same, undistinguishable by the general public, with a lot of fakes on the market that look exactly the same. By advising our clients we try to make sure that they get what they pay for, and the products are supplied from genuine suppliers.” He explains that the company’s business model is multi-facetted, based on partnerships. Swiss SPC has a partnership with a factory in Morocco that produces face masks under the company’s brand. These are sold worldwide, the largest markets being the United States and Canada. Similar partnerships drive the delivery of other PPE products such as disposable gloves and gowns. Swiss SPC has also partnered with AMEDA, an Austrian manufacturer of high quality routine IVD products for use in clinical chemistry, immunology, haematology and coagulation. These include the COVID-19 rapid screening tests, COVID-19 antibody tests as well as a saliva test, all CE approved. “The very best quality of our tests has been confirmed by Professor Gilbert Greub,

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the director of the Institute of Microbiology of the University Hospital of Lausanne, one of the largest hospitals in Switzerland, and one that has been included to the list of the ten best hospitals in the world by the prestigious U.S. magazine Newsweek,” Alain points out.

Healthcare Feature Transparent business The current portfolio of Swiss SPC includes a range of protective and disposable masks, sanitisers, gowns, gloves, syringes, testing kits and more. “Our product offering reflects demand. Over the last two months, the testing kits have been the biggest part of the business, before that it was the face masks and gowns. Face masks and gloves will remain in demand for years to come, required predominantly in two types of environments – the medical and food industries.” “A lot of large corporations, such as Mondelez, for example, have taken Covid-19 very seriously, and the measures they have adopted to make sure that their staff and products are virus-free will remain in place, in order to prevent liability for contamination,” reflects Alain Schibl. All these factors have pushed Swiss SPC to new heights over the last two years. The “Swiss branding” certainly helped to grow the business but Alain points out that another factor that opened the door to sophisticated markets such as North America, the Nordic countries and the UK, has been its transparency. “We never hide anything. There so many crooks in this business and companies see scams left, right and centre that they are relieved to see a company that does honest business. Being a Swiss brand helps but you have to live up to that reputation.” He further points out that the company is always looking at portfolio expansion and what the next product will be. Currently Swiss SPC is considering a partnership with a Korean company which specialises in sanitising sticks, sold under the Dr Clo brand.

Medical professionals wearing full PPE

The sticks sterilise the air in an enclosed space, offering a 4 weeks continuous sanitising effect for a room. “The company now also makes a Dr Clo insert into name labels used in convention centres and large gathering, that – worn around the neck – offers portable protection against airborne bacteria and viruses. A great product with a great potential,” says Alain.

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Healthcare Feature Looking ahead “We are constantly working on new things. This includes sustainable solutions. We are now looking for a company to partner with for recycling PPE. There are so many face masks just thrown away that we are looking into starting a programme with hospitals and pharmacies to tackle the issue.” The right people are key for moving the business forward, and Alain Schibl has ample experience in choosing the right team. “People you know, people you can trust are the basis of a successful business. The product is always easy but to find the right people that are honest and on the same wavelength is another thing.” “A solid human capital base, with the right experience and the right credentials, is what makes the difference. Our team consists of prime experts in their field, such as Dr Cédric Loiret-Bernal, a senior global healthcare investment professional, and Yves Perrin, with a long professional career in pharmacology.” While the pandemic will hopefully end, the demand for PPE will – to some extent – remain. Still, Alain Schibl is looking further ahead. “I’m an entrepreneur. I am always aware of new trends, new developments. So, is this my final company? Absolutely not. The markets are speeding up in new directions. Banking, food tech... these are sectors where new technologies, new science will contribute to major transformation, bringing new opportunities. I’m watching carefully.” buyer@swiss-spc.com www.swiss-spc.com

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Malvern Kandemwa

Romana Moares

The Spirit of Life Uganda Breweries Ltd has become one of the greatest and truly Ugandan brands dedicated to celebrating and transforming lives in the country. Despite the global pandemic, the company has recorded significant growth over the last two years.

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ganda Breweries Limited (UBL), through East African Breweries Limited (EABL), a subsidiary of Diageo, one of the world’s largest producers of spirits and beers, has been a leading brewer in Uganda since it began operations in 1946. Located in Port Bell Luzira on the outskirts of Kampala, the brewery is being continuously modernised and its operating capacity expanded. The plant has a total brewing capacity of 1,000,000 hectolitres per year, set to grow by 50% with on-going investment in an expansion of the brewhouse.

Uganda Breweries Its product portfolio has grown over the years from its flagship product Bell Lager launched in 1950, to consists of 10 beer brands, 42 spirit brands, 3 ready-to-drink brands and 1 non- alcoholic beverage. UBL brands include: Uganda Waragi, Tusker Malt, Pilsner, White Cap, White Cap Light, Senator, Guinness, Allsopps and President Lager.

UBL has a rich talent pool of some of the best trained people. It directly employs over 390 staff.

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Being part of East African Breweries plc (EABL), the company has an important role to play. With breweries, distilleries, support industries and a distribution network across the region, the group’s diversity is an important factor in delivering the highest quality brands to East African consumers and long-term value to East African investors.

UBL has a rich talent pool of some of the besttrained people. It directly employs over 390 staff but indirectly creates employment for thousands more through its vast supply and distribution chain.

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Uganda Breweries Seven decades of growth The history of the company provides insights into the challenges and the opportunities facing corporate Uganda. The first Managing Director was a Dane and all the first directors of the new company were Europeans. The first drink produced by the new company came off the line in 1950 with a new, mild beer called “Bell Brand”. For the next six decades, Bell would become the flagship brand of UBL and for many, almost synonymous with the company itself. All through the second half of the 20th century, the company grew to cement its position as an important employer and the leading player in its sector in the domestic market. With the new millennium came new investment and refreshing changes. In 2010, following a major investment in new technology, the plant’s output was doubled, and Bell, the venerable brand, saw a new look launched in 2011. For 61 years the beer had been packed in a European-style bottle. From then on, it would be packaged in a “long neck” bottle. In the same year, a new 100ml PET bottle for Uganda Waragi was introduced into the market with the strap line “The Spirit that Binds Us.” The new bottle saw sales increase by 17%. In 2014, Uganda Breweries started to focus more than ever on the higher-value segment of the market. On average the higher-end brands, particularly the spirits, tended to yield a better profit margin than most of the beers. In June 2014, Smirnoff Ice Double Black was launched and its target market was the urban male consumer, while Senator Stout was launched in 2015 in 500ml and 300 ml bottles. The task facing UBL management for the second decade of the new millennium is to grow the beer market, where volumes are key, as well as to develop the more lucrative spirits market.

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Unlock your potential with Expediters Buy Anywhere Deliver Anywhere package. Expediters International is a transport and logistics company with a vision to be the most efficient and safest transport and logistics service provider by setting the standard in road safety and personalized management. Our Network participation is with trusted International Counterparts with deep expertise in the global market who are equally committed to serve your Interest. With proven track record in timely/ confidence delivery (the speed of now) we have what it takes to propel your business a notch higher in the market. Our services are tailor made to meet customer specific needs from same day delivery, time definite deliver and next day delivery. Through this we always assure our customers to prepare to sell on the same day they make orders. We also offer 4th Party logistics whereby on behalf of the customer, we control and manages the supply chain by overseeing the combination of warehouses, shipping, freight forwarders and agents. The recent assessment on the extent to which human activity affect the climate is bleak. It’s a reminder that every tonne of CO2 emitted contributes to global warming. This calls for quick action and that is why at Expediters we have started disclosing our C02 report at the CDB survey.

Beverages Feature In the right spirit The UBL product portfolio boasts 56 products, all expertly brewed to international standards. It also includes some of the world’s leading whiskies, stouts, beers and gins. The company is proud to be the custodian of leading global spirit brands; many of them have stood the test of time, spanning centuries. UBL offers single grain, single malt and blended whiskies, gins, brandies, rum, among others. Its global reach is matched by the broad portfolio of international and local brands - the company is a custodian of the top two largest spirits brands in the world, Johnnie Walker and Smirnoff, and 20 of the world’s top 100 spirits brands.

Uganda Breweries brands continue to play a role in the life of its consumers as the company leads the redefinition of the landscape for the alcohol industry in Uganda. As a brewer and a distiller, UBL also promotes responsible drinking with highly successful campaigns such as the Red Card campaign against underage consumption and drink-driving. The company is corporately committed to continuing to play a positive role in society, especially through sustainable domestic value creation. In addition to providing access to clean, safe water to more than two million Ugandans since 2013, the company, under its Local Raw Material programme, guarantees a market to over 17,000 farmers for locally grown grain and employs over 22,000 people along its supply and distribution value chain.

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Unlock your potential with Expediters’ Buy Anywhere, Deliver Anywhere package. www.expediters.co.ke

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Beverages Feature Other programmes that contribute to the enhancement of Uganda’s environment are on-going. In 2019 Uganda Breweries Limited launched a campaign that seeks to rally corporate companies to come together and respond to the growing concern of deforestation in the country, in a bid to foster sustainable development and sustainable production. Awarded performance The effort that the company has put into its products and its environment has not gone unnoticed. Just recently, Uganda breweries received two awards at the Diageo Global Supply Chain and Procurement Awards: the Brewery of the Year Award and the Excellence in Health, Safety and Wellbeing Award for Financial Year 2020/2021. Mr. Alfred Balikagira, the Supply Chain Director at UBL commented: “The drive for continuous improvement that is embedded in everything we do has made it possible to achieve these awards.” “These awards are a further demonstration of ownership by our shop floor team of being able to translate the manufacturing best practices into their day-to-day execution routines with every one walking the talk. It’s this culture of ownership that will ensure we sustain and continue to excel as a business and remain as the market leaders within the industry.” The Excellence in Health, Safety and Wellbeing Award is a testament to the brewery’s having been one of the safest work places in the world since time immemorial. In 2020, UBL celebrated 8 years of no Lost Time Accidents (LTA). Ron Miti, the health and safety manager at UBL, celebrated the milestone as an indication of growing personal safety and engagement through leadership at all levels of the business. “This is even more impressive considering the employees took it upon themselves and kept their safe-

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ty focus while operating and working around heavy equipment, flammable and hazardous materials at the brewery,” he said. Last year UBL celebrated its 75th anniversary, an important milestone proving the company’s strength and resilience. Now, the company has placed its eyes firmly on its 100th anniversary. As Uganda’s heritage brand, its ambition is to be the best performing, most trusted and respected consumer products company in the country. www.ugandabreweries.com

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Liv Culling

Romana Moares

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Virgin Media O2

Upgrading the UK Virgin Media O2 is combining the UK’s largest and most reliable mobile network operator with a broadband network that offers the nation’s fastest widely-available speeds.

n December 2021, Virgin Media O2 completed the upgrade of its entire national network to gigabit speeds, delivering nearly two thirds of the Government’s broadband

ambition four years ahead of the target date and confirming the company’s status as the UK’s largest gigabit provider. The operator completed its rollout after switching on gigabit speeds to a final 1.1 million homes for the first time, meaning all 15.5 million homes connected to Virgin Media O2’s fixed network can now access this hyper-fast connectivity. Virgin Media O2 is the only major internet service provider to have completed a gigabit upgrade programme on this scale, rolling out next-generation services to every home on its network in a little over two years without the need for lengthy construction work. This milestone solidifies Virgin Media O2’s leadership position with a gigabit network that is more than twice the size of its nearest competitor.

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Telecommunications Feature True partnerships Nick Good, Virgin Media O2’s Head of Operational Performance spoke to Business Enquirer about the latest developments in the company, and how it plans, together with its partners, to further improve services for the nation. He himself has been with the company for 12 years, holding a number of different positions, including managing business intelligence continuous improvement, performance management, partner management and strategy/planning teams, as well as leading teams to assess how to develop technology to better suit the business and its customers. He has witnessed first-hand the business transformation under various structures, including the most recent milestone - Virgin Media’s joint venture with O2 which launched in June 2021. Now, as Head of Operational Performance, he is responsible for five key strategic partnerships. “Our cable, voice and power systems are all supported by third parties, such as Connect44, ISS and Ericsson. Ultimately, my team is responsible for the performance of these partner services, plus the engagement to make sure that we treat our partners as an extension of Virgin Media O2. It’s really important that we capitalise on the working relationships that we have as true partnerships with our partner community.”

the importance of developing accountability. “I have been fortunate that members of my internal team are experts in their part of the network, with the required technical skills and extensive experience.” “I like to make sure that my team develops in the areas where they want and need to, as that is ultimately how I can empower them to do their job correctly - to look after our partners’ teams. Not only in terms of managing the relationships but, in some cases, having the responsibility for the actual end-to-end service. That takes a lot of accountability. Similarly, this is the approach they take towards the external partners they manage.” He points out that over the last two and a half years it has become clear that when engagement is established and partners are treated as an extension of Virgin Media O2, performance across all of the partners’ KPIs rises significantly. Virgin Media engineers in the field

A good example of this approach is the partnership with Connect44, a market leader in Europe around network operations with strong focus on service management and service assurance. The company has been a partner to both Virgin Media and O2 for many years, and the new joint venture will benefit from Connect44 delivering smart and unified services across both sides of the business bringing simplicity and cost reduction whilst delivering smarter automated services to Virgin Media O2’s network. Asked about his specific management style, in getting the best out of his people, he highlights

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Telecommunications Feature New leader in the UK Virgin Media O2 is relatively young. The company was formed in June 2021 as a 50:50 joint venture between Liberty Global and Telefónica combining their respective Virgin Media and O2 UK businesses. It is now one of the largest entertainment and telecommunications operators in the United Kingdom, serving around 47 million connections in 2021 across broadband, mobile, TV and home phone, and still growing. The teams are still settling down into their working patterns, says Nick Good, but the benefits of joining forces are clear. “The joint venture has brought together two large players in the UK market, Virgin Media from the cable side and O2 from the mobile side, to provide a truly comprehensive offering in the UK market: broadband, mobile, TV and fixed line voice.”

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The joint venture has brought together two large players ... to provide a truly comprehensive offering in the UK market: broadband, mobile, TV and fixed line voice

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In December, the company introduced ’Volt’– its first ever joint product, to give customers even more from their services – more speed, more data and better value. How? Simply by being customers of both brands. Volt offers double the broadband speed, double the mobile data and discounts on connected devices when customers have or choose to take a broadband service from Virgin Media and a Pay Monthly plan from O2. “The new joint offering came just a few months after the launch of Virgin Media O2, building on the company’s gigabit rollout momentum and at a time when 5G coverage from O2 was expanded to 210 locations. We are proud of that achievement, accomplished in a very short period of time, to bring real value to the end-consumer.” says Nick Good.

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Connect44 are a managed services partner and system Integrator founded over 20 years ago in Lucerne, Switzerland and today we’re a dynamic team of 1000 operating in 9 Countries across Europe. Our largest operation is in the UK where we have 300 employees who manage and support various leading Telco vendors and carriers. The company founders still lead the business which enables decision making and service delivery to remain focused and agile. Across the Connect44 group we have the full range of competencies to support our clients as they design and build their networks, but we consider ourselves to be market leaders in Europe around network operations with strong focus on service management and service assurance which we provide together with our “best in class” NOCs in the UK, Romania and far shore. Our key capabilities around network operations include: •

Proven technology management expertise of mobile and fixed networks across Europe with pragmatic automation, focused on where it adds value.

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Vendor-agnostic Fixed-Mobile-IT Operations Centre capability across RAN, Transmission, Core networks, OSS, IT infrastructure and services.

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Offshore costs and flexibility with On-shore expertise and market understanding.

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Company structure which enables a flexible and agile approach compared to some larger competitors.

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Strong 24/7 performance culture, proactive service ownership, accountability and focused on delivering best service and overall customer experience.

Virgin Media O2 •

Multiple NOC’s operating in UK and across Europe provide 24/7 front office and service desk with vendor agnostic back office.

es today to restrict our clients and technologies such as 5G and edge bring new opportunities to us all to expand new services to our Enterprise clients and businesses.

•

Strong experience is Change, Incident and Problem management functions with Best-in-Class network security underpinning all activity and support.

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ITIL based, ISO 27001, ISO9001 and InfoSec compliant.

As a business we like many strive to establish greener ways to deliver services, not just to reduce our own carbon footprint but also to invest in new technologies to reduce emissions through smarter working. One such area is the introduction of the Connect44 Drone and Digital Twin division which enables us to dramatically reduce physical presence of multiple teams to survey and build accurate digital views of our client’s estates whether that be a Telco Cell site, transport infrastructure or any physical infrastructure. Our Drone fleet are merely vehicles to collect data over pre-determined flight plans, the key here is our software and innovative approach to algorithms and AI embedded in our solution to deliver an outstanding view of the landscape and client’s assets whilst reducing cost and complexity.

Our NOC teams provide the centre piece of our network operations, with over 250 personnel across multiple NOC’s in Europe and the capability to scale at pace. We believe strongly in the provision of automation and have integrated the C44 vendor agnostic automation engine into our services, with RPA for repetitive task action and single pane of glass to integrate cross technology NEMS and performance data feeds. Partnerships are key to our business, Connect44 have thrived by building strong relationships with our clients, understanding their business, challenges and together building better networks. We’re proud that Virgin Media and O2 have been key partners of ours for many years, in the case of O2 our collaboration stretches back 18 years and we have delivered services into many areas of their network with over 200 colleagues today dedicated to their business. Our Virgin Media relationship has also grown with new teams added to their networks support this year. We were delighted to see the joint venture last year between the two creating a formidable force in the UK market and see our future with them delivering smart and unified services across both sides of the business bringing simplicity and cost reduction whilst delivering smarter automated services to Virgin Media O2’s network.

Renewable energy solutions developed in cooperation with Clients and our Green Centre of Excellence in Denmark introduced Wind and Solar technologies to significantly reduce our client’s dependence on grid usage especially around connected site Infrastructure for 5G densification in rural areas. We have also invested heavily in our Charger NOC Mobility division to support Europe’s growth in electric vehicle charging networks making good networks great with 24/7 monitoring and support to improve quality of services their users deserve and to enhance market confidence to support its growth. Overall Connect44 are obsessed with being a responsible partner to our European clients, both in what and how we deliver services with Speed, simplicity and trust.

Connect44 prides itself on 3 key areas, speed, simplicity, and trust where we treat our clients’ networks as if they were our own with pride in delivering great service and innovation in line with the market we serve. Today the markets we address are growing, our clients are looking to Connect44 to deliver broader services as they use their own technology to diversify into the Telco and Enterprise marketplace. There are fewer boundari-

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Virgin Media O2 Supercharged by the pandemic In December, a new analysis released by Virgin Media O2 revealed the impact of another pandemic year on the nation’s connectivity habits across mobile, broadband and TV networks. Virgin Media O2 saw its biggest ever year for data use on both broadband and mobile networks, as more people than ever went online to chat, stream, share and game. In 2021, customers downloaded 19% more broadband data than the previous year, with mobile traffic up 45% year-on-year. “Not only had demand increased but the criticality of that demand had skyrocketed,” says Nick Good. “Ultimately, our services have to support people in all of their working, educational and entertainment requirements; Virgin Media also provides services to the NHS, police forces around the UK and other critically important stakeholders. Although Virgin Media is used to operating in a highly competitive and rapidly shifting market, and is consequently used to having to respond to external influences, Covid presented a very different experience for us in terms of our ability to react. However, as a business we stepped up for our customers and have been working hard to meet that demand and keep the country connected.” Virgin Media engineer at work

Vehicle in new Virgin O2 livery

The right mix He further points out that there is a lot of happening in the industry right now. Capitalising on 5G capability will stretch across the next few years and demands on communication will further increase. “We’re committed to bringing 5G to over half of the UK’s population in 2023 and have already started to deploy our low-band spectrum to strengthen the experience of our network across the country and especially indoors. We’ve just added Samsung into our diverse portfolio of network vendors and also recently announced that we’re working with Ericsson to build our 5G standalone core network.” Internally, the young joint venture is set to foster its internal team partnerships and enable its staff to provide the best service to end-customers. As mentioned before, external partnerships are an integral part of that journey. “We try to get everyone engaged as one community. Our external partners need to feel like part of Virgin Media O2, and our people need to feel like part of their team.” “For me personally, the goal is to make sure that we optimise the partner community within our new joint venture, to understand the right mix and the right services. To have the right partners that deliver the right service is what will move us forward, to the ultimate satisfaction of our customers,” concludes Nick Good. www.virginmediao2.co.uk

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Jamie Waite

Romana Moares

Martin Purvis, CEO, Westmoreland Mining

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Westmoreland Mining

Powering up for the Future Founded nearly 170 years ago, Westmoreland, the oldest independent coal company in the United States, has long been a cornerstone of America’s energy generation sector. Today, facing a changing environment, the company is transforming into a business set to meet the energy needs of tomorrow..

estmoreland boasts an impressive history stretching back to 1854. Over the years, the company has gone through various changes, meeting challenges and capitalising on opportunities, generating a solid footprint on the North American continent and becoming an indispensable part of the economy. With a track record of innovation and service, together with a zero-harm commitment to worker safety, the company has energised and supported communities and businesses for decades. The changing energy environment that profoundly affected the coal industry in the new millennium also hit Westmoreland, but in 2019 the company emerged from Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in a new shape and form, drawing on its legacy, but also set to transform to serve new needs, expanding its focus to include new lines of business. This was the time when Martin Purvis was brought in to try to rebuild the business and transition Westmoreland into something different, while making the most of its existing assets. The results of the last three years under his

Dump trucks ready to go at Westmoreland’s Rosebud mine

leadership as the company CEO speak for themselves. “We are a company now that is very focused on its future: transitioning, evolving into a different entity,” he says. Today, Westmoreland’s traditional operations include a variety of underground and surface, thermal coal mines in the western United States and Canada, a char production facility, and a 50% interest in an activated carbon plant. The company has 14 operations in total, including 12 mines stretching all the way from Canada through Montana, North Dakota and down to New Mexico, following the spine of the Rocky Mountains. It continues to be an essential partner to power generating stations, while supporting communities as before.

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Westmoreland Mining Inspiring leadership Martin, a mining engineer by trade, has spent over 40 years working in the industry. After completing a BSc Honours Degree at Leeds University in the UK, he started his career with Anglo American Corporation in the deep-level gold mines in South Africa. Since then he has occupied a number of senior leadership roles in a broad range of operational and corporate positions, across a diversified portfolio of commodities, with international coal trade and developments being a key component of that journey. Martin says he was destined for a career in mining since his school days, when on a school trip he visited Grime’s Graves, the prehistoric flint mine in Norfolk, and was captivated. “My mother, who herself was passionate about her lifelong job as a nurse, used to say: find something that you love and enjoy, then you wouldn’t have to work a day in your life. I have found that in mining,” he says. “I’ve worked in all the major continents, excluding Antarctica (but you never know?) in many different types of mines from gold, coal and base metals to specialty minerals and diamonds, interacting with so many different people and cultures along the way. To say it has been an awesome adventure would be an understatement. I have been a very lucky person to join this incredible industry, I love every day, but never take the opportunity I’ve been given for granted.” He reflects that being surrounded by great people is the recipe for success, and the first one to receive a mention is his wife. “To have a great partner is key, and my fabulous wife Lesley has supported me in that journey every step of the way. So to be successful, at least in my view, you must enjoy what you do but also, and ultimately, it’s your colleagues, support group and work mates that make all the difference to your career, well-being and success.” Speaking about the transformation achieved in

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the company over the last three years, he mentions how fortunate he has been to have a great team of vastly experienced individuals in his leadership team to rely upon. “As many people know, going through Chapter 11 is a gruelling experience and these individuals stuck around through thick and thin to build a much better, stronger platform for the future. “Without their dedication and effort, we would be facing a very different and far less promising future than the one we look at today. We have also been lucky to have a nimble, knowledgeable, and supportive Board of Directors, with Paul Vining, something of an icon in our industry, mentoring and guiding our progress every step of the way.

Paul Vining, Chairman, Westmoreland Mining

“People in this company are passionate about the journey towards a paradigm for change. There is a strong belief and energy around what we want to be as we transition and grow around a new set of wants and needs in a business prepared for the future.” Martin notes that this agile approach has proved invaluable during the Covid pandemic that has been around for most of his tenure as CEO. “Throughout the company we adopted a ‘change before you have to’ mentality, and this made a big difference to mitigating the impacts on both the business and our people.”

Resources Feature Pre-shift vehicle inspection at Westmoreland’s Rosebud mine

Imperial Oil Proudly supplying Westmoreland “Imperial has had a long and valued relationship with Westmoreland, and is proud to supply their mines across western Canada with high quality fuels and lubricants. In recent months, Imperial has had the opportunity to work with Westmoreland to conduct a field demonstration of its advanced, fully formulated Esso Diesel Efficient on the mine’s equipment. The trial is in its final stages of analysis, but Imperial fully expects that Westmoreland will see the benefits associated with using Esso Diesel Efficient. Westmoreland is a progressive partner and Imperial looks forward to supporting their continued success.”

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Westmoreland Mining In a modern form In today’s world, energy is something most people take for granted. Energy security is one of the basic human needs, a critical aspect that generates warmth, food, jobs. Westmoreland produces around 25 million tonnes of coal a year, providing power to roughly 4 million homes, as well as to factories, schools, and hospitals. “We can’t just switch off our mines, we still have the legacy and the responsibility to meet the demands of those people who don’t have any alternatives. To do this we operate 365-days a year, round the clock and in every type of weather, from bitter, freezing cold to over a 100 degrees at some of our mines. Everyone in our company is well aware of the responsibility we carry,” Martin affirms. “However, we do realise that things are going to change. The good news here is that thanks to our history and the valuable footprint on which it was made, we’ve already identified opportunities to develop some very exciting new initiatives. We operate in prime locations in proximity to people and communities with fabulous skills, in areas with existing infrastructure, right on top of key interconnectors to the grid. We plan to use these assets to explore and build advanced solar plants, carbon capture facilities and even agricultural products like organic fertilisers.”

“

Coal mining will go on for many years to come, but we are going to expand other business lines.

“

These environmentally friendly initiatives, as well as others in the pipeline, will run in parallel with coal mining in a new vehicle called WestMET, which stands for Westmoreland Minerals, Energy and Technology. “Coal mining will go on for many years to come, but we are going to expand other business lines to form a unique business enterprise for our shareholders and employees,” Martin says.

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A new enterprise that will be the home for innovative ideas and initiatives that provide solutions and products for the world we live in today and for the future.

“

- WestMET

Jeffrey Kukura, SVP of Technical Services and Organizational Transformation

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Resources Feature Delivering on the promise Now more than ever, technology is playing a vital role in the resource industry. With the rise of GPS drones, advanced software programs and intelligent mining equipment, the coal mining industry is keeping pace with other mining sectors. Utilising the latest technology allows Westmoreland to make the most of its resources, enhance operational efficiency, reduce costs and most important, to further enhance operational safety. “Mining will continue to be a vital but often overlooked contributor to the lives of people on this planet. For me, the difference between cave dwellers and space travellers is mining. No other endeavour, going back to the difference that those flint tools and flint buildings made to pre-historic man, has delivered the quantum of change in humanity that mining has. It is just as critical today – probably more so with close to 8 billion “tech-hungry” inhabitants – as it has always been.” Martin reiterates that Westmoreland has clear objectives going forward, to deliver on long-standing contractual requirements with impeccable reliability and, just as importantly, to transition and prepare the company for a new and multi-faceted energy environment. As proof of concept and to prove a point, Martin reflects on the past three years. “We’ve gained more and more momentum and confidence in our model since emergence back in March 2019, delivering several major milestones on the way. Together, this Westmoreland team has generated over US$250 million of free cash flow and paid off our entire First Lien debt, more than six months ahead of schedule. At the same time we have lifted our ambitions from the current to the future and all going well, established the foundations for the next few chapters of this amazing company.” www.westmoreland.com

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Surface work at San Juan

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