THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Root and branch
Continuing her series emphasising the ‘arboreal’ qualities of Islanders, Philippa Evans-Bevan interviewed Mike Osborne, managing director of Ronez Quarry
R
onez Quarry celebrates its 150th anniversary this year. This important business, which has been pivotal to the creation of Jersey’s infrastructure and foundations, as seen in the construction of roads, hospitals, homes, leisure and education facilities, continues to grow and innovate sustainably under the stewardship of managing director Mike Osborne. His story is a fascinating focus for this issue of the Root and Branch profile page; his ‘roots’ have penetrated many bedrocks and mines across the world. Mike was born in Liverpool and from the age of 14 travelled extensively and moved readily as opportunities arose along his career path.
22
You quickly realize that this is a man with a strong work ethic, passionate about the well-being and fulfillment of his team, and a pioneering spirit, which has driven his ability and inspiration to take on new challenges in tough and varied environments. Mike’s father worked in the Far East, in the sporting industry for Dunlop, so from an early age Mike learnt to adapt to working and living in different cultures. Aged 16, Mike was playing golf one day in the Philippines with his father and a friend. The guest was a Canadian mining engineer and their conversation about his work inspired Mike to pursue a career in mining.
Determined study gained him a place at The Royal School of Mines (at Imperial College, London) where he earned a degree in mining engineering. Next stop Cornwall, where he cut his teeth in the tin mines, and then came a move to Australia, a vast spectrum in comparison, where his skills were further developed in open-cast coal mining. This led to a position in South Africa where the task was to extract underground coal. Mike stayed in South Africa until the late 1980s when a job in the quarrying and building materials industry in the Home Counties and latterly in Wales beckoned him back to the UK. It was only a matter of time before his leadership and knowledge of the mining industry created a new opportunity and he was off to eastern Europe to run quarrying businesses in the Czech Republic and Poland, before making another move to Berlin.
