Dig Deep Innovating Mining: The Transition to Sustainable Practices at Central Asia Metals
In this episode, we chat with Gavin Ferrar, who is now the new CEO of Central Asia Metals, a base metals producer on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange and has a copper operation in Kazakhstan, and a zinc and lead mine in North Macedonia.
With a geology and finance background, Gavin has over 25 years of experience mainly working in the London investment banking sector focusing on debt and derivative financing for mining clients of Barclays Capital and equity and debt investments for Investec. He became the CFO of Central Asia Metals back in 2018 before stepping into the CEO’s shoes just recently. Gavin talks to us about his new role, how the company has progressed during his tenure, their ESG initiatives, and their business development activities especially with their recent investment into Aberdeen Minerals.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Central Asia Metals operates two key assets: the Kounrad copper processing facility in Kazakhstan and the Sasa lead-zinc mine in North Macedonia. Both operations have shown strong profitability, with Kounrad achieving a 72% margin and projected copper production of 13,000 to 14,000 tons for the year.
The company is transitioning to more efficient mining methods at Sasa, including paste fill and dry stack tailings, which enhance resource extraction, improve safety, and extend the mine's life to 2039.
Central Asia Metals is committed to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices, including a solar power project in Kazakhstan aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and compliance with the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM).
The company is actively seeking to expand its portfolio by acquiring additional cash-flowing assets and has invested in ventures like Camel X for greenfields exploration in Kazakhstan and Aberdeen Minerals, which shows promising geological potential.
BEST MOMENTS
"I think my elevation to the CEO is part of that continuity... two people who understand the business intimately, but are also very keen to drive Central Asia Metals into its next phase of growth."
"We've achieved exceptionally high margins, and the recent results that we put out in September, the margins that we're achieving are around 72%, which is fantastic."
"The benefits now is that we've got much more efficient extraction of that resource using much more selective mining techniques."
"Our goal is to achieve a 50% reduction in our greenhouse gas emissions by 2030... this was part of that program in terms of getting there."
VALUABLE RESOURCES
Mail: rob@mining-international.org
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/
X: https://twitter.com/MiningRobTyson
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/DigDeepTheMiningPodcast
Web: http://www.mining-international.org
Website: https://www.centralasiametals.com/
Investor Relations Manager
Richard Morgan
36 Carnaby Street
London
W1F 7DR
+44 (0) 20 7898 9001
richard.morgan@centralasiametals.com
ABOUT THE HOST
Rob Tyson is the Founder and Director of Mining International Ltd, a leading global recruitment and headhunting consultancy based in the UK specialising in all areas of mining across the globe from first-world to third-world countries from Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia. We source, headhunt, and discover new and top talent through a targeted approach and search methodology and have a proven track record in sourcing and positioning exceptional candidates into our clients' organisations in any mining discipline or level. Mining International provides a transparent, informative, and trusted consultancy service to our candidates and clients to help them develop their careers and business goals and objectives in this ever-changing marketplace.
CONTACT METHOD
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/
Podcast Description
Rob Tyson is an established recruiter in the mining and quarrying sector and decided to produce the “Dig Deep” The Mining Podcast to provide valuable and informative content around the mining industry. He has a passion and desire to promote the industry and the podcast aims to offer the mining community an insight into people’s experiences and careers covering any mining discipline, giving the listeners helpful advice and guidance on industry topics.