Exploration geologist Mark Bennett joins us for a conversation on his journey finding world-class ore bodies, from his start at Western Mining, through discoveries at Thunderbox and onto the staggering story of the Nova-Bollinger discovery.
Mark shares stories from WMC, getting a taste for success at LionOre, the disaster at Apex that taught him how boards really work, and his deal with Mark Creasy that birthed Sirius. He relives the white-knuckle Nova discovery, drilled on the last holes they could afford, the 18-month dance with circling predators, battling Glencore on an offtake, and the IGO takeover.
We get into:
• Why big companies create the openings for small explorers
• Riding LionOre from $40m to $7B
• How disaster at Apex shaped the next steps
• The iconic Nova-Bollinger discovery
• Dancing with predators, tussling with Glencore, and the culminating takeover
…………...…
DIRECTOR'S SPECIAL EMAIL
Join 16k+ subscribers to the Director’s Special: one daily email with all the news that matters in mining
……………
TIMESTAMPS
(0:00) Why Mark Matters
(8:30) Explorer Mindset Secret Sauce
(16:40) Small Companies, Big Bets
(25:20) LionOre Discovery Momentum
(31:10) Apex Disaster Board Lessons
(38:30) Meeting Mark Creasy
(44:20) Nova Discovery Rollercoaster
(55:40) Takeover Dance and Reflections
……………
PARTNERS
Sandvik Ground Support – The only ground support you’ll ever need
Focus by Marketech – All your mining news and market needs in one powerful platform | 10-day free trial
Metalshub - The leading supply chain software to buy, sell and trade raw materials | https://www.metals-hub.com/en/money-of-mine/
Exceed Capital – Diversify your portfolio with Exceed’s property funds
……………
FOLLOW & CONNECT
• LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook
……………
JOIN THE GROUP CHAT
Join the Money of Mine Discord Server
……………
DISCLAIMER
All information in this podcast is for education and entertainment purposes only and is of general nature only.
Please ensure you read our full disclaimer.