Metals & Mining

Significant talent moves

Talent search and competitive intelligence specialists

Here’s a glance at some highlights of people moves in metals in recent weeks.

To quote from the website of precious metals group MKS Pamp, its New York subsidiary Manfra, Tordella & Brookes is one of world’s leading distributors of bullion bars and also operates a COMEX/NYMEX depository. News at MTB involves the appointment of Mike Villagomez as Senior VP-Precious Metals Sales and Trading. It echoes the job title Mike held previously at ICBC Standard Resources. For Standard Bank Group before that, he was Senior VP-Commodity Sales & Trading.

Martín Núñez joins ArrowMetals Asia as Senior Trader-Minor Metals and Ferro Alloys. Switzerland and London have featured in his career to date, from trading bulk alloys for TMT Metals and ferro alloys for MRI Trading to being a ferro alloys trader for LN Metals International and London Metals.

Glencore’s new Head Cobalt Trader, David Brocas, has traded cobalt and molybdenum for the group since 2013. That had meant a switch of sectors from oil, after working in analysis for both Shell and BP.

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*Based on moves tracked by Commodity Appointments in last 12 months.

Infographic

*Based on moves tracked by Commodity Appointments in last 12 months.

In 2018, Guokai opened subsidiary ASK Resources in Hong Kong, to begin expanding internationally; now in 2019 its move into the European market has arrived. This later chapter involves hiring Guillaume Taieb to be General Manager of a new ASK Resources office in Geneva to trade base metals in Europe. Guillaume was most recently Geneva-based as an LME and physical metals trader for Arc Resources, having moved there in 2010 from a junior trader slot at LDC.

At the Singapore office of Australian mining company South32, Majie Meng has joined to be Marketing Manager for nickel and lead/zinc concentrate. He transfers from Shanghai where he was a sourcing manager of raw materials such as nickel and chrome for Tsingshan Holdings. Until 2017, Majie had been a Sumitomo deputy section chief in trading rare metals as well as nickel, zinc and copper.

Hyohun (Kevin) Song is newly appointed Head of Zinc and Lead Trading-Asia for ThyssenKrupp in Singapore. At Awin Resource International since 2017 he had been Senior Trader in base metals for Asian markets. Earlier, Kevin was Lead marketing manager for Korea Zinc.

News from Dubai confirms the appointment by Bluequest Resources of Aurélien Thomas to head its metal trading activities in Africa. Formerly Aurélien worked in Switzerland and then South Africa for IXM (ex-Louis Dreyfus Company Metals), including six years in Johannesburg as Senior Metals Trader and manager of the African desk.

Johannesburg-based John Moni is now at Tennant Metals as Trader, having spent the past year trading metallic ore for Stratore. He is also an ex-member of Glencore’s marketing team for manganese ore in South Africa.

A founder and former chair of an organisation to represent Canadian mining and exploration interests in Mexico is the new President/CEO of Rathdowney Resources in Vancouver. J.R.H. (Dick) Whittington has over 40 years of international experience with various mining companies, including the chief executive role at zinc producer Farallon Mining. He replaces Robert Konski, who remains head of the company’s Polish subsidiary --- Rathdowney’s declared primary focus is on developing its 100% owned Olza project for zinc/lead/silver production in south-west Poland.

Anglo American creates new role of Head of Precious Metals Trading

Jeff Gerard from Glencore International has been appointed the new CEO of Glencore subsidiary, Katanga Mining. Jeff’s move to the African copper/cobalt producer comes soon after Glencore International signed a managed services agreement with Katanga. Until now he has been chief development officer of Glencore Coal in Sydney, formed by Glencore’s merger with Xstrata in 2013. Before that he was Xstrata’s COO-Americas and then COO-South Africa. He will also serve as head of Glencore’s assets in the Democratic Republic of Congo and will oversee the group’s other operation there.

Anglo American’s newly created role of Head of Precious Metals Trading, in charge of traders in Singapore and London, brings Arzhang Kaynama to the group from a similar London-based position at Sumitomo. Previous roles for Arzhang have included Executive Director for AIG Financial Products and Associate Director at Credit Suisse, leading to four years as a director of Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Simon Morris is the new Global Head of Metals for Wood Mackenzie in London. Previously he was employed by Rio Tinto in GM roles covering strategic ventures and corporate relations, having been in Mozambique for the company on the executive committee of a newly acquired coal business.

Triland Metals Tokyo has chosen Yoshio Sato to be its GM. Yoshio started out as a Cargill marketer of ags and softs, but switched sectors when moving to manage the base metals team of Mitsui in 2010. The last two years have been as Senior Account Executive/Marketer at Toyota Tsusho Metals.

We wish success to Makram Ebeid, who has founded EA (Europe Africa) Ventures as an independent consultancy and investment company specialised in the steel industry. While its headquarters are in Geneva, it operates through its UK subsidiary in London. He was previously with Tata International, where he advanced to be Trading Manager for steel products in the ENWA (Europe, North and West Africa) region.

Also, in London, Robert Streeter’s latest role is Senior Trader at COBI Global/Vanomet. It means a move from being EMEA Regional Manager for metal derivatives at S&P Global Platts. Robert has additionally worked in Germany as a senior metal derivatives trader for RWE and in the UK as an iron ore options broker for GFI Group.

Cargill’s Shanghai office has welcomed Jake Hays to become Steel Trading Manager, responsible for the company’s steel trading business both domestically in China and internationally. His 13 years at Cargill have seen Jake mainly fill North American positions, in products ranging from industrial starch and biodiesel to agricultural crops. His most recent slot has been Chief Transformation Officer, based in Minnesota, leading Cargill’s ag supply chain network through operational change.

From Société Generale metals trading to LME Broker at Tullett Prebon is the path being followed by Andrew Patterson in London. Andrew was Senior Director-Metals London for the Newedge financial services company acquired by Société Generale in 2014 and went on to be EMEA Head at the commodities metals and iron ore desk of Société Generale Corporate & Investment Banking.

At Zug in Switzerland, Tiberius Group confirms appointing Monika Zientara as Senior Trader. Monika’s trading career in metals has previously been with LN Metals International, MRI Trading and (most recently) TMT Metals.

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