Top Executives on the Outlook for Metals and Mining

"We are living in a very volatile world. It's a difficult world, with geopolitical tensions and wars. But we also live in a world that is growing. The U.S. is growing strongly and not least helped by the technology industry at the moment. And China is growing, not least helped by how they are moving on with the energy transition. For us, that's a good thing. When the physical world is growing, it's good for the mining world as demand for our products. So, I'm actually cautiously optimistic at this point in time. Despite all the volatility of the world." Jakob Stausholm, CEO of Rio Tinto

"The combination of energy transition and the lifting standard around the world. Yes, we have some very difficult and challenging situations in the world right now, but in the longer term, in the five to 10-year period, the change in living standard of the world is going to demand a lot more metals." Michael Jones, CEO, Next Step Power 

"I think that copper story speaks for itself. We've been the new kids on the block for the past three years while we were bringing Kamoa-Kakula into production, and now we are ramping up with phase three coming online earlier. We've also made a discovery at Kamoa, adjacent to Kamoa, in the Western forelands and is called Kitoko. So we think we're going to do it again. It's exciting times for us as a company as we grow our business." Marna Cloete, President, Ivanhoe Mines

"I'm optimistic about the outlook. I'm constructive, and I think there are several reasons for that. One is that mining is able to make a significant contribution to some of the key challenges that we face as society, and one of them being climate change. And if you think about copper, for example, more quantities of copper are required to be able to decarbonize the world, and therefore, that contribution is something that mining can only bring to the table. And the second one is that with time and with the transformation and the science and the technology that we have today, we're able to mine in a responsible and sustainable way." Iván Arriagada, CEO, Antofagasta 

"I'm very optimistic for the mining sector, specifically as I look at the gold price. It remains healthy above $2,000 per ounce. Yet, when you look at the fundamentals behind it, there have been significant ETF outflows over the last 12 months, and typically, that drives the gold price down. However, it's staying at healthy levels because you have central banks buying and strong buying coming out of Asia." Martino De Ciccio, CEO, Montage Gold 

"I'm very optimistic for the metals and mining sector. One, I feel that commodities are going to have a good run. Metals are going to perform well; mining will perform well. But even more than that, I think that the world is realizing how critical these metals will be. And frankly, it's important to us, how mining really can contribute to the societies that we operate in. So we are very optimistic at Agnico Eagle." Ammar Al-Joundi, President and CEO, Agnico Eagle

"I think it's such an exciting time in metals and mining and not just because there's more of a realization now of the value of the products that we've produced for our economies. But as a provider of finance to the industry, it's terrific to see so many new mines being built that'll contribute to our portfolio. Very exciting to see the benefits and the impact that the mining community has. And it's very gratifying to be in a business where you put capital to work, and you see such positive outcomes." Paul Brink, President and CEO, Franco-Nevada

"It's a really exciting time in the industry itself, where I think we've got a chance to deliver something to society that we've always known they've needed. But I think there's a bigger section of the population that now has an understanding around the importance of responsibly sourced minerals. And, as an industry, we have an incredible opportunity to show how we can do it right." Randy Smallwood, President and CEO, Wheaton Precious Metals