May 2014
MODERN MINING
17
MINING News
Roger Dixon, Chairman of SRK
(South Africa).
SRK’s 40-year success story
SRK Consulting, an independent, global company
providing services to the mining and water
resource industries, is celebrating 40 years of
business. From its small, 1974 beginnings in
Johannesburg, South Africa, it has grown into
an international company with more than
1 500 employees.
“We are grateful to our clients for the
opportunities to provide them with
advice and solutions,”said Andy Barrett,
SRK Group CEO. “Our company’s repu-
tation and track record have been
built largely on their projects, and
we thank them for their trust and
confidence.”
Group and UK Chairman Mike
Armitage added that SRK’s achieve-
ments can be attributed to its
people. “We have been able to add
value to our clients’ projects by
attracting and retaining talented
professionals, some of whom are
world leaders in their fields,” he said.
While SRK initially focused on providing geotechnical andmine design
services, over the last four decades it has broadened its scope to cover
all aspects of the mining industry from grass-roots exploration to mine
closure.
“Mining, by its very nature, requires a multi-disciplinary approach,”
said Roger Dixon, Chairman of SRK (South Africa). “This applies more
today than ever before, particularly with respect to the environmental
and social impacts of mineral projects.”
For example, SRK recently undertook environmental and social impact
assessments andmanagement planning – including stakeholder engage-
ment – for several mines in the Congo and Zambia. A major objective of
clients was to augment their social licences to operate through transpar-
ent, open, and good-faith engagement with stakeholders.
“Key outcomes of this work include improved relationships and trust
between the client, communities, and other stakeholders; access to fund-
ing from financial institutions requiring Equator Principles compliance;
and permit renewal for several of the projects,”Dixon said.
SRK regards its independence – through employee-ownership and not
holding equity in any project – as a fundamental attribute that enables
it to provide demonstrably conflict-free, objective recommendations on
crucial judgement issues.
“One of our regular tasks is providing high-level assurance to clients
contemplating financial transactions where ‘real money’ is on the line for
buyers and lenders,”said Simon Hanrahan, Chairman of SRK (Australasia).
“Good corporate governance usually requires technical valuations to be
confirmed through independent, third-party reviews.”
When Barrick recently offered its Yilgarn South assets for sale in
Australia, Gold Fields not only conducted its own internal analysis but
also appointed SRK to conduct an independent, parallel review. SRK’s
study addressed geology, resource, mining, geotechnical, mineral pro-
cessing, tailings management, infrastructure, and environmental issues,
and contributed towards Gold Fields’ ultimately successful purchase of
these Barrick assets.
