My SLO story

Working in the resource industry for over forty years, I started my career working underground as a mining engineer, gradually shifting towards project management before taking an unexpected yet rewarding turn towards community relations in Ghana back in 2005. Post graduate Community Relations Management studies at University of Queensland, a two-year stint in Madagascar and a series of short-term assignments in Brazil, Canada, Ghana (again and again), Indonesia, Mali, Papua New Guinea, Saudi Arabia, Uganda and most recently Vietnam round out my industry experience.

The early days in Ghana introduced me to the Newmont Health, Safety, Environment and Community Integrated Management System which was industry-leading practice at the time. I also had the opportunity to work with data management pioneers Boreal-is and with Luc Zandvliet, co-author in 2009 with Mary B Anderson of ‘Getting it Right. Making Corporate – Community Relations Work’. Luc has become a friend as well as a colleague and has been one of the biggest influences on my thinking about the social issues related to mining - as my first contact with the “other side”, introducing me to the importance of conflict management and the fact (obvious with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight) that mining development by default creates tension and conflict, and that it is how companies approach conflict – as an opportunity or a threat – that shapes the relationship between the company and the community. Taken together the three provided direction, structure, and process for me as a community relations novice.

The other big influence was an early experience of getting it wrong, where an ill-considered comment was interpreted as an ultimatum to essentially "take it or else..." and led to a surprising (at the time) and violent confrontation.

Helping others to avoid getting themselves into the same sort of situation was one of the reasons for developing the website and toolkit. My idea was to bring together experiences and lessons from my time in Ghana and since into an easy-to-use resource that is equally useful as a how-to-guide for a new starter and as a memory jogger for a more experienced manager.

I'd like to think these on-line resources will help you move ahead with some confidence. That being said, if you feel the need some additional help, use the contact form at the bottom of the page to send me some details and I'll get back to you with some ideas..