Sector Discussion meeting on Agriculture, Farming, Fishing, Mining and Forestry,

Held on Monday 15th January 2024 at 16:30 CET via Zoom conference call, members of the Association meet to hold a Sector Discussion meeting on Agriculture, Farming, Fishing, Mining and Forestry, with the participation of 15 members.

• The goal of these meetings is to exchange information, help each other, and share what we are currently working on to see if we can collaborate. To strengthen relationships between members, it is important to have API and each other in mind while working day to day.
• Presentation conducted by Michael Alexander with the support of Alicia Luna Rodríguez.
• Santiago briefly introduces the new partners in India and Singapore.
• Michael Alexander introduces Alexander Whitehead, their firm in Canada. A high percentage of their income comes from mining, forestry, industrial manufacturing and renewable energy. Canada is a resource-based economy. It’s their 11^th year as a company. MA has experience with an international recruitment firm.
• In the mining sector, there is the junior mining space (exploration, precious metals, base metals) and there is the renewable area (cobalt, lithium, graphite). There is also a mid-tier. Major companies have an HR team. Mid-tier companies are where they do most of their biggest and most important placements.
• They work with a retained model, charging 25-30% of the first year salary for the position, and give clients a year guarantee. In Alexander Whitehead they work with a third party to do in-house psychometric assessments pf candidates.
• ST asks if there is a lot of rotation and exchange of workers. The answer is that in the mining sector there has been a lot of consolidation. And the trends in the market is that there will continue to be consolidation.
• There are a couple major conferences that are worth attending if we are exposed to this market. One in Cape Town South Africa and another one in Toronto. In Canada the big hubs of mining are in western Canada, Vancouver, and Toronto. MA has put together a set of links with relevant information.
• They are seeing that foreign countries such as Australia and China are trying to buy resources in Canada. Alexander Whitehead does a lot of work for organizations headquartered in Canada. Regarding their international work, it has been mostly in the Americas, West Africa and also in India but more in the forestry side there.
• Alicia Luna Rodriguez shares their work which is mostly focused on the Agriculture sector. In their experience, there is an increased importance around environmental aspects. At the same time, culture in organizations is becoming fundamental, and in their work they make sure that the candidate fits the culture of the company. Alto Potencial has been in the market in Mexico for the last 16 years. Mexico has a strategic geographical position in America and it is a very good moment for the talent in Mexico, as it is recognized in international companies. Specially in agriculture, the market behaves similarly as MA described for the mining industry in Canada.
• ST shares that in Spain there are powerful businesses in Mining. Concerning Agriculture, for example, there is a company that is working in the US. Other Spanish companies work internationally in this sector.
• ST asks Manuj Bij from AdAstra which sectors they are stronger in. India has different regions and cultures. In the south the tech space is a sweet spot. As they have been building the 9 offices in India, the demands have been different for each region. From a sectorial specialization perspective, their strong points are Consumer, Retail, IT and Manufacturing. Within Manufacturing they have light manufacturing and heavy manufacturing. Another  relevant sector is Transportation, which includes Automotive, Aerospace… India is also big in Agriculture and Farming. Within these sectors, there is a tech space, and chemical and pesticide companies. This is attracting a lot of investment, so the financial services sector is very active as well.
• Various members discuss their presence in the sector and introduce themselves to the new members in India while sharing their international clients and projects.

Mining Trends From 2023 and Looking Forward to 2024

Deloitte Tracking the Trends 2024 set to come out at the end of January (Former one came out January 25, 2023)

EY Canada – Top 10 business risks and opportunities for mining and metals in 2024
https://www.ey.com/en_ca/mining-metals/risks-opportunities

The world’s largest mines in 2024
https://www.mining-technology.com/sponsored/the-worlds-largest-mines-in-2024/

B.C. Interior gets boost as new gold mines set to pour in 2024
https://www.westerninvestor.com/british-columbia/bc-interior-gets-boost-as-new-gold-mines-set-to-pour-in-2024-6763835

2024 belongs to an offbeat pairing – Uranium and Gold
https://www.mining.com/2024-belongs-to-an-offbeat-pairing-uranium-and-gold/

Copper price dips, but heads for yearly rise on healthy Chinese demand
https://www.mining.com/web/copper-price-dips-but-heads-for-yearly-rise-on-healthy-chinese-demand/

Gold price enters 2024 with sights set on record highs
https://www.mining.com/web/gold-price-enters-2024-with-sights-set-on-record-highs/#latest-section

Pentagon to deliver report on domestic seafloor mining by March
https://www.mining.com/pentagon-to-deliver-report-on-domestic-seafloor-mining-by-march/

Global Copper 2024 Industry Outlook from Near Term Glut to Long Term Scarcity
https://www.bloomberg.com/professional/blog/global-copper-2024-industry-outlook-from-near-term-glut-to-long-term-scarcity/

BMI Unpacks Key Mining Metal Trends Forecast for 2024
https://www.miningweekly.com/article/bmi-unpacks-key-mining-metal-trends-forecast-for-2024-2023-12-04

China’s Stimulus Industrial Recovery to Boos Global Mining Demand in 2024
https://www.fitchratings.com/research/corporate-finance/chinas-stimulus-industrial-recovery-to-boost-global-mining-demand-in-2024-15-12-2023

Low Battery Metal Prices Set to Persist in 2024 Adding Friction to Energy Transition
https://www.wsj.com/articles/low-battery-metal-prices-set-to-persist-in-2024-adding-friction-to-energy-transition-3773ba00