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Can Europe follow in Chile's footsteps by building trust in mining? Mining is broadly trusted in Chile, but outdated perceptions prevail in Europe, Anglo CFO says 24 August 2026 Building trust will be critical to the successful development of mining projects in Europe, while leading jurisdictions such as Chile show what can be achieved in terms of securing public support for the industry, according to Anglo American chief financial officer John Heasley. Mining companies must earn trust, and despite major improvements in safety, social and environmental standards by many, the industry is littered with long-delayed assets where public support hasn't been secured, Heasley said in an interview with Aspermont research division Mining IQ. The full interview, published below, features among 13 executive and expert Q&As in Mining IQ's recently published Leadership Insights 2026 report, on the theme of building trust (the report is available here). Divided attitudes While sustained operational improvements are key to securing public trust - a view echoed by fellow interviewee, Antofagasta CEO Iván Arriagada - Heasley pointed to a divide in public attitudes toward the industry, with support generally higher in jurisdictions where communities have more direct interactions with mining. "For us, it's important that we show that the way we mine today - and indeed in the future - is very different to mining of the past," Heasley said. "This is increasingly well understood in countries where mining is prevalent and part of the country's DNA - in Chile, or South Africa, as just two examples. "However, we also recognise that some of the mines that we could build over the next couple of decades may well be in countries where a new mine of scale has not been built for a very long time - in Europe, for example, where perceptions of mining are understandably out of date," Heasley said. Anglo's European portfolio includes the Sakatti copper project in Finland and the Woodsmith polyhalite asset in the UK, while the company is also exploring for copper in Germany. The company's main copper assets are a 50.1% interest in the Quellaveco mine in Peru and a 60% stake in Los Bronces in Chile. Mining IQ's Leadership Survey showed that half of industry professionals rate overall trust in mining as low or very low, and it also revealed significant regional variations. Other research has shown that mining is one of the most trusted industries in Chile. Leadership Insights 2026 features a full analysis of public perceptions of mining, drivers behind those views, the cost to the industry from the often negative perceptions, current trends and a blueprint for future improvements, based on insights from 13 executive and expert interviews and the Leadership Survey, completed by more than 170 industry professionals. The report is available here and is free for Mining Journal Premium subscribers. FULL INTERVIEW John Heasley, chief financial officer Anglo American Mining IQ: Mining consistently ranks among the least trusted industries. Why does the sector struggle with its reputation - and how much of that criticism is deserved? Heasley: There's no doubt that mining companies must earn trust, which means showing that they can operate safely and responsibly on a sustained basis, and that starts in and around our operations. That is what we focus on every day, and we and others have shown very significant improvements in safety, environmental and social performance over many years, building trust with employees, communities and our wide range of stakeholders. It takes sustained performance to change the reputation of an industry, and it takes every company playing its part. When you dig into the details around reputation, though, it is also our experience that in jurisdictions where people have more of a direct interaction with mining, support for our sector is generally much higher. Chile is one such example, where we have some of our major operations, and Anglo American is consistently ranked as one of the most attractive employers in Chile. I was proud that we achieved a top-three position in 2026 - and this was alongside two other mining companies. And in 2025, a trust survey developed by PwC with Chile's Universidad Diego Portales (UDP) showed that mining ranked highest among the economic sectors that generate the most trust among consumers and employees in the country, ahead of financial services and commerce. This is a tremendous vote of confidence in our industry and in one of our and the world's key mining jurisdictions. While I believe we are making meaningful headway to improve perceptions of our industry more broadly, we cannot be complacent, and we recognise there is always much more to do to ensure that we build and maintain high levels of trust in our sector. Societal expectations continue to evolve and rightly so; we must continue to help people understand what we do, the role our products play in the modern world, and to show how mining can absolutely be done in a safe, responsible and sustainable way - because that is the only way. Mining IQ: What do negative public perceptions cost the industry - whether in project approvals, community support, valuations, investment, or attracting talent? Heasley: We absolutely recognise the value drivers associated with reputation, and there's no doubt that having a positive reputation is a critical enabler to securing and sustaining a licence to operate. Without that, we have all seen how many projects have been held up - some for years - with an enormous impact on project returns. The success of building a project or running a mine is predicated on sustained support from a wide range of stakeholders, local and global. We have first-hand experience of this from delivering our Quellaveco mine in Peru, benefiting from considerable support as a result of the extensive dialogue with communities at the outset and our tailoring of the project accordingly to meet community needs and expectations. This ultimately resulted in the project starting up on time and on budget and has been a real success ever since. Mining IQ: With the energy transition and the race for critical minerals driving demand, do you expect those perceptions to improve - or will opposition intensify? Heasley: It is true that the topic of metals and minerals has become so much more prominent in recent years - after all, our products are central to global economic growth, energy security and the energy transition to clean forms of energy. Those demand drivers, as well as newer ones such as the proliferation of data centres to power AI, have increased broad public awareness of what it takes to wire an electric car or connect a wind turbine to the grid, so people are better connecting mining to metals to their end uses. Anglo American is a major producer of one of the most essential metals for all of those applications - copper - and once we complete our merger with Teck, we will be one of the world's very top copper producers. With that responsibility in mind, it is up to us to demonstrate that we can supply our products in a way that is compatible with societal expectations, in turn giving us our shareholder and stakeholder licence to further grow the value of our business through the many project options that we have in our portfolio. We hope that high standards of performance can actually serve to further improve broad-based support for responsible resource development over time. Mining IQ: Many governments are taking steps to fast-track mining permits. Is there a risk that accelerating approvals could undermine efforts to rebuild public trust in the mining industry? Heasley: The focus for us when it comes to permitting is efficiency and predictability so that we can better plan return horizons and allocate capital appropriately. There is no doubt that permitting processes in a number of countries can be made more efficient, but it is absolutely not in our long-term interests for anyone to cut corners or lower standards to achieve faster approvals. That is not what we are asking for when we discuss this topic and we work with governments around the world. It is fundamental to public trust that the industry and those that regulate us maintain high environmental and social standards to support greater levels of trust in mining. That is in everyone's interest. Mining IQ: If mining wants to rebuild trust, what needs to change - in practice, as well as messaging? And what is your company doing differently today? Heasley: For us, it's important that we show that the way we mine today - and indeed in the future - is very different to mining of the past. This is increasingly well understood in countries where mining is prevalent and part of the country's DNA - in Chile, or South Africa, as just two examples. However, we also recognise that some of the mines that we could build over the next couple of decades may well be in countries where a new mine of scale has not been built for a very long time - in Europe, for example, where perceptions of mining are understandably out of date. That can often also be the case for mining policy and regulations, so we spend a lot of time working with governments to help modernise their frameworks so they can attract and support mining investment that deploys the latest automation technologies, for example. This is very relevant to Anglo American as we are progressing new mining developments in Finland (our Sakatti project), in the UK at Woodsmith, and in Germany, where we are busy exploring for copper. As I said earlier, we need to show how far mining has come - how safe and clean and efficient a modern mine can be when it is designed in the right way using the latest technologies. That is how you build trust, one step at a time. * The Leadership Insights 2026 report is available here.

Laurentian in Sudbury to lead AI-powered mineral discovery research. University receives up to $1 million to help build Canada's national digital library of geological data Laurentian University will lead a national effort to make it easier to find and develop Canada's mineral resources using artificial intelligence, or AI. Advertisement 2 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The university has announced it will receive up to $1 million over two years from Creative Destruction Lab to support a research program to advance the Canadian Digital Core Library. The library is a national initiative to digitize Canada's geological record and make it openly accessible through an AI-ready platform. Recommended videos. Funded through the Government of Canada's investment in the Canadian Digital Core Library, the research program will be led by Laurentian University's Harquail School of Earth Sciences and run through March 2028. "As Canada's Mining University, we are proud to have our researchers contribute their expertise to this critical project," Tammy Eger, vice-president of research at Laurentian University, said in a release. "We are committed to enabling innovation within the mining industry and continuing our collaborative work with industry partners." Since signing a Declaration of Intent on March 2, Laurentian has worked alongside industry collaborators Agnico Eagle, Anglo American, BHP, HudBay Minerals, Teck, Vale Base Metals and the Canadian Digital Core Library to shape the design of the Canadian Digital Core Library. Sudbury Star Morning Briefing Start your days with the latest local news, weather, sports, community updates and more. Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Advertisement 3 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Canada holds significant critical mineral deposits and stores millions of metres of geological drill core in repositories across the country, together forming one of the largest drill core collections in the world. The Canadian Digital Core Library will use advanced scanning technologies to digitize these records and make them available through an AI-ready platform, providing mining companies, researchers and explorers with access to a shared foundation for mineral discovery. The goal is to accelerate mineral discovery, reduce exploration risk and strengthen Canada's critical minerals sector. "Making Canada's geological record openly available through an AI-ready platform offers novel opportunities for innovators, explorers, and builders," said Sonia Sennik, CEO of Creative Destruction Lab. Laurentian, which calls itself Canada's Mining University, brings more than 65 years of mining-related research and education experience to the project through the Harquail School of Earth Sciences and Mineral Exploration Research Centre, the Goodman School of Mines and the Metal Earth research initiative. Advertisement 4 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. In addition to making it easier to find and develop mines in Canada, creating the Canadian Digital Core Library will also help train the next generation of Canadian geoscientists by supporting postdoctoral fellows and graduate students. "Sudbury has earned a global reputation as a centre of excellence in mining research, innovation, and expertise, and this partnership is a natural extension of that legacy," Sudbury MP Viviane Lapointe said. "For generations, our community has helped drive advancements in the mining sector, contributing knowledge and solutions that are recognized around the world. "I am especially pleased to see Laurentian University playing a key role in the Canadian Digital Core Library initiative. This partnership reflects not only the strength and leadership of Northern Ontario's mining ecosystem, but also Laurentian's standing as Canada's Mining University." About the Canadian Digital Core Library. The Canadian Digital Core Library (CDCL) is a national initiative to digitize Canada's geological drill core data and make it openly accessible through an AI-ready platform. The Government of Canada is investing $40 million over two years in the initiative, including up to $15 million for Creative Destruction Lab to develop the platform. Advertisement 5 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. About Creative Destruction Lab. Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) is a nonprofit organization that delivers an objectives-based program for massively scalable, seed-stage, science- and technology-based companies. Founded by Prof. Ajay Agrawal in 2012 at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management, CDL has expanded to 17 sites across 10 countries: Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal, Halifax, Paris, Madison, Seattle, Estonia, Berlin, Melbourne, College Station, Milan, London, San Sebastian, Doha and Cleveland. Bluesky: @sudburystar.bsky.social X: @SudburyStar Article content. News Near Sudbury

Australia's Northern Star rejects Elliott board overhaul demand. Northern Star's KGCM Super Pit mine 13th August 2026 Font size: - + Australian gold miner Northern Star Resources said on Thursday that it would be unable to commit to some of Elliott Investment Management's recommendations for an overhaul of the board as the activist investor pushes for a strategic review. Since June, the activist investor has been pushing for a strategic review and a revamp of its board and leadership after building an economic interest in the company amounting to 5.6%. Northern Star has since appointed a new CEO and chairperson. Elliott on Wednesday released a letter to Northern Star's board, calling for an overhaul of its board to support incoming CEO Suresh Vadnagra and oversee a strategic review, naming six candidates, including former Anglo American CEO Mark Cutifani. Northern Star said on Thursday it could not commit to Elliott's requirement that it agree to a minimum of three of the suggested nominees for the board in the absence of a proper evaluation. The miner also said it had explained to Elliott that its proposal to nominate four individuals without discussions was "unacceptable and would be at odds with appropriate governance." Meanwhile, Northern Star appointed Terry Bowen as independent non-executive director. Bowen had served as a director of BHP. Shares of Northern Star were up 0.5% at 05:56 GMT, while the broader Australian benchmark index was down 0.2%. Edited by Reuters Article Enquiry Email Article Save Article To advertise email [email protected] or click here Research Reports