So you want to get ahead in mining? True, it might seem like you're late to the party. No doubt you watched, dismayed, as all those long-suffering investors of Falconbridge Ltd. and Inco Ltd. (yes, the same ones you thought were chumps) doubled their fortunes in the span of mere months, thanks to last year's instalment of the Great Canadian Mining Sale. You can't believe you sold your Alcan Inc. shares after the CEO said the company wasn't up for sale, only to see the stock catch fire following a hostile bid from Alcoa Inc. You've lost track of how many times you've heard that rich foreigners are gutting Corporate Canada, and that our precious natural resources are little more than chum for the sharks from Brazil, or the United States, or even Switzerland.
But what do these whimpering economic nationalists know about mining, anyway? Who cares if a few lumbering old companies disappear from the corporate landscape? The fact is, the nationalists didn't understand that the rules of the game have changed. In the brave new world of Canadian mining, it's not about the size of your rocks - it's how you use them.
This is, without a doubt, the greatest mining boom in a generation, with billions of dollars up for grabs. But the voracious interest in all things metal has spawned a subindustry of new tactics designed to attract investors and their money. The game these days is often less about pulling ore out of the ground than about creating wealth - for shareholders, certainly, but also for insiders who create the action. The latest edition of the aspiring mining mogul handbook could be called "Put Down that Shovel: An Insider's Guide to Mining." Here's an excerpt.
1. Don't fall in love with the rocks
Ask a mining executive, and he'll tell you straight up: geology degrees are so 1970s. Remember, these days the business runs on financial engineering - not mining engineering. Sure, it helps to have a passing understanding of base metals and gems, but the crucial thing is a financial background.
Just take a look around. Frank Giustra, the mining promoter from Vancouver, is a former investment banker. Ian Telfer, the chairman of Goldcorp., is trained as an accountant. So is Greg Wilkins, Barrick Gold's chief executive officer, and Mick Davis, the man who built Xstrata PLC into a major force. Don Lindsay, the head of Teck Cominco Ltd., is a career investment banker. Ditto for CVRD boss Roger Agnelli, who out-duelled Mr. Lindsay to grab Inco, and Tye Burt, the head of Kinross Gold. Peter Marrone, the head of high-flier Yamana Gold? A former corporate lawyer turned investment banker.
Metallurgists and geologists, who are being shoved from the CEO chair by their smart-suited counterparts, have a fatal flaw, explained one industry type: "They fall in love with the rocks." Translation? They get into cat fights over who has the better assets, instead of recognizing that in many cases, it isn't about the assets at all. It's about telling a good story and closing the deal.
2. Channel your Christopher Columbus
Exploring is a cinch. All you have to do is set up a company, wait for the markets to fall in love with a particular metal, and then tell the entire world you're hunting for it.
One word of caution, though -- make sure not to look too carefully
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