CEO Insights Magazine

Seasoned leaders in the mining industry are indispensable pillars of expertise and strategic vision. With decades of experience, these leaders possess an intricate understanding of geological complexities, operational intricacies, and market dynamics. They spearhead significant operations as well as performance optimisation which can be crucial for long-term viability.

One such exemplary leader is Peter Mellor, Commercial & Operations Director at Green Gold Technology, based in Indonesia and working globally. With a career spanning two decades, Peter has amassed a wealth of experience in infrastructure and mining projects, with a particular focus on Indonesia, Australia and the wider Asian region. Peter's extensive background equips him with a deep understanding of the complexities inherent in infrastructure projects and mining operations, while his keen insights into the ever-evolving technology landscape enhance his strategic vision. As the Commercial & Operations Director at Green Gold Technology, Peter oversees critical facets of the company's operational and commercial activity and plays a pivotal role in driving success and fostering innovation within the wider industry. For example, he was recently a key panellist at the 2023 World Mining Congress about innovation and sustainability in critical minerals processing.

In an exclusive conversation with CEO Insights Asia, Peter Mellor delves deeper into his professional and leadership attributes and sheds light on Green Gold Technology.

Give a brief account of your professional journey.

My career has primarily been with professional service providers, including stints at GHD and WORLEYPARSONS. However, in 2016, I embarked on an assignment in Indonesia while working with WORLEYPARSONS as their Country Manager, leading a 700-strong team all over the archipelago. During my time in Indonesia, I jumped out of my comfort zone and joined a start-up with Green Gold Technology and later formed Heritage Minerals as a gold mine to reprocess tailings at the historic Mount Morgan Mine in Queensland, Australia.

At Green Gold Technology, we've pioneered the design and deployment of a unique, patented and tested cyanide recycling technology globally. It is a technology that revolutionises gold plant operations. It works by recycling cyanide at the back end of gold plants instead of conventional disposal, thus reducing costs a nd enhancing environmental outcomes. A s a Director for Heritage Minerals, we are working to make one of those unviable projects – the abandoned Mount Morgan gold mine in central Queensland – commercially viable. Leveraging our Indonesian technology expertise, we're successfully exporting solutions to Australia, emphasising the potential for enhanced collaboration between the two nations.

What motivates your daily routines?

I'm primarily driven by the rapid adoption of the technology that I'm working on to make mining more economic and sustainable. New technologies often struggle to gain traction, but our cyanide-recycling solution has successfully crossed the adoption threshold. Its low-risk nature for customers, primarily involving existing capital expenditure in gold plant detoxification, makes it highly appealing. It's not just about innovation; it's about innovation with real commercial impact, changing the cut-off grade for mining, especially in the traditionally cautious mining industry.

What are your latest strategic plans to expand/ optimize operations and engage customers in the market?

Green Gold Technology, situated in Jakarta with a workforce of 100, deals with capital-intensive technologies. Our strategic approach previously involved limiting ourselves to designing and building one project annually due to resource constraints. However, we've expanded our reach by collaborating with key engineering service providers in the gold mining sector. They incorporate our technologies into their packages, allowing us to potentially design up to six projects a year. It's an effective strategy to drive customer uptake and expedite the delivery of our solutions to the market, benefiting both parties.

How have you built your team and how do you foster a culture of innovation?

Our team's foundation is steeped in innovation, led by our CEO, Malcolm Paterson. Malcolm has decades of experience commercialising this technology. We have laboratories in Australia and Indonesia, an unconventional practice in engineering consulting. This allows us to have around 20 researchers at any given time. Continuous laboratory testing and R&D set us apart and maintain our technological edge.

Tell us about your leadership approach. What are the guidelines/methodologies you follow as a leader?

I approach leadership from a number of perspectives and that is driven by the complexity of the projects I oversee. To excel in my role, I must grasp intricate technical details, learning from our experts while often straddling business development and execution. This includes dealing with financial aspects, collaborating with commercial directors, and engaging with technical specialists, all of which requires a comprehensive understanding of various disciplines. Negotiation and soft skills are also paramount. Understanding diverse perspectives, thinking on my feet, and bridging the gap between technical intricacies and soft skills are crucial elements of my leadership methodology.

What is the future destination you are headed towards?

My future path involves growing Green Gold Technology, making our cyanide recycling technology a standard in all gold mines. Completing the construction of Heritage Minerals in Australia and initiating gold production are immediate priorities. These endeavors will keep me intensely occupied over the next two to three years, representing my primary focus. And I hope this enables improved environmental outcomes in new and rehabilitated mining projects around the world.

Peter Mellor, Commercial & Operations Director,  Green Gold Technology

Peter Mellor is an experienced business executive with two decades of expertise in infrastructure, mining projects, and technology companies across Australia and South-East Asia. Peter Mellor holds the role of Commercial & Operations Director at Green Gold Technology and concurrently serves as the Director of Heritage Minerals, a transformative gold/copper project in Australia.