Anthony’s 23 years
at First Quantum

Hear about Anthony Mukutuma’s journey from Metallurgist to Country Director.

Tell us about your journey with First Quantum.
I started working at First Quantum over 23 years ago. In my time there I’ve gone from a Metallurgist to the Country Director for Zambia, with plenty of stops in-between.

In my time, I’ve worked on operations and projects in Zambia, where I started and where I am today, as well as in Mauritania, Finland and Australia. In fact, I think I’ve been at all the operations except for Cobre Panama.

What attracted you to work at First Quantum?
At the time I was working for one of the major mining companies, and First Quantum represented a change for me. It was a smaller company back then, and I expected that it would give me, as a young engineer, a lot more responsibility and the ability to move quickly with any projects that I was working on. Also, because First Quantum both builds and operates our mines, it presented an opportunity for me to get to see projects through from start to finish.

Of those elements though, the responsibility and ability to move quickly were the things that appealed to me the most. At the time I thought it was because we were a smaller company, but even as we have grown massively, that entrepreneurial spirit still remains today.

What sets First Quantum apart from other mining companies?
If I have to choose just one thing, I think it is our culture. We’re a big corporation now, with 20,000 people, but we will have that entrepreneurial approach of getting things done.

At the time I joined, the Company was only four years old but, to this day, the entrepreneurial spirit continues. When new people join, they still have access to the same opportunities and chances to take on more responsibility that I did. I think it remains a big attraction for people joining the Company.

What are you most proud of achieving in your time at First Quantum?
The first thing I want to mention is the growth of our first operation. We went from 10,000 tonnes per annum of copper production and grew that in a short time to 50,000 tonnes. We were very smart and cost-efficient about how we increased production, through making smart changes, with minimal capital investments, in the two years we took production from the design capacity of 36,000 tpa to 50,000 tpa. I think that was phenomenal.

Another project I am very proud of taking part in was in Finland. We had never worked in Europe before and were seen as an African mining company. The operation itself had to be built in really harsh conditions, up to minus 20 degrees, and under very stringent mining, labor and environmental regulations. That mine is still running today and it is one of the best mine and process plant designs that you will find around the world. And in reference to one of the earlier questions, I think that our ability to build first-class operations in tough conditions is something else that sets us apart.

The third thing I am really proud of is that we’ve worked to create an operation in Zambia that has flexibility and grid access that allows us to process different types of materials building diversity into our business and really growing production. So, I am proud of that as well.

What would you say to someone thinking of starting their journey in the mining sector?
I would say, one must make sure one has a passion for one’s work. It is a very rewarding industry to be a part of, but it can be challenging as well. The ability to see the fruition of one’s work is great, but at times it can feel bleak, thus requiring perseverance, even without seeing the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel.

I also think it is rewarding when one builds something from the ground up and gets to see its positive impact on society. It is fulfilling the impact of what we do on the community, through employment, infrastructure development and corporate social investments. That has been the case in all the places I’ve worked. Over and over again, I have seen our projects impact local and national economies, changing lives and livelihoods – whole communities transformed for the better. I know we don’t talk about this enough and we should. But, at the same time, I do not think we can talk enough about the things we do in this space. The important thing, in my view, is that we continue to uplift the communities in which we operate.

Why is mining important to society?
If you look at our world now and the things we want to achieve, it is evident mining is incredibly important.

Take the green transition, for example. I was reading a statistic somewhere that talks about how much copper we need to mine in order to deliver the transition and the numbers are incredible. So, mining is very important if we want to make the transition to green energy.

Secondly, I think that mining is an important economic player in any setting. It is a big employer and a massive contributor to the GDP of the countries where we operate. I think the first point about making the transition is more important, but the economic contribution mining makes to society matters too.

What are you most excited about in the future of First Quantum?
The future for us is very exciting. We are working toward three big projects in South America, each of which has the potential to add over 350,000 tonness of copper to our production. In addition, our experience working in Africa positions us well to get into new projects in Zambia, as well as Angola and Botswana.

Given the growing need for copper and our ability to quickly and responsibly get projects off the ground and operate them, I think we’re really well-positioned as we look to grow the business into the future.