Highlights
- Former UK Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab appointed as Senior Strategic Advisor on Global Affairs
- Raab to chair new Appian partnership with leading nonpartisan organisation SAFE to enhance energy security for the United States, its partners and allies
- SAFE-Appian partnership to inform governments on how the private sector weighs critical minerals investment and development, leveraging Appian’s leading global expertise in green commodities investment and development, while inviting other industry leaders to the table
- SAFE partnership reinforces Appian’s position as the leading private capital investor in critical minerals, at the forefront of the global energy transition
- Raab brings significant expertise in global affairs to Appian and SAFE, supplementing Appian’s experienced team to strengthen cooperation with governments and manage geopolitical risk
Appian Capital Advisory LLP (“Appian” or the “Company”), the investment advisor to long-term, value-focused private capital funds that invest solely in mining and mining-related companies, has appointed the Rt Hon Dominic Raab MP as Senior Strategic Advisor on Global Affairs.
In this newly created role, Dominic will be a key member of the Company’s senior advisory team, supporting Appian on geopolitical strategy and risk, building on his significant international experience gained in UK government.
SAFE-Appian partnership
Appian has also formed a partnership with SAFE’s Center for Critical Minerals Strategy (the “Partnership”), a prominent organisation of military and business leaders focused on the intersection of energy policy and national security. The Partnership takes the form of a SAFE-Appian Sub-Committee on Opportunities and Risks in the Critical Mineral Sector (SCOR), chaired by Dominic Raab and comprised of other leading commercial experts in the critical minerals sector alongside Appian.
The Partnership will advise SAFE on the regulatory, fiscal, and financial conditions required for successful critical minerals operations. It will provide policy makers with an independent view on risk levels and viability of projects for funding, ensuring better capital and resource allocation to maximise the chance of bringing projects into production.
Importantly, the Partnership will develop a scorecard to help decision-makers evaluate the wide range of potential critical minerals sites and provide a short-list of the most viable targets. This will set out a project risk matrix, including technical, financial, jurisdictional and ESG benchmarks to create an overall score and more granular assessment. The scorecard will be presented as part of a report, “Resources for Resources: Bridging Government and Private Finance for Secure Mineral Development”, which will compare the different types of public sector tools available and evaluate whether they sufficiently consider the risks and opportunities identified in the scorecard.
Last year, SAFE’s Minerals Center published “A Global Race to the Top: Using Transparency to Secure Critical Mineral Supply Chains,” outlining a vision for how the United States can work with its partners and allies to create higher standards through radical transparency, from the mine to the final product. The Partnership advances this important work by analysing risks and opportunities for securing and diversifying sources of critical minerals and their wider supply chains to bring energy transition projects into production.
This reinforces Appian’s position as the leading private capital investor in metals and mining globally, with significant experience in upstream projects, having financed and brought nine mines into production over the last six years. The Company is set to play an important role in unlocking financing and development of critical minerals for the energy transition, by providing governments with its unique and highly informed perspective on metals and mining investment, coupled with its deep understanding of the key decision-making factors driving project selection.
Senior Strategic Advisor on Global Affairs
Mr Raab brings significant expertise to Appian and will play a central role in expanding the Company’s operations and understanding of geopolitical risk. He will work closely with Appian’s senior leadership team to provide insight and advice on prospective and current investments across the Company’s portfolio, and will also advise Appian on government and public affairs, specifically critical minerals policies across the key markets where Appian operates.
He has been a UK Member of Parliament since 2010, having held a number of senior roles in government including Deputy Prime Minister, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, and Minister of State for Housing.
Mr Raab is a UK qualified solicitor, beginning his career with global law firm Linklaters where he worked on project finance, international litigation and competition law, before joining the Foreign & Commonwealth Office. He holds an undergraduate Law degree from the University of Oxford and a Master of Law from the University of Cambridge.
Michael W. Scherb, Founder and CEO of Appian, commented:
“Dominic is a fantastic addition to the Appian team at what is an exciting and important time for our business. He brings a wealth of geopolitical experience gained at the highest levels of government, coupled with deep understanding of private and public sector partnerships, which will be instrumental in expanding Appian’s relationships and driving our next phase of growth.
The partnership with SAFE is an important development for energy security and a ringing endorsement of both Appian and Dominic’s appointment. I look forward to continuing our work to support the energy transition through developing independent and secure supplies of critical minerals.”
Dominic Raab, Senior Strategic Advisor on Global Affairs at Appian, said:
“I am excited to join the dynamic team at Appian to further the company’s strategic objectives in critical minerals. I look forward to helping Appian expand international partnerships between investors and governments, so we can better navigate the geopolitical risks and secure the supply chains our economies need for the twenty-first century.
The SAFE-Appian partnership will bring in private sector investors with the expertise and track record to reinforce the supply chain resilience of the US and her allies. I look forward to chairing the group on behalf of Appian, aligning economic and commercial needs with geopolitical reality to safeguard our competitiveness and economic leadership.”
Robbie Diamond, Founder, President and CEO at SAFE, said:
“SAFE, through our Critical Minerals Center, is thrilled to thank Appian for its leadership in standing up this partnership for the industry while bringing Appian’s investment insights and mining expertise to the global policy discussion on mineral supply security. Michael’s market perspective and Dominic’s geopolitical knowledge, combined with SAFE’s research and public stakeholder engagement, will serve as a powerful trifecta to help navigate the seismic shifts currently underway.
Through Appian Capital’s support, the Minerals Center can continue its crucial work building an advanced minerals economy that serves the long-term interests of resource-rich producing nations and developed economies alike.”
Abigal Hunter, Director, SAFE’s Center for Critical Minerals Strategy, said:
“Driving a true “Race to the Top” for an advanced global mineral economy is a defining challenge of our time. We have a unique opportunity to learn from past resource dependency dynamics and bring allies and likeminded nations together to shape a new value proposition for responsible mineral production. Appian Capital brings vision and guidance to this crucial effort, and we look forward to our collaboration and the participation of other industry leaders.”
For further information:
FGS Global +44 (0)20 7251 3801 / [email protected]
Charles O’Brien, Richard Crowley, Michael Stock
Appian Capital Advisory +44 (0)20 7004 0951 / [email protected]
Michael W. Scherb
About Appian Capital Advisory LLP
Appian Capital Advisory LLP is the investment advisor to long-term value-focused private capital funds that invest solely in mining and mining-related companies.
Appian is a leading investment advisor in the metals and mining industry, with global experience across South America, North America, Australia and Africa and a successful track record of supporting companies to achieve their development targets, with a global operating portfolio overseeing nearly 7,000 employees.
Appian has a global team of 81 experienced professionals with presences in London, New York, Toronto, Vancouver, Lima, Belo Horizonte, Montreal, Dubai, Johannesburg and Perth.
For more information please visit www.appiancapitaladvisory.com, or find us on LinkedIn, Instagram or Twitter/X.
SAFE Media Contact:
Leslie Hayward, [email protected] / +1 (202) 461 2386
About SAFE’s Center for Critical Minerals Strategy
The Ambassador Alfred Hoffman, Jr. Center for Critical Minerals Strategy aims to secure all aspects of the critical minerals supply chain to help empower the United States to lead in the connected, autonomous, shared, and electric vehicles future with a focus on the entire minerals life cycle upon which these sectors rely.
About SAFE
SAFE is an action-oriented, nonpartisan organization committed to transportation and energy policy solutions that advance the economic and national security of the United States, its partners, and allies. SAFE has convened business and former military leaders since 2004 to advocate for secure, resilient, and sustainable energy solutions. Visit secureenergy.org to learn more.
You can download a PDF version of this press release here.