The Advisory Board

We are privileged to be supported by a diverse range of stakeholders committed to sharing their expertise to further our mission. Our Advisory Board is composed of professional third-party advisors with relevant experience in the artisanal and small-scale mining sector. They offer non-binding advice to the FCA Secretariat and Steering Committee, providing valuable input and perspectives that help shape the FCA’s strategic direction. Their insights reasonably represent the viewpoints of artisanal-small scale stakeholders, contributing to more informed and inclusive decision-making.

The Advisory Board

Holger Grundel – Chair

Holger is a senior private sector development and natural resource governance expert with more than 25 years of experience in the public and private sectors. He held several senior advisory positions with the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (formerly the Department for International Development – DFID) in Senegal, China, Load more

Auguste Mutombo

Auguste is the Founder and Executive Director of Alternatives Plus, a DRC-based civil society NGO that works to improve conditions in the artisanal mining sector.

Benitha Tambwe

Expert Head of Digitization and Partnerships, CTCPM, Ministry of Mines of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Benitha holds a Master’s in Business Analytics and Finance from the University of Southampton and has consistently demonstrated her prowess in financial analysis, strategic planning and decision-making. She is Head of Digitization and Partnerships Load more

Brieuc Debontridder

Brieuc is an expert in social performance standards and author of “ République démocratique du Cobalt “. He worked for six years on the resettlement and livelihood restoration of populations affected by mining projects, mainly in the Democratic Republic of Congo but also in Senegal and Guinea. He also worked Load more

Jared Connors

In his five years at Assent, Jared has focused on helping companies achieve their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals through increased understanding and mitigation of risk. With more than a dozen years of leadership in corporate social responsibility, human rights, anti-bribery and anti-corruption, and environmental issues, Jared helps guide Load more

Nicole Hanson

A sustainability expert and current Head of Responsible Business at the London Metal Exchange, Nicole Hanson applies her background in mechanical engineering to help companies and their supply chains increase the positive impact they have on humans and the environment.

Nikolaus McLachlan

Nikolaus has six years’ experience working on sustainable supply chains on a variety of different agricultural and mineral commodities. He focusses on understanding and mitigating adverse social and environmental impacts in primary industries and improving supply chain sustainability. He currently works for Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), leading various Load more

Olivier Delafoy

Photographer and Managing Director at the Corneille and Sima Group, the company responsible for the bimonthly DRC magazine Mining and Business, Olivier Delafoy has over two decades of experience working in the mining & metals industry.

Richard Robinson

Richard has 20 years of senior level experience in the DRC with a particular focus on managing political and social risk as an executive and adviser in DRC mining projects including as Managing Director of Alphamin Bisie Mining during its development from 2016 to 2020, a mine now producing 4% Load more

Sebastian Vetter

Sebastian is working with the German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in the Democratic Republic of Congo. As an advisor in the field of technical cooperation, he has more than six years of experience in Load more

The Advisory Board