JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – The Northern Cape copper mining company Copper 360 has announced a leadership transition as it embarks on a new phase of accelerated hard-rock mining growth.

The Johannesburg Stock Exchange AltX-listed company has appointed Graham Briggs as its new CEO, with effect from June 1.

Best known for his tenure as Harmony Gold Mining Company CEO, Briggs brings extensive experience and strategic skill within the mining and resources sector with his operational output and industry insight embracing gold mining not only in South Africa, but also Australia, Canada and Papua New Guinea.

Shirley Hayes, the current Copper 360 CEO and controlling shareholder, highlighted Briggs' appointment as an important step in the strategic roadmap to transform Copper 360 into a disciplined, multi-mine copper producer. Hayes will assume a nonexecutive Copper 360 board position and serve as chairperson of the newly established risk committee.

"Bringing Graham on board as group CEO is a calculated, forward-looking move in unlocking the value of the vision of the company. Securing the leader who steered Harmony Gold through some of the industry’s toughest cycles—turning complex assets into sustained returns – is a major achievement for Copper 360 and our stakeholders.

"Graham’s proven ability to convert asset into long-term value will accelerate our transition to steady-state hard-rock production, while I, as chair of our newly formed risk committee, will keep a sharp focus on the risks that could impede that value creation," was Hayes' comment to Mining Weekly, in which she expressed full commitment to support the delivery of the company’s vision.

"This transition is part of a deliberate succession strategy I initiated to secure Copper 360’s future beyond its founding phase. Graham’s arrival is not just a personnel change; it’s a signal to the market and to all of us that Copper 360 is maturing into a disciplined, resilient company with ambition far beyond its past constraints. This is our next first mile—and it’s going to be extraordinary," Hayes added.

In February, Copper 360 reported that it had successfully executed the first on-ore blast at its Rietberg mine, which is expected to ramp up to full production of about 40 000 t a month by the end of 2025.

Copper 360, which is active in the O’Okiep copper district, has a dozen opencast and underground mines within 13 km of one another, across more than 19 000 ha.

All will reportedly process their ore in Nababeep, the Namaqualand copper town, 19 km north-west of the town of Springbok, which is Hayes’ birthplace.

In addition to Rietberg are Jubilee, Homeep, Klondike, Wheal Julia North, Whyte’s West, Koeëlkop, Hoogkraal and Waaihoek.

While the mines are geographically close, they differ in size, ore grade, stage of development, and operational status, reflecting a form of risk-lowering that diversification normally provides.

Briggs, who will be supported by Hayes in a structured handover, expressed great excitement about joining the company at “such a pivotal time”.

“Copper 360 has a vast inventory of copper in the ground and proven processing capability that is scalable. I look forward to working closely with the board, management, and the dedicated operational team to unlock the true potential of the company.

"I've had the pleasure of visiting Rietberg mine and some of these prospects which are underpinned by an extensive geological database built up over more than seven decades of mining and exploration activities. Rietberg is currently in the ramp-up stage of its business cycle, however many of the prospects are well-positioned to increase production in the near term. An adopted multi-mine model will work well with a centralised milling and processing metallurgical plant. I, with the Copper 360 team, plan to steer the company through growth and transition it into the next phase and I am very excited to be joining them on this journey,” was Briggs’ comment to Mining Weekly.

Under Hayes's tenure, Copper 360 focused on creating a platform for hard rock mining with consistent grade and mineralogy, while concurrently transitioning out of broken rock processing.

Currently nonexecutive chairperson of Salamander Magnesium, Briggs is a former VP of the then Chamber of Mines of South Africa, which is now Minerals Council South Africa.