Q&A with Kurt Budge Chief Executive Officer at Beowulf Mining Plc (LON:BEM)

Beowulf Mining Plc (LON:BEM) Chief Executive Officer Kurt Budge caught up with DirectorsTalk for an exclusive interview to discuss the open letter to the Sami Chairman, plans to be back in Jokkmokk & the recent General Meeting

 

Q1: On Friday we saw you post an open letter to the Sami Chairman in which you answered questions that he’d put to Beowulf Mining, can you explain the background behind these questions put to the company by the Sami Chairman?

A1: Yes, we got notice on Wednesday of this week from our staff in Jokkmokk that the Swedish Sami National Association had made an announcement and that announcement included a number of questions that had been put to the company by the Chairman of two Sami villages. Those questions were asking about what the company’s plans were with regard to our Kallak project, they were also challenging the transparency of the company towards its shareholders in terms of our relationship with the Sami people and also asking us do our shareholders know how long this will take to get an environmental permit. So that was the background and we felt it important to answer those questions and to make a response.

 

Q2: So why did you decide to publish the responses?

A2: We published the responses really to demonstrate that Beowulf Mining is transparent in its engagement with our stakeholders and the Sami and we take very seriously any concerns that are presented to us from all our stakeholders up and around Jokkmokk. The Sami are a very important stakeholder so we wanted people to be aware that we don’t just ignore questions when they’re put to the company, we answer them, we give full answers and we wanted a wider audience to be aware of that.

 

Q3: What will your approach be now with the Sami villages?

A3: Our approach really won’t change, for the last year Bevan Metcalf and myself have been demonstrating an approach of respect to all our stakeholders, I’ve been up to Jokkmokk on a regular basis meeting with all our stakeholders. We’ve demonstrated our willingness and desire to become a local partner and also in the way we’re talking about the Kallak project, how we want to just develop a mine in a very responsible way. In January when I was in Jokkmokk and I was talking about, giving various interviews, it was about sharing our ideas and plans with all our stakeholders such there are no surprises, we take people along the development path for the project, for Kallak, and I’m looking forward to continuing that work and hopefully getting a face to face meeting with the Sami Chairman in the not so distant future.

 

Q4: Do you have any plans to be back in Jokkmokk?

A4: Yes, I will be back in Jokkmokk in a few weeks’ time. When we made the announcement yesterday I actually contacted, by email, the Sami chairman directly so that they got the responses the company was making and publishing to the market. So I’ve made them aware that I’m going to be back in Jokkmokk and I’m hoping this time when I’m up there it’s convenient to get together and have a face to face meeting. I can then hear directly from them about any other concerns that weren’t included in the announcement that they put out on Wednesday and hopefully we can start to build a relationship going forward from there.

 

Q5: On Friday you also had your General Meeting, how did that go?

A5: The General Meeting was very successful, any time you get all your resolutions that are proposed to the meeting passed is a good meeting. We had a good group of shareholders there, some longstanding shareholders, people who I have now seen at the Annual General Meeting last year and this year, they put some good questions to myself and Bevan Metcalfe which we answered and then we continued discussions after the meeting. I’m very pleased that the resolutions got passed and we got the level of support that we did from our shareholders.

Click to view all articles for the EPIC:
Or click to view the full company profile:
    Facebook
    Twitter
    LinkedIn
    Beowulf Mining Plc

    More articles like this

    BeoWulf Mining

    Great new appointment for Beowulf Mining

    Beowulf (AIM: BEM; Aktietorget: BEO), the mineral exploration and development company focused on the Kallak magnetite iron ore project in northern Sweden and its graphite projects in Finland, has told DirectorsTalk that Mr Christopher Davies has

    Beowulf Mining Plc

    Beowulf Mining Plc CEO Kurt Budge Acquisition & Kallak

    Beowulf Mining Plc (LON:BEM) CEO Kurt Budge talks to DirectorsTalk about the acquisition of Oy Fennoscandian Resources AB, how this fits in with plans for Kallak, the timing of a decision regarding an Exploitation Concession for