- Peter Hollands: Managing Director
- Peter was the company’s founder and – sixteen years on - remains its Managing Director. He has thirty-five years working experience of geology and minerals economics
Peter has a B.Sc. degree in Geology from University College London and began his career in geophysical data processing, then moved to oil exploration in Libya. Returning to the UK, he worked for five years at the International Tin Council, focussing first on tin industry statistics generally, then on production costs and on tin consumption in tinplate and solder. He then spent eleven years at Commodities Research Unit, where he was appointed Research Manager, Copper Production. In 1993, Peter left CRU to form BME. In BME’s Copper Briefing Service, he created a new type of analytical product: one with the easy accessibility of a newsletter, but the depth of statistical analysis and forecasting that until then had only been seen in quarterly reports. He was Editor of the Briefing from the first issue, in September 1993, until end-January 2009, after which Paul Dewison took over that role. Peter worked closely with Adam Sotowicz (and later with Mire Zloh) from 2002 on developing fundamentals-based price models, driven by exchange stocks, global industrial production growth and currency effects. These models were very effective forecasting vehicles until the second half of 2005, when price behaviour began to change, as long-only investments via index funds began also to impact on prices. In December 2005 and January 2006, Peter developed the ideas (on which a new generation of mathematical models was based) that are only now becoming widely accepted: that the base metals had become hybrid financial and industrial raw materials markets, with financial drivers becoming dominant. By late 2009, Peter’s research focus was on how base metals markets might eventually return to equilibrium after adjusting to this dual role: financial instrument and industrial raw material.
- Adam Sotowicz I.T.Manager & Model Development Manager
- Adam provides the company's expertise in various forms of mathematical modelling. Adam began his career in scientific research. While still an undergraduate he was in the team that discovered 1,4 oxymercuration. He has a Ph.D in Chemistry from University College London, and undertook post-doctoral research on synthesis of compounds for leaching uranium ores at the Royal School of Mines, Imperial College London. Working in the UK and Spain, he subsequently moved into information technology and mathematical modelling. He joined BME as Information Technology manager in 1996. Together with Peter Hollands he developed the original "fair value" models of monthly average prices of copper, aluminium, nickel, zinc, lead, and gold markets. For our subsidiary company, BME Price Models, Adam has developed algorithmic trading models for the LME metals, mining equities and FX.
- Mire Zloh Senior Consultant- Price Modelling
- Mire joined BME in November 2004. He has an M.Sc in Physical Chemistry from the University of Belgrade, and a Ph.D in Chemistry from University College London. Mire has taken over the work of modelling the "fair value" of the base metal prices. Together with Peter Hollands he developed the second generation of the "fair value" models which were among the first to identify the contribution that long only index funds and long/short hedge funds made to the base metal prices from around 2004.
- Paul Dewison Research Manager-Copper Fabricating Editor-Copper Briefing
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Paul is one of the world’s foremost copper industry consultants, bringing to BME a wealth of experience in market consultancy and publishing, not only in copper but also in nickel, and other industrial material and product markets. In copper, Paul’s particular focus is on fabricating and downstream aspects of the market. For BME, Paul is editor of the “Copper Briefing Service” and also manages major consultancy projects relating to, amongst others, mine project appraisals, end use market appraisals, and expert witness assignments.
Having graduated in Geography at Cambridge University, Paul has worked for a number of big names in the economic consultancy and publishing business. The research areas he has tackled include offshore oil and gas and shipping, as well as nonferrous metals. The main focus over the past fifteen years, however, has been on nonferrous metals, and particularly on copper. Paul has previously held consultancy positions in the firms CRU International and Brook Hunt & Associates, as well as his own company Metalica Ltd., where he was Managing Director between 1998 and 2005. During his career, Paul has expanded his expertise with a Degree and professional training in Law, allowing him to take on expert witness and related work with confidence. Paul joined BME early in 2008, and since then has made a major contribution towards the upgrading of the firms publications and consultancy offering.
- Gordon McKnight Senior Consultant
- Gordon McKnight is a senior consultant on various ongoing projects and contributes to the monthly and quarterly reports. Gordon has many years experience in concentrate marketing, including as Vice President Sales and Marketing with Redcorp Ventures Ltd and Sales Manager with Highland Valley Copper and working as a consultant in the mining industry including with Neil Seldon and Associates Ltd
- Klairie Goumaridi Senior Consultant
- Klairie is a freelance consultant, currently working on a copper project for BME. Before that she recently completed an in-depth and highly analytical project in the global nickel sector for a top tier mining house. She worked previously in the business development role in a Greek-based niche mining company and has carried out extensive analytical work in the global iron ore industry. She is a marketing and sales professional who started her career in the global company Hilti, world leader in the construction sector, where she worked in a series of increasingly responsible and senior marketing positions in Spain, Liechtenstein and Greece. She has a degree in Business Administration from Athens University and an MBA from Manchester Business School. Klairie's mother tongue is Greek and she speaks English and Spanish fluently. .
- Robert Goldstein Marketing Director
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Robert has an MA in Economics from Cambridge University and a MBA from INSEAD. After working in management consultancy he joined CRU, the metals consultancy, in 1976. He was appointed Marketing Director in 1981 and Managing Director in 1988. He was also responsible during this period of starting the CRU management consultancy activity and led several assignments in aluminium, steel and precious metals for clients in Europe, North America and Africa. He joined BME in the summer of 2009.
- Mike Barden Non-Executive Director
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Mr Barden has over 25 years experience in the mining and metals sector. Prior to joining BME, Mr Barden was CEO of CRU InternationalLtd, and a partner at Monitor, the global management consulting firm.
- Barbara Sotowicz Company Secretary
- Barbara was a co-founder of BME in 1993 and is Company Secretary. She has a B.Sc in Geology from University College London, with work experience at BP (on tar sands, particularly). Subsequently she obtained an M.Sc. in Crystallography from Birkbeck College and has had extensive research experience in Kimberlite mineralogy.
- Neil Seldon Non-executive Chairman
- Non-executive Chairman. Based in Vancouver.
Neil is President of Neil S Seldon & Associates
Neil Seldon is a graduate of the Royal School of Mines, and began his career with a metal merchant in London, including time with their ring-dealing group on the London Metal Exchange. He then moved to Canada, where his career included Manager Marketing with Zapata Grandby Corporation, and Vice-President Marketing with Westmin Resources Ltd. He has extensive international experience in many aspects of Marketing. In conjunction with BME, Neil Seldon & Associates is available or consultancy assignments, particularly those combining appraisal of the general copper price and concentrate market outlooks with assessment of the marketability of specific concentrates from planned new mines, for input into pre-feasibility and feasibility studies, and due diligence. - Contact Us for Consultancy Work
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