Graham Parkin and I recently attended the Future Minerals Forum Mining & Exploration Conference in Riyadh, and it was one of the most energising industry events I’ve experienced in a long time.
Aurum is no stranger to the Kingdom. We worked with Ma’aden around a decade ago, and returned again in 2021 as part of an Irish Government trade mission. It was during that visit that we first heard, in detail, about Saudi Arabia’s ambitions for mineral exploration under Vision 2030.
What is striking now is just how clearly those ambitions have moved from vision to execution.
The level of activity, pace of progress, and clarity of intent on display in Riyadh were genuinely impressive. Barriers to entry—whether policy, funding, or regulatory—are being tackled head-on and addressed with real speed. In contrast, Europe is increasingly lagging in both will and delivery. The Kingdom has set a new benchmark for how meaningful change can be driven in our industry.
It has also been a long time since I’ve felt this level of buzz at a mining conference. The enthusiasm was tangible. People were open, engaged, and keen to do business. There is real work to be done—and, just as importantly, a genuine willingness to collaborate.
A big thank you to everyone who took the time to meet with Aurum, with myself, and with Graham Parkin. We had many positive and constructive discussions and left Riyadh genuinely excited to develop these connections and return to the Kingdom.
With our high-level mineral exploration expertise, Aurum sees a very promising future in Saudi Arabia and we’re looking forward to being part of what comes next.