Scandinavia-based Akobo Minerals, which has gold exploration assets in Ethiopia, has appointed Dr Cathryn MacCallum as head of environmental, social and governance (ESG) to advance the company’s ESG programme.
She will take up the post on February 1 as part of the company’s management team.
MacCallum is noted as a highly experienced socioeconomist with a PhD in sustainable livelihoods and global learning.
In a career spanning over 25 years, she has developed integrated approaches to diversifying sustainable livelihoods and has delivered wide-ranging technical support and advice to poverty reduction and education projects across Europe, sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East and North Africa regions, Akobo highlights.
MacCallum has, in particular, energy and mining sector experience, advising and building the capacity of businesses by determining and managing ESG risks and achieving and maintaining a social licence to operate.
She is involved in a range of international forums informing policy for the sector, has provided ESG expert input into the recent review of the Pan European Reserves and Resources Reporting Committee Standard for reporting of exploration results, mineral resources and mineral reserves, and regularly undertakes ESG due diligence on projects for international finance institutions and private equity companies.
“Akobo has demonstrated that ESG lies at the heart of its corporate and social initiatives and I am excited to pick up this ESG baton at a business which has already proven its world-leading credentials.
“I am particularly looking forward to building upon the company’s strategy that takes an ESG ‘extended shared value’ approach to maximising potential both for the company and the local peoples in and around our operations. My success will be to prove that a community can be engaged with and supported through ESG without creating a culture of dependency. I look forward to the challenge,” MacCallum comments.