Alar Soever

What project stands out as the most rewarding in your career, and why?

The highlight of my career was completing the first detailed surface mapping and being involved in the initial drilling of the Sadiola Gold deposit in Mali. Pivotal to the success of these programs was a team consisting almost entirely of local staff, whom I thoroughly enjoyed working with. These programs led to the initial reserve estimate of 22.3 tonnes at 3.3 grams gold per tonnes and an investment by Anglo American, which funded bringing the project to production. To date, Sadiola has produced 8.4 million ounces of gold, with about 7 million ounces left in reserves. Sadiola is an example of a world class discovery by a small Canadian junior mining company, IAMGOLD, which started its evolution from a small private company to a publicly traded intermediate size gold producer.

What advice would you give to young professionals just starting their career, or students considering a career in the mineral industry?

Successful exploration and mine development is a team effort, involving good geology, the local community, a hard-working exploration team, funding partners, mining contractors, and expertise from a variety of consultants. Involve them all and listen to their advice. Most of all, play the most attention to the geology and to what the rocks are telling you. While consultants have their purpose, they have a very limited time to commune with and listen to the rocks, and in the end the rocks will always be right.