The brief
One of Australia’s most strategically significant critical minerals projects was taking shape. With circa $1.6 billion in capital investment committed and national policy firmly behind the sector, the company needed to complement a well established existing Executive team, adding new leadership knowledge and the capability of delivering a world-class outcome.
The Chief Technology Officer role sat at the centre of that ambition.
This wasn’t a role for someone who had done it before in a familiar context. Critical minerals processing—particularly at the scale and complexity this project demanded—is a relatively young field. The technology across this field is evolving and much of the relevant expertise sits outside Australia; importantly, the decisions made in the early stages of feasibility carry consequences for years.
The brief called for a leader who could provide technical authority across project development, research and development, new energy and decarbonisation, and digitisation and operational technology—while operating credibly at the ExCo level, and influencing a wide network of government, customer, technology, and project delivery partners.
This role needed someone who could steward the right decisions in early stages of feasibility studies, selection —ensuring risk management and successful delivery of a world class refinery.
The challenge
The core difficulty wasn’t finding technically qualified candidates. It was finding the right kind of leader for a genuinely novel situation.
Critical minerals processing requires a different knowledge base to conventional mining. Technology selection—often from providers located internationally—demands both scientific fluency and commercial judgement. And because the sector is still forming, there are few established playbooks to follow.
The company needed someone who could operate at the frontier: intellectually curious enough to navigate the unknowns, experienced enough to make sound decisions under uncertainty, and purposeful enough to be genuinely motivated by the mission rather than just the role.
We knew this combination was rare and required a global research effort.
Our approach
Goldrick Consulting applied its Leader Discovery and Definition Model—beginning with a clear-eyed understanding of what the role actually required. Working closely with our client’s executive team, we defined the brief in terms of strategic impact as well as technical remit.
What decisions would this person need to make?
What stakeholder dynamics would they need to navigate?
What values and behaviours would determine whether they could succeed in this specific environment?
From there, we conducted global research—mapping the talent landscape across critical minerals, advanced manufacturing, and strategic technology worldwide. Our focus extended to Australian expats and international candidates with the background, credibility, and motivation to relocate.
Identifying technically capable leaders was one part of the work. The more important part was understanding purpose and values alignment. A project of this significance—with its national strategic dimensions, its complexity, and its long time horizon—required a leader who was genuinely invested in the mission, not simply attracted to the seniority of the role.
We applied what we call our Candidate Connection Model: a deliberate approach to understanding not just what a candidate has done, but who they are, what they care about, and how they lead through uncertainty and complexity; when the path isn’t clear.
The outcome
The appointment was made successfully with Goldrick Consulting securing an Australian Expat who would return to Australia with the proven experience and knowledge within the desired critical minerals commodity, also bringing with them, valuable lessons learned.
The individual brought more than 30 years of technical and leadership experience across leading research institutions, a major global resources company, and multiple international assignments—a rare combination of scientific rigour, industrial leadership, and systems thinking.
Critically, the values alignment was strong. The purpose of the project, Australia’s role in supplying critical minerals for decarbonisation and emerging technologies, resonated personally.
That alignment has mattered in the years since.
Three and a half years on, the CTO remains in the role. The project is advancing toward commissioning in 2027, with strong political and strategic backing. The early decisions around technology selection and process design, the decisions this appointment was made to support, have held.
This engagement reflects what Goldrick does at its best: finding leaders for moments that are genuinely hard, in sectors that are genuinely complex, for organisations that understand the difference between filling a role and making an appointment that changes trajectory.
The right leader, at the right moment, changes everything.
If you are interested in learning more about the work we do, please contact the Goldrick team directly.
