From Ground to Gold: Industry leaders explore the journey from discovery to production

From Ground to Gold

The Gold Industry Group brought together three industry leaders for its From Ground to Gold Leadership Breakfast in Sydney last week, exploring the opportunities, challenges and decisions that shape a gold project’s journey from discovery through development to production.

Held as part of the Australian Gold Conference, the breakfast featured Glen Diemar, Managing Director of Australian Gold and Copper; Alexander Scanlon, Managing Director and CEO of Barton Gold; and Aaron Rankine, Chief Operating Officer of Westgold Resources.

Moderated by Gold Industry Group CEO Kristy Reilly, the discussion offered perspectives from across the gold lifecycle, highlighting how the risks, priorities and drivers of value evolve as projects progress towards production.

Different stages, different challenges

While every gold project begins with the potential of a discovery, turning that potential into a successful mining operation requires navigating a series of increasingly complex challenges.

From an exploration perspective, the discussion highlighted the importance of strong geological understanding, disciplined capital allocation and experienced leadership. Identifying a promising resource is only the beginning, with exploration companies needing to demonstrate the potential of their discoveries while managing uncertainty and investor expectations.

As projects advance into development, the focus shifts from identifying potential to establishing technical and commercial viability. Feasibility studies, infrastructure requirements, financing, regulatory approvals and construction planning all become critical considerations, with decisions made during this stage having significant implications for a project’s long-term success.

For established producers, the priorities shift again. Operational reliability, cost management, production efficiency and maintaining a sustainable pipeline of opportunities become central to delivering ongoing value. The challenge is not simply reaching production, but sustaining performance and positioning operations for future growth.

Together, the three perspectives demonstrated that success across the gold lifecycle requires different capabilities and approaches at each stage, with no single pathway guaranteeing a positive outcome.

The importance of people and leadership

A common theme throughout the discussion was the critical role of people, leadership and sound decision-making in creating long-term value.

As companies move from exploration towards development and production, their organisational needs change considerably. Building the right teams, attracting expertise and maintaining financial discipline become increasingly important as projects grow in scale and complexity.

The conversation also reinforced that a project’s underlying resource is only one part of its investment proposition. The experience, capability and judgement of the people responsible for advancing it can be just as important in determining whether that potential is realised.

Ultimately, the breakfast provided an opportunity to look beyond individual projects and consider the broader journey of value creation across Australia’s gold industry.

The Gold Industry Group thanks Glen Diemar, Alexander Scanlon and Aaron Rankine for sharing their perspectives, along with everyone who joined us for the discussion.

We also thank the Australian Gold Conference for the opportunity to bring industry leaders together and explore the expertise, investment and innovation required to take gold from the ground to production.