CRU Strategies' Consultants 

Phil has 18 years experience in the mining and mine engineering industry. He has wide project management experience of multi-disciplinary teams across different countries and cultures. Phil's current focus within CRU Strategies is on portfolio management and the incorporation of risks both at the operations and corporate level. Phil, working in collaboration with the major international mining companies, has developed bespoke valuation techniques that facilitate value growth by aligning projects and Mergers and Acquisitions activity with a stable portfolio. 

Other project experience includes strategic reviews of the iron ore industry with a particular emphasis on the emerging pellet feed market; understanding environmental legacy risks associated with the mining and metals industry and general market issues associated with the base and precious metals industry.

Mining experience and operations exposure was gained during 10 years at Golder Associates where Phil was a recognised international expert in the field of paste technology and tailings management. Phil has worked in over 30 countries worldwide and has a Masters degree from McGill University, Montreal.

Robin has been working as a market research analyst, economic forecaster and, most recently, management consultant in the global metals and mining industry since 1973. He is currently CRU Group’s Chief Development Officer with primary responsibility for the company’s intellectual property, including its Compass ™ long-term price forecasting methodology and its Value Based Costing (VBC™) approach to performance improvement at mining, beneficiation and metallurgical operations of all kinds. He also acts as a Managing Consultant at CRU Strategies with special responsibility for strategically important projects, mainly in the performance improvement and negotiation support practice areas. He acts as Chairman of CRU Strategies center of mining excellence in Santiago, Chile.

Robin led the development of CRU Strategies’ approach to managing mining operations from a capital productivity perspective to increase shareholder value. He has developed benchmarking concepts and linked these to performance measurement systems at iron ore and base metal mines, aluminum smelters, aluminum, stainless steel and steel rolling mills and other metallurgical facilities. He is a specialist in the development of Monte Carlo simulation models that integrate technical, economic and political risk assessments for the purpose of project decision-making and finance and asset valuations. He also has extensive experience with a similar approach to the application of bargaining zone theory in strategically important contract negotiations such as electricity contracts for aluminum smelters and marketing off-take agreements.

Robin was Vice President, Metals, Mining and Shipping at Chase Econometrics, a subsidiary of JP Morgan Chase, from 1976 to 1983. He was the founding President of Resource Strategies Inc which merged with CRU in 1996 to create what is now CRU Strategies. He was educated in Zimbabwe and at Oxford University, England, where he holds the degree of MA in Politics, Philosophy and Economics.

Since joining CRU José Luis has been involved in various market evaluation projects, focusing on specialised segments of South American markets for steel products. He has also been involved with the training and development of senior management teams in review and performance improvement processes. Prior to joining CRU, he worked as a project manager with an American performance improvement consultancy

José Luis holds a BEng in Computer Science from Universidad de las Americas and a MBA from Rotterdam School of Management, Certified Project Director. He is fluent in Spanish and English, and has a good command of German.

Rodrik comes to CRU from Bentley Systems in Russia where he consulted with major EPCs and Oil & Gas Owner/Operators on the use of technology for managing infrastructure and major capital projects.  Rodrik spent a further five years opening regional offices and commissioning a Siberian production facility to establish a presence for Pyrotek in the CIS.  At Pyrotek, Rodrik consulted on the introduction of cast house and pot room technologies at all major aluminium producers in Russia.  Prior to taking up residence in Russia, Rodrik worked on projects to develop mine production in Kazakhstan and the underlying technology platform for hosting Prowess MarketBrain, an Internet start-up that used US National Lab technologies for crunching pricing data for commodities from a client-centric costing perspective.

Rodrik has led startups and new technology engagements in transition economies and high-tech growth markets.  He has supported the modernisation of major aluminium producers in Russia on a plant and executive level and has worked closely with Russian and international EPCs to modernise their CIS operations.

Rodrik holds a MASc Management Science, BASc Electrical Engineering and BA Russian from the University of Waterloo.

Nick has worked for CRU Group for 10 years and currently leads our Valuation Practice where he has been responsible for numerous feasibility assessments in addition to assignments working with the financial community to prepare financing documents. He has been heavily involved in assignments relating to aluminium, steel and their respective raw materials. 

Nick joined CRU Strategies in 2004 from the Aluminium Business Unit of CRU Analysis, where he was responsible for the research of the flat rolled aluminium products markets, focussing particularly on aluminium foil and beverage packaging. He also had a wide exposure to many of the Aluminium Business Unit's other activities, including analysis of the primary aluminium and scrap markets.

 Nick holds a degree in Economics from Cambridge University, and reads French.

James joined CRU in November 2006 after graduating from Imperial College London. He worked as a consultant for the British Sulphur Consultants division of CRU in down-stream natural gas commodities, specifically the nitrogen market. He then moved to the CRU Strategies team and has worked on various projects including the completion of a Market Decisions outlook on the Vanadium industry for use in a definitive feasibility study.

James holds an undergraduate degree in Geology from Imperial College London (Royal School of Mines). During his degree he completed several projects on ore deposits and processing.

After completing an internship in China, Josie joined CRU’s Aluminium Business Unit  – contributing to the publications of the Aluminium semis teams.  In particular, she worked on flat rolled and extruded aluminium product markets.  In addition to monitors and quarterly reports Josie was involved in the aluminium rolling costs report and the biannual beverage packaging study.  Josie has also worked on primary aluminium smelting market – with focus on China.

Recently, Josie broadened her experience of the upstream aluminium industry with consultancy work on bauxite, alumina, and primary aluminium.  Her projects have included the evaluation of primary producers’ growth strategy and an evaluation of cast house product markets. 

Josie has a Masters in Chinese and Business from Leeds and a BA in European Studies with German from Edinburgh University.

Robert worked for eight years in CRU Analysis, focusing on the specialty steel and associated raw materials sectors and after working as a group economist for Corus for two years, returned to CRU. 

Robert has developed an extensive knowledge and understanding of the carbon steel industry through his employment at one Europe’s principle producers. In addition, he has a thorough understanding of the stainless steel industry and associated raw materials including nickel, ferrochrome and bulk ferroalloys.  Robert heads the Market Decisions practice for ferrous consultancy projects.

Robert holds a BSc in Economics and Politics from the University of Bristol. 

Mark joined CRU in 1994 and currently leads the Strategic Procurement and Negotiation Support practice. In this role he has advised a number of clients on purchasing strategy for metals and electricity, and has assisted with the negotiation of commercial arrangements. In particular Mark has worked with both producers and consumers to negotiate electricity supply contracts for power intensive projects, especially aluminium smelters. He has also completed a number of projects assisting large consumers with purchasing steel, steel line pipe, stainless steel and other metal containing components. 

Before moving to consultancy, Mark was research manager for CRU’s  Power Team where he was responsible for the group’s research on wholesale electricity markets and emissions markets. Mark joined the Power Team from the CRU’s Aluminium business, where he was the head of Aluminium raw materials. In this role he was responsible for the analysis of bauxite, alumina and electricity. Prior to joining CRU Mark worked as a government macro economist.

Mark holds an undergraduate degree in economics from Otago University and a post-graduate diploma in economics from Massey University, New Zealand.

Since joining CRU Strategies, Juan Esteban has been involved in developing methodologies to quantify and mitigate risks in mining and mineral processing operations. 

Prior to CRU, Juan Esteban worked for six years as Assistant Vice President at Citigroup within the Metals and Mining group, performing risk analysis for the main Chilean mining companies such as Codelco, Escondida, Collahuasi, Sur Andes, Mantos Blancos, Pelambres, Tesoro and Enami. Transactions with these clients involved corporate bank loans, syndicated loans and bond emissions.

Prior to CRU, Juan Esteban worked for six years as Assistant Vice President at Citigroup within the Metals and Mining group, performing risk analysis for the main Chilean mining companies such as Codelco, Escondida, Collahuasi, Sur Andes, Mantos Blancos, Pelambres, Tesoro and Enami.  Transactions with these clients involved corporate bank loans, syndicated loans and bond emissions

Juan Esteban holds a BSc in Industrial Civil Engineering from the Catholic University of Chile and is fluent in English and Spanish.

Tom has over four years experience of consultancy in the metals and mining industries, including managing projects and delivering solutions for international clients in steel, base metals and ferroalloys and downstream metals industries.  In particular, Tom has developed methodologies for application of quantitative risk analysis to strategic and tactical business problems in mining and processing operations, and procurement strategies for the purchase iron ore, steel and base metals.  In addition he has recently completed a number feasibility level market studies in the vanadium industry. Tom has developed methodologies, using Monte Carlo simulation and other techniques, to analyse, quantify and mitigate risks in mining and mineral processing operations. 

Prior to CRU, Tom worked for Atkins Management Consultants where he was involved in a variety projects for the public and private sector. Tom holds a BSc in Physics from the University of Bristol. He also has a Diploma in Financial Management from the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.

Juan joined CRU as a mineral economist and mining engineer, and has worked on various performance improvement projects. Prior to CRU, Juan held an associate research post at the Colorado School of Mines (Division of Economics and Business) and was an instructor in the Mining Center at the Catholic University of Chile (2003-2007). He participated in both mineral market analysis and performance improvement projects in academia and business. Currently he is also an Assistant Associate Professor of the Mineral Economics Program at Catholic University of Chile, where he teaches microeconomics and econometrics, both applied to mineral markets.

He holds a PhD in mineral economics from the Catholic University of Chile. Juan also has a MSc and BSc in Industrial Civil Engineering, also from the Catholic University of Chile. He speaks English and Spanish fluently. 

Michael has been involved in several steel and aluminium market evaluation projects since joining CRU Strategies.  More recently, he has worked on due diligence support for greenfield projects in the steel sector as well as high level strategy validation for two major metals producers.

Prior to joining CRU, Michael researched shareholder value delivery under adverse organisational and structural conditions whilst evaluating the implementation of value based management metrics in integrated oil companies.

Michael holds a PhD in Finance from Manchester Business School and a BA in International Business, Finance and Economics from the University of Manchester. He is also fluent in Swedish and has a good working knowledge of Spanish.

Waseem joined CRU Strategies after experience with independent steel producers located in Africa, gaining specific experience in turning round unprofitable plants. He has been involved in procurement and production departments in addition to working on projects focusing on downstream industries.

Since joining the firm Waseem has been working on projects in the Middle East & North Africa region, specifically in the steel sector.   These include feasibility assignments in relation to proposed new iron and steel making projects, as well as strategic studies for clients looking to enter the industry. 

Waseem has an MPhil degree in Industrial Systems, Manufacturing and Management from Cambridge University and a BSc (Hons) in Applied Computer Science from Reading University.

Gergana has been involved in a steel market evaluation project, encompassing the entire world with a focus on Asia, since she joined CRU Strategies.  The project, involving the long-term outlook for all aspects of steel production and demand, aimed at providing a long-term strategic direction for a major steel company.

Prior to CRU, Gergana worked for 6 years with ABN AMRO where she held various positions, most lately within Credit Risk Management – Energy & Resources and Global Clients Metals & Mining.

Gergana holds a BA in International Business and Management from HES Amsterdam School of Business, Netherlands and an MBA from Instituto de Empresa Business School, Madrid, Spain. She is fluent in Bulgarian and Dutch and has a working knowledge of Russia, Macedonian and Serbian.

From his project work and research to date, Ionut has developed an expertise in the molybdenum market, and its long-term prospects, as well as the influx of new projects. Ionut has also been involved in a number of projects concerning the aluminium industry, including smelter profiles and the attractiveness of various semi-finished sectors.

Before joining CRU Strategies, Ionut worked for 2 years as a counsellor in the Prime Minister’s Chancellery in his native Romania.  His responsibilities included communications with the European Commission and strategic analyses of financial crime.

Ionut holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social and Political Science and a Master of Philosophy diploma in Political Philosophy, both received from Cambridge University. He is fluent in Romanian, Italian and French and also speaks Japanese and German.   

Andrew has worked in metals research and consultancy since 2003, providing both market analysis and business consulting services across a variety of markets. Sectors include steel and steelmaking raw materials, steel tube & pipe, stainless steel, base metals and precious metals. He has also launched several regular research reports on steel flat products, steel tube & pipe and gold.

Since joining CRU Strategies Andrew has primarily worked on commercial due diligence projects supporting financing packages and takeovers. He is currently head of the Market Decisions practice area for non-ferrous consultancy projects.

Andrew holds a degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Oxford University.

Gillian joined CRU’s precious metals team in 1997 where she held editorial responsibility for the regular precious metal reports. Since joining CRU Strategies, she has relocated to our Beijing office, where she has been involved in assignments across the ferrous and non-ferrous metals industries. 

Prior to joining CRU Gillian worked for the South African Chamber of Mines and the Rand Refinery.

Gillian holds a BComm from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, and a BComm from the University of South Africa. She also gained a MSc in Finance from the University of London.

Since joining CRU Strategies in 2006, Alison has worked on a variety of projects, including several on the iron ore and aluminium industries.  She has worked in particular on assignments in the Valuation practice area, and has managed, among other projects, an economic feasibility study of a silicon smelter.

Alison previously worked in an analytical role at the Bank of England and holds a Land Economics and English Literature degree from Cambridge University, and has working knowledge of German and French.

Colin joined CRU in 1983 and has worked in metals research and consultancy for 30 years.  In the late 1980s he started managing CRU’s aluminium business and with over 15 years of experience in this role, Colin is considered an expert is his field.  He now works across the main practice areas and metals covered by CRU Strategies.  In particular, he focuses on Strategy and Valuation work, whilst maintaining his specialist knowledge of the aluminium sector.  Colin has also undertaken projects in ferrous raw materials, base metals, minor metals and non-metallurgical alumina.

Colin’s early career was spent in Papua New Guinea, as policy analyst at the Minerals and Energy Department, and before that at ICI Ltd.

He has a BA Econ in Economics from Manchester University, and a MSc in Economics from the School of Oriental and African Studies.

Daniela is a journalist (Universidad Catolica de Chile), with a MA in Sociology (Georgia State University).  Before coming to CRU, she worked in the media industry including CNN in Atlanta, the newspaper El Pais in Spain and in internal communication and media training for a number of companies. Daniela will be assisting CRU Strategies in information management, public relations and in consulting projects involving human resources and communications. Born in Mexico and holder of Mexican and Chilean Passports.  Fluent in English and Spanish (mother tongue). 

Taylor has contributed to a number of projects including analysing forward pricing of various metals, estimating mining costs, quantifying country risks and examining capital costs. Taylor has applied Monte Carlo analysis to construct valuation and risk profiles of alumina and aluminium projects.

Prior to CRU he worked at Azzurro AG, Germany, where he conducted market research on semiconductors. Taylor also worked for Lockheed Martin in Colorado, where he assisted with budgeting and business strategy.

Taylor graduated from the Colorado School of Mines with a BSc in Economics and a MSc in Engineering and Technology Management. He is currently completing a MSc in Economics at Umeå University, Sweden.

Christopher Stobart has worked in the CRU group since 1976 and within the consulting division of the CRU Group since 1988. In this time, Christopher has advised numerous companies on strategy, marketing and purchasing issues, and on acquisitions, mergers and privatisations. He has also performed due diligence work for banks and investors and has advised on marketing and hedging issues. Christopher has worked for clients in the aluminium, copper, lead, zinc, nickel, ferroalloy, steel and gold industries, as well as trading companies and financial institutions. 

Chris has built up specialist knowledge of the metals and minerals industry of the former planned economies. However, he has significant experience in all facets of the metals and mining industry – advising on hedging strategy, market entry strategy, valuation, purchasing strategy and development options for major market participants.

Chris holds an M.A. degree in Classics from Cambridge University and has a working knowledge of Spanish.

Philip Tomlinson has spent his entire career working on commodity market issues. After three years with the International Wrought Copper Council, he spent six years at International Nickel (Inco) as senior market analyst before joining CRU in 1982.  After working on base metals for several years, he was appointed Director of CRU International's steel business unit in 1989.  He then managed a major expansion of CRU's steel activities to establish the company as the leading globally-oriented consultancy for the steel industry. 

Since 2003 he has been with CRU Strategies, being involved at the highest level in strategic advice, as well as projects involving due diligence for financial transactions, improved product and market strategies, competitive analysis and purchasing strategies. His areas of expertise include the upstream (raw materials) sectors of the steel industry, as well as the full range of downstream activities in both carbon and stainless steels.

He holds an MA in Natural Sciences and Economics from Cambridge University and a Diploma of Management Studies from the University of Westminster. He is bilingual in French and English, and has a working knowledge of German and Spanish.

Juan has worked on a range of projects in the base metals, iron ore and steel industries, although his primary focus has, thus far, been in the steel industry.  Most recently he has been involved in providing a critical analysis of the European Union’s Emissions Trading Scheme - thereby determining the impact it will have on steel producers within the EU.  He previously worked for a well-established firm of financial advisors, based in the City of London.

Juan has a BCom degree in Economics and Business Management from the Sellenbosch University (South Africa).

Katherine joined CRU strategies earlier this year, having recently graduated with an MA in Economics. Prior to that she gained work experience at a law firm specialising in patent law. Since joining the team, she has worked on a range of projects, including research on the aluminium extrusion market and the steel industry, with a focus on China.

She holds an MA (Hons) in Economics from the University of St. Andrews.