Our journey with Predictive Discovery (PDI) began in early 2022 amidst a sea of considerable challenges – a turning point that would ultimately redefine the company’s trajectory. PDI was a relatively small entity, with a market capitalisation under A$300 million, and its shareholder register was heavily retail-dominated. There had been a sudden change of management, with Andrew Pardey moving from Non-Executive Director to CEO & Managing Director. Critically, Andrew was tasked with addressing a huge ESG challenge: the Tier 1 Bankan gold orebody, PDI’s flagship asset, was located on the outer periphery zone of a critical national park in Guinea. This presented a significant hurdle at a time when the rise of ESG compliance was paramount for leading investors, including BlackRock.

Our task at Burson Buchanan was therefore a large one. We focused on repositioning the company to make it not only investable for institutional and long-only investors, but also to ensure its ESG credentials were sufficiently robust and clearly articulated. Our strategic communications were vital in demonstrating PDI’s commitment to responsible development and addressing the sensitive environmental aspects of the Bankan project.

Following this repositioning, Burson Buchanan then supported Predictive Discovery through a competitive and tumultuous transaction period which saw a number of suitors emerge as possible merger partners. We provided continuous strategic counsel, ensuring PDI’s narrative remained consistent and compelling throughout these complex discussions. This ultimately led to PDI’s initial engagement with Robex Resources in September, which resulted in the formal Merger of Equals announcement with Robex in October 2025.

However, the path to the merger was not without its external pressures. In December, Perseus Mining emerged as a rival bidder, looking to gatecrash the already-announced tie-up with an offer to acquire the Company. This intervention necessitated a period of re-negotiation, leading to PDI’s strategic re-engagement, their second “bite of the cherry” with Robex, to solidify the announced transaction against this threat. Throughout this challenging period, we supported PDI in the navigation of Perseus’s unsolicited approach, our efforts proving instrumental in defending the integrity of the planned merger and reinforcing its superior value proposition. The compelling strategic rationale, grounded in the proposed merger with Robex offering the perfect answer for future development funding for PDI’s Bankan project by significantly de-risking it through leveraging cash flows from Robex’s Kiniero Gold Mine.

Through these strategic phases and our support, the two companies combined on 17 April 2026 to create, a c.US$3.1 billion leading West African gold company. This transformative merger brought together two of the continent’s largest, lowest-cost, and most advanced projects. PDI now boasts combined Mineral Resources of approximately 9.5Moz Au, inclusive of Ore Reserves of approximately 4.5Moz Au, with significant exploration upside potential.

This journey with Predictive Discovery highlights Burson Buchanan’s capacity to partner with clients from initial challenges through to significant strategic transactions, demonstrating how expert financial communications can unlock transformational growth and deliver substantial value for all stakeholders.

Burson Buchanan’s Mining Indaba started with one of the few site visits that took place ahead of the conference, the well-attended visit to Wia Gold’s Kokoseb project in Namibia (ASX: WIA).

Kokoseb is a recent gold discovery yet is moving rapidly towards development with the DFS, the updated MRE (which will include an inaugural underground resource to compliment the c.3m ounce open pit), and the mining license award anticipated to be announced in Q3 this year. Wia Gold was one of the most talked about gold projects during Mining Indaba, with Henk Diederichs, the newly appointed CEO & MD, enjoying significant interest from a variety of global capital market stakeholders.

In the midcap market, PDI (ASX: PDI) was at Indaba with Robex, both of which are in the latter stages of merging, creating one of the largest pure gold mining groups in West Africa. The market excitement about the merger at Mining Indaba was palpable, with both companies’ share prices reaching all-time highs, as the broader market reflected on the prospects of the MergeCo being a 400,000 oz/pa producer, with an asset base of over 9.5m oz Au, with a market value currently at c.US$3.2 billion. This vision took a firm step towards reality with Robex announcing on 12th February that its Kiniero mine had reached commercial production, with ramp up to nameplate production remaining firmly on time and on budget.

Burson Buchanan also supported Kodal Minerals, London’s only quoted spodumene production company, with rapidly growing production from the Bougouni spodumene mine in Mali. Bolstered by the significant rise in the spodumene prices, along with the ongoing and successful ramp up in production, Kodal is now generating significant cash flow from its operations.

It was another excellent Indaba, showcasing Burson Buchanan’s competitive advantage of advising fast growth mining companies and empowering all stakeholders to fully benefit from the rare success of finding, building, and bringing leading African mines into production.

2025 was a tumultuous year for the global mining industry – defined by seismic geopolitical shifts and events, the expansion of U.S. tariffs across global markets and executive reshuffles at some of the major players in the commodities world – all topped off by a dramatic resurgence of M&A across the industry.

Against this dynamic backdrop, precious metals prices leaped to historic heights, with gold smashing through all previous records to reach an unprecedented ~$4,500/oz during the year and silver surging to ~$80/oz over the festive break. Strategic metals including copper, rare earths, as well as base metals, also reached new heights.

Strategic Assets, Scarcity, and the Revival of Large-Cap Deals

Beyond our own impactful work, the industry buzzed with transaction activity in 2025 – from the US$53bn Anglo-Teck merger to Rio Tinto’s acquisition of Arcadium Lithium, accelerating its position in the critical mineral, as well as the captivating ‘will they, won’t they’ saga of BHP’s potential bid for Anglo American.

During Burson Buchanan’s pivotal four-year partnership with ASX/LSE-listed Adriatic Metals, our strategic guidance helped transform a promising exploration company in the rich and historic (but largely untapped) Balkan region into a highly attractive acquisition target, culminating in the US$1.3bn takeover by TSX-listed DPM Metals in September, which saw shareholders quadruple their investment value since Burson Buchanan got involved.

Most recently, we continue to advise ASX-listed Predictive Discovery on its merger with Robex Resources, which received 95% of votes from Robex shareholders in December for the deal, creating a powerhouse West African-focused gold company. Our team provided unparalleled communications guidance, navigating intense competitive tension, including a bidding war with Perseus Mining. This transformative merger will create a combined entity valued at c.$3bn, with annualised production of over 400,000 oz/Au per annum, creating Guinea’s largest gold mining operation, with a strong foothold in the burgeoning African gold mining market.

2025 was an extraordinary year for the Burson Buchanan team, where we guided our clients through complex, high-value transactions across geographical borders, diverse regulatory environments, and international investor bases, consistently setting new benchmarks in a booming commodities market.

Outlook for 2026: Navigating the Next Wave

Looking ahead to 2026, the triple currents of volatile geopolitics, the US narrative of securing critical metals supply in the face of Sino/Russian tensions, and robust investor appetite for tangible assets show no signs of abating. With commodity prices poised to remain strong, driven by demand and ongoing strategic shifts, and M&A activity maintaining its dynamic pace, the stage is set for another year of significant opportunity and strategic manoeuvring. This has already kicked off with a potential Rio Tinto-Glencore merger back in the headlines. Burson Buchanan, with the foundations of access to the principal capital markets of the US, London, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, remains strategically positioned to leverage our deep expertise and proven track record to guide our clients through these evolving landscapes. Looking ahead, we remain focused on providing clients with the guidance and counsel needed to capitalise on the next wave of strategic opportunities.

Connect with Burson Buchanan at Mining Indaba 2026

The Burson Buchanan team will be at Mining Indaba in Cape Town, South Africa, this February. We look forward to engaging with our clients, industry leaders and wider networks, and discussing the opportunities ahead in 2026 and beyond. Get in touch to find out which of our clients will be in attendance and how to connect via Buchanan Mining.

We are also hosting our annual charity Diggers versus Dealers cricket match on Sunday 8 February in Camps Bay, Cape Town. Please contact Romina Fiori if you and your colleagues wish to attend.

Here’s to making 2026 another year of impactful partnerships and extraordinary success.

It is our final act of 2025 as we wrap up the year: after 15 fruitful years at 107 Cheapside, the Burson Buchanan team is delighted to announce its official relocation to Burson’s UK headquarters at Rose Court, located just on the south side of London’s Southwark Bridge.

This move marks the full culmination of our merger with Burson, solidifying our position as a specialist strategic communications agency within one of the world’s largest PR powerhouses. From our new 10th-floor offices, we now command panoramic views over the Thames, signifying our complete integration into Burson and just a short, convenient walk from the City.

Our team is energised by this new chapter, and are looking forward to collaborating even more closely with our Burson colleagues to unlock unparalleled opportunities for our clients and our shared WPP-owned brand. We can now offer a truly integrated PR service encompassing Financial PR, Design & Creative, Sustainability Consultancy, Special Situations Advisory, Public and Corporate Affairs, and Crisis Communications – all from a single, dynamic hub.

In a world continually reshaped by geopolitical shifts, evolving regulations, and rapid technological advancements like AI, clients demand comprehensive, integrated communications solutions. Our full physical assimilation with Burson directly addresses these complexities, ensuring we deliver strategic solutions for every challenge and opportunity.

Beyond London, we can now leverage Burson’s expansive global network of 39 offices across North and South America, the Middle East, Europe, and Asia, offering unparalleled access to international capital markets and expertise, wherever our clients operate.

Our new Rose Court home, which sits on the historic grounds of the Elizabethan Rose Theatre, was designed by BDG Architecture + Design, is an inspiring space for collaboration and innovation, reflecting the creative spirit that the Burson brand imbues. It features a meditation and wellbeing room, a river-view bar and restaurant, and cutting-edge meeting room technology. The building’s standout rooftop terrace offers spectacular views of London’s skyline, including St Paul’s Cathedral and The Shard.

The Circle, Rose Court

We can’t wait to welcome you to Rose Court in 2026 to see our new home and capabilities firsthand.

Wishing all our valued clients and network a very Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

Burson Buchanan is proud to have supported Adriatic Metals Plc on its US$1.3bn (UK£1bn / A$2bn) acquisition by Dundee Precious Metals Inc.

When we first partnered with Adriatic just four years ago, it was an unfunded explorer with a market cap under £300m, and many doubted the prospects of mining in Bosnia & Herzegovina. Through crafted communications, effective stakeholder engagement – including numerous investor and analyst site visits – we successfully enhanced the market understanding of ADT’s performance and growth potential.

Fast forward to today: Adriatic has become a standout UK success story in the global mining industry, culminating in a deal that won over 99% shareholder approval on both sides.

This milestone is a powerful example of our team’s ability to help clients unlock value – from exploration through to development, production, and ultimately, successful exit.

Site visit to Adriatic’s flagship, The Vareš Silver Operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, May 2025

Visit Adriatic Metals Plc

Visit Dundee Precious Metals Inc.

As the AIM Market celebrated its 30th anniversary, Burson Buchanan had the pleasure of attending the market close ceremony on 19th June, hosted by Marcus Stuttard, Head of AIM, and Julia Hoggett, CEO of the London Stock Exchange.

The occasion was a reminder of the immense success the junior market has achieved since its launch in 1995 – its development into one of the world’s most successful growth markets, the crucial role it has played in encouraging and driving innovation, and most of all, the strength of the capital markets community it nurtures, from investment banks to PRs, lawyers to the companies themselves.

Burson Buchanan has enjoyed a wonderful and enduring 30 years with the AIM Market. As one of the few PRs around at the time of its inception, we are delighted to have been able to celebrate this significant milestone and look forward to the next 30 years!

“It was an honour to join the LSE and so many influential City advisers in celebrating 30 years of the AIM Market. It was a day to champion innovation and remind ourselves of the significant potential for UK capital markets. As one of the few London Financial PR firms to have been around since the AIM market’s inception, Burson Buchanan is proud to have played a significant part in supporting our share of the over 4,000 ambitious companies that have successfully raised £136 billion to date. We’re excited for the next chapter of AIM’s journey, continuing to promote the growth of dynamic businesses and the value in our capital market’s community.”

Stephanie Whitmore, Associate Partner

Reputation Capital Helps Companies Maximize Reputation to Unlock Billions in Shareholder Value

NEW YORK, June 10, 2025 – Burson, the global communications agency purpose-built to create value for clients through reputation, today announced the launch of Reputation Capital, a first-of-its-kind AI- powered technology and consulting solution designed to connect drivers of reputation to specific business outcomes such as stock price, sales or purchase intent. This new offer fundamentally advances how reputation is measured, valued and managed, offering leading businesses a live view of this dynamic, multi-faceted asset. Burson’s approach facilitates immediate decision making so businesses can act with speed and precision against reputational shifts that have a direct bearing on commercial success. Reputation Capital is available through WPP Open, the AI-enabled marketing platform.

“Our core belief at Burson is that reputation is the most valuable asset that any organization possesses,” said Corey duBrowa, Global CEO, Burson. “It’s complex and constantly evolving, influenced by a variety of factors beyond any singular element such as trust. Traditional tools for measuring and shaping reputation simply can’t keep pace with the velocity and volume of challenges our clients are navigating today. With Reputation Capital, we’re pinpointing the specific drivers of reputation, forecasting the impact of potential actions, connecting these insights directly to business outcomes, and pairing them with expert counsel. This empowers our clients to make informed decisions with speed and agility, ensuring their actions and communications positively impact corporate perception and business performance, and ultimately build a lasting competitive advantage in the marketplace.”

Advanced AI Modeling Pinpoints Reputation Drivers and Impact on Performance

The Reputation Capital methodology defines eight levers of reputation management, ranging from citizenship & social responsibility to management & leadership, to creativity & innovation, among others, and uses advanced data and AI models to predict the potential impact of the media environment, news, narratives, events, or actions on each lever. The models ingest and analyze information 24/7 from proprietary sources and technology platforms, capturing signals ranging from client-owned information to digital and social media. This analysis yields an up-to-the-minute reputation score that illustrates how a brand is perceived overall and isolates which specific levers need action to improve reputation with a direct impact on business. Burson’s expert counselors then develop strategic and creative messages and ideas, which are then tested and perfected for their potential for impact.

Reputation Capital analyzes brand-specific signals across segments – including geography, sector, reputation lever and audience – and uses near real-time AI analysis to pinpoint hidden or emerging reputational risks and opportunities and forecast their likelihood of scale and impact. Reputation Capital’s breadth of data and its modeling capabilities can deliver reputation scores and insights for thousands of global companies, both public and private.

“Traditional reputation management tools only offer a backwards view of corporate perception,” said Chad Latz, Global Chief Innovation Officer, Burson. “Reputation Capital changes the game by providing a dynamic understanding of a brand’s reputation in the marketplace and predicting the impact of actions relative to key business metrics. This latest innovation is unique in the marketplace and especially valuable during periods of turbulence or emerging opportunity, when advanced intelligence, urgent action, and sophisticated communications counsel are critical for safeguarding reputation or seizing potential.”

Direct Connection Between Reputation and Shareholder Value

The Reputation Capital platform models the shareholder value of a company’s reputation by focusing on business outcomes, such as stock returns, that differ from market expectations – to provide a clear picture of the impact of specific factors, like reputation, on shareholder value.

Modeling of technology sector companies proved that reputation contributes significantly to shareholder value. In this sector, shifts in company reputations contributed, on average, 0.97 percent in additional weekly returns – which in shareholder value ranges from USD $2.5B to USD $38B depending on the company being analyzed. Simply put, a one percent increase in its Reputation Capital score equated to USD $2.4B in added shareholder value for a technology company profiled in the platform.

“This profiling exercise underscores the critical role of reputation in driving financial outcomes,” duBrowa noted. “For businesses, it highlights the tangible economic value of building, maintaining and enhancing reputation. For investors, it emphasizes the importance of considering reputation when evaluating potential investments. For boards, it makes reputation – always a subject in the boardroom – a more tangible asset for every company and brand.”

Added Grant Toups, Global Chief Digital and Intelligence Officer, Burson, “Imagine knowing that perception around corporate integrity and governance, for example, or creativity, was having outsized impact on shareholder value creation compared to the other levers of reputation. Reputation Capital delivers that specificity, arming our clients with the predictive intelligence needed to build and sustain the reputational currency that drives business performance. By transforming perception into actionable intelligence, we can help clients make reputation a distinct and quantifiable competitive advantage that can be optimized for maximum ROI.”

Reputation Capital was validated by Augmented Intelligence Labs, a University of Oxford enterprise, and includes features that are part of Burson’s proprietary cognitive AI solution, Decipher, created in partnership with Limbik.

“Burson’s Reputation Capital is an exceptionally advanced platform that takes the most comprehensive view of reputation – and provides the most actionable intelligence – of anything that’s currently on the market,” said Dr. Felipe Thomaz, Associate Professor of Marketing, University of Oxford, and Co-Founder and Managing Director of Augmented Intelligence Labs, who counseled Burson on the solution’s development. “The empirical evidence that Reputation Capital reveals about the attributes that comprise reputation is extraordinarily valuable information that can guide Burson’s counselors and the C-suite.”

Reputation Capital is the latest addition to the Burson Innovation Portfolio, a suite of AI-enabled tools that equip Burson’s communications experts to provide clients with faster, better insights; precision audience targeting; and culturally relevant creative.

See the future of reputation management.

About Burson

Burson is the global communications leader built to create value for clients through reputation. With highly specialized teams, industry-leading technologies and breakthrough creative, we help brands and businesses redefine reputation as a competitive advantage so they can lead today and into the future. Burson is part of WPP (LSE/NYSE: WPP), the creative transformation company. Learn more at www.bursonglobal.com.

About Burson Buchanan

Burson Buchanan became a part of Burson in April 2024. Burson Buchanan was founded in 1984 and is acknowledged as one of the UK’s leading corporate and financial communications consultancies, renowned for its high standards of work and its integrity.

With over 90 retained clients, from FTSE 100 to privately owned companies of all sizes, our 45 specialist consultants advise businesses on how to communicate effectively with their target stakeholders and raise their profiles amongst mainstream and specialist investment media. We also provide digital, design, social, ESG, internal comms and crisis comms support.

Burson Buchanan supports the Altrad Group, a global leader in the provision of industrial services to a wide range of sectors and equipment for the construction and buildings sectors in various aspects of its corporate communications, including on the future advancement of its Sustainability strategy.

Altrad has published its 2024 Annual Report, reporting on another year of strong performance underpinned by a culture of empowering identity, and the Group’s 2024 Sustainability Report which advances its Sustainability reporting.

The enlarged Group (now made up of 60,000 skilled and talented people), with a diversified offering, positions Altrad as a strategic partner to blue chip clients supporting critical infrastructure across multiple sectors. Altrad’s diversification strategy provides strong business resilience with exposure to different market drivers in multiple sectors and regions of the world.

The Annual Report theme of Empowering Identity focuses on how this is a cornerstone of Altrad’s strategic vision and is at the heart of Altrad’s commitment to sustainable growth and ethical leadership. By fostering a culture and organisational structure that empowers people, Altrad cultivates a thriving environment where skills and excellence flourish. Creating a workplace where individuals innovate, collaborate and reach their full potential to achieve the collective goals of the Group.

Altrad Advances Sustainability Reporting

In 2024, Burson Buchanan was commissioned for a 2nd year to support Altrad with its sustainability disclosures.

Whilst the deadline for compliance with the new reporting standard – ESRS – has been delayed, Burson Buchanan guided Altrad with a foundational assessment of materiality, engaging with senior leadership and determining regulatory disclosure obligations for the multinational Group, based on the new standard and its relevance to Altrad’s operations.

The Group is a good example of the type of private organisation that now has to address formal non-financial reporting in line with new European Union legislation (CSRD), having previously provided stakeholders with a voluntary sample of sustainability activities from around its operations. The exercise has stimulated a Group-wide programme to develop the governance and internal controls necessary to increase the breadth and quality of sustainability-related performance, to provide a standardised level of external reporting that will meet both regulatory and stakeholder expectation over the coming years.

View the Annual report here

View the Sustainability report here

Related news: Altrad celebrates 40 years of excellence

London, 9 May 2025 – Burson Buchanan is pleased to announce the appointment of two new partners, Louise Mason-Rutherford and Henry Wilson.

Louise brings nearly two decades of experience in strategic financial and corporate communications, advising clients from ambitious disruptors to FTSE 100 companies. She returns to Burson Buchanan after holding senior leadership roles at Citigate Dewe Rogerson, Portland and Buchanan, bringing deep expertise across sectors—particularly in industry, natural resources, sustainability, technology, and AI. Her return strengthens Burson Buchanan’s capabilities in high-growth and high-stakes sectors, where her insight, network, and strategic counsel will help clients navigate complex communications challenges with clarity and confidence.

Louise can be reached at [email protected]

Henry Wilson is Burson Buchanan’s Head of Investment Companies and has been leading and building our sector practice for many years. His reputation for excellence in this highly specialist sector has been instrumental in the continued growth of our presence in this important London market sector. Burson Buchanan is proud to continue to work with investment companies run by leading management teams in the sector including in recent years Aberdeen, Baillie Gifford, JP Morgan Asset Management and Schroders among many others.

Henry can be reached at [email protected]

Commenting on the appointments of Louise and Henry as Partners of Burson Buchanan, Bobby Morse, Senior Partner, said:

“The further strengthening of our Board at Burson Buchanan is testament to our commitment to providing clients with senior advisory services. Both Louise and Henry bring significant knowledge and experience in key sectors, including technology, AI, mining, and investment companies, all of which remain hugely dynamic in a rapidly evolving global capital market ecosystem. With the significant broadening of Burson Buchanan’s capabilities following the merger with Burson, today we have significant leverage in key global capital markets, stretching from North America, London, Europe, Asia as well as the Middle East, providing our clients with a strong platform to deliver on their growth strategies.”

About Burson Burson is the global communications leader built to create value for clients through reputation. With highly specialised teams, industry-leading technologies and breakthrough creative, we help brands and businesses redefine reputation as a competitive advantage so they can lead today and into the future. Burson is the flagship PR division of WPP (LSE/NYSE: WPP), the creative transformation company. Learn more at www.bursonglobal.com and www.bursonbuchanan.co.uk.

https://www.prweek.co.uk/article/1917238/burson-buchanan-names-two-new-partners

Altrad Group marks four decades of heritage built upon its founding values

Altrad Group, an international leader in industrial maintenance services and construction equipment, is proud to celebrate its 40th anniversary.

Established in 1985 in Montpellier, France, by its eponymous founder Mohed Altrad, the Group has evolved from its humble beginnings into an international leader delivering a diverse suite of specialist services and innovative products to multi sectors across its global footprint.

Transforming from humble beginnings into an international leader

The Altrad Group story began 40 years ago with the acquisition and transformation of an insolvent scaffolding manufacturing business. In the process of restructuring that business and securing the jobs of its workforce, Altrad embarked on a journey from a regional French business to a pan-European and then international Group, expanding by acquisition and organic means to build an organisation of scale and diverse offering across industrial and construction sectors. Today, the Group employs a talented workforce of c.65,000 people around the world.

Strategic expansion enhances value proposition for clients

The diversification of the Group has resulted in a stable business that is resilient to the cyclical nature of the sectors in which it operates, allowing the Group to deliver consistent and sustainable growth and secure employment and job creation.

Today, the Group generates sales in excess of €5.45 billion evenly distributed across its core geographic markets of UK & Nordics, Continental Europe, MENA, APAC, Americas & Africa, with 84% coming from the Services business and 16% from the Equipment business. Showcasing the Group’s ambitions to support a sustainable future, c. €1 billion of Group revenue was derived from services to clean energy sectors of nuclear, hydrogen and wind.

Burson Buchanan supports Altrad in various aspects of its corporate communications. As part of this collaboration, Burson Buchanan also advises Altrad on the future advancement of its ESG strategy, as well as its effective implementation and communication to all stakeholders.

Read Altrad’s press release: here

Read more here in a recent Forbes article.