COPPER
Tom McCulley
LEADERSHIP
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COPPER
Copper is a key ingredient in the fastgrowing renewable energy and electric vehicle markets . “ Copper has been used for more than 10,000 years by human beings and has a vital role in decarbonisation and improving living standards ,” McCulley says . “ Common uses for copper are all around us . Around 60 % of total global demand is for electrics — wire , cables and connectors , including in vehicles and consumer electronics — while 20 % is used in construction : water pipes and roof sheets benefit from copper ’ s resistance to corrosion . Copper ’ s thermal conductivity makes it good for air conditioning and refrigeration . It ’ s also commonly used in hospitals , owing to its antibacterial qualities . And its visual qualities account for many other uses — in buildings and everyday objects .”
Global copper demand is forecast to increase from 23.6 million tonnes in 2018 to 29.8 million tonnes by 2027 ( at 2.6 % annual growth ) but the market is expected to experience persistent undersupply . Mcculley shares
Tom McCulley
EXECUTIVE PROFILE Before moving to the Quellaveco project McCulley was Anglo American ’ s Group Head of Projects , which enabled him to work with the Board , GMC , across all the group functions and with Anglo ’ s EPCM partner , Fluor . “ I ’ ve been fortunate to have worked on several projects of this scale in different parts of the world and , while each project is unique , there is one requirement that is consistent across all projects of this scale — the fact that it takes a team , not one individual , to build a project of this size , scale and complexity ,” says McCulley , who also held various roles at Newmont Mining across 15 years . “ Building these relationships , both internally and externally , enables me to identify the support needed to deliver Quellaveco successfully as a truly integrated team .”
FEBRUARY 2020