Seasoned professional assisting you in achieving your goals through risk-informed, context-sensitive strategies tailored to your needs.

Christopher (Mac) Grace

Mr. Grace is a distinguished expert in strategic mining security and human rights, with a wealth of experience from his tenure at Barrick and Newcrest. He is renowned for his global expertise and his proficiency in addressing complex challenges in demanding environments. His ability to craft sustainable business strategies at both operational and strategic levels is well recognized.

Mr. Grace excels in building interpersonal relationships, effective communication, and negotiation, engaging with a diverse range of stakeholders, including cross-cultural and indigenous groups. Internationally, he has significantly contributed to various working groups, such as the ICMM, World Gold Council's Artisanal Small Scale Mining Project, and the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights. He served on the Steering Committee and Board of the Voluntary Principles initiative from 2021 to 2023.

Geographically, his involvement spans mining operations, exploration projects, and mergers across numerous countries, including Australia, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Canada, United States, Mexico, Central and South America and North Africa.

Mr. Grace holds a Master of Philosophy in Strategic Studies from Massey University, New Zealand, and a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and International Relations from the University of New England, Australia.

"Key Achievements"

• Delivered Security Assessment for Lenders’ Human Rights Impact Assessment for a major oil& gas operator entering Central Africa.
• Performed comprehensive site and community evaluations in a region affected by conflict.
• Collaborated with the operator to enhance their Human Rights commitments and address identified challenges.
• Designed and implemented VPSHR-aligned security and human rights scenario training for amultinational mining company.
• Collaborated with the company to create a detailed scenario-based training package, including a participant workbook and a training assessment framework.
• Established a compreEstablished a comprehensive Group Security function and an accompanying security management system for Newcrest Mining, encompassing policy development, standards, implementation plans, and verification tools.
• Fostered a company-wide security culture akin to the safety culture, encouraging sites and individuals to take ownership and responsibility for security matters.
• Created a risk-based modeling tool to assess and justify operational security needs, focusing on priorities, personnel, and resources.
• Reestablished mandatory company-wide Gold Security compliance, leading to a significant reduction in gold-related theft.
• Implemented a Theft Mitigation Strategy that significantly reduced theft of fuel, stores, and equipment.
• Secured 'Corporate' membership for Newcrest in the Voluntary Principles initiative, and formulated a comprehensive internal implementation and verification plan.
• Consistently engaged in the annual VP Plenaries, contributing valuable insights and fostering collaboration.
• Created an internal Security Code of Conduct and developed online training modules in alignment with the International Code of Conduct Association (ICoCA).
• Established agreements with public security forces in Papua New Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire, and Indonesia, aligning with the Voluntary Principles.
• Served as a Corporate Member representative on the Voluntary Principles Steering Committee and Board from 2021 to 2023, contributing to strategic decision-making and governance.
• Contributed to the development of global support tools for the Voluntary Principles initiative.
• Facilitated the introduction of a new membership process, which included an extended review and verification phase.
• Facilitated interim Corporate membership for companies in regions facing increased scrutiny or criticism from NGOs and government entities.
• Engaged in discussions regarding the implications of the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD).
• Conducted thorough investigations into significant theft and fraud incidents, as well as allegations of sexual assault, harassment, human rights violations, and breaches of the code of conduct.
• Uncovered significant theft and fraud incidents, resulting in terminations and, in some cases, legal action and imprisonment.
• Participated in the Barrick Control Group for the Porgera (PNG) Sexual Assault investigations and supported the implementation of the Porgera Remedy Framework.
• Executed a global deployment of an online Crisis Emergency Management Tool (EMQnet), enhancing organizational preparedness and response capabilities.
• Coordinated major crisis events, including forced evacuations due to civil wars and political upheavals in Africa and South America, managed hostage situations in Indonesia, addressed hostile community protests in Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, and South America, and responded to violent internal industrial actions in Indonesia, as well as global human rights abuses and sexual assaults.
• Implemented an integrated Security Situational Awareness system using services and tools from Control Risks, Alert 24, Dataminr, and local providers to monitor and address emerging issues across company interests. Developed an internal 'Alert Escalation Tool' to proactively manage local situations, preventing potential crises.
• Designed and executed a comprehensive framework to mitigate sexual assault and harassment, incorporating enhanced security measures for accommodations and rapid response protocols.
• Participated in the Newcrest Control Group for Sexual Assault and Harassment investigations, contributing to the development of the Respect at Work Framework, which includes the 'Safe' Accommodation Security Standard and compliance reviews.
• Executed an Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASM) and Illegal Mining (IM) strategy in Indonesia, resulting in a significant decrease in unauthorized activities, including the near elimination of illegal cyanide and mercury usage near operational sites.
• Played a key role in creating support materials for the World Gold Council.
• Ensured adherence to security-related social responsibility reporting standards as outlined by the GRI, Voluntary Principles, ICMM, WGC Conflict-Free Gold, LBMA, and OECD.