Ari Sussman: Elephant Size Gold Deposits in Colombia
What is the key to success on building an advanced stage exploration company into development? According to Ari Sussman, three things — people, access to capital, and drive.
In this interview, Ari states that Colombia is one of the last frontiers in the world where elephant size discovery potential still exists in a jurisdiction that is supportive of mining. The security issues that existed in the past have led to the opportunity today. Laws are changing to attract foreign capital and the overall climate is supportive of mining projects.
Ari characterizes the current environment in Colombia as a renaissance in gold. He believes that gold is the beginning, but moving forward, large base metal discoveries could be found here.
In fact, Colombia has a similar story to Peru in the early 90s. Over 100 million ounces have been discovered in Colombia in the past few years, but Ari cautions that most of these deposits are not economic.
On a macro level, Ari is quite bullish on gold for the first time in a while. The fundamentals for gold are stronger than they have ever been before. So why the big drop last year? According to Ari, anytime an asset goes up for 12 years in a row, a correction is pretty standard. Ari is also optimistic on copper, which has remained in tact above $3 per pound over the last couple years.
Ari Sussman, Chief Executive Officer of Continental Gold, has over 15 years of experience in both the natural resources and investment markets sectors. Having dedicated the majority of his career to the natural resources industry, Mr. Sussman has been instrumental in sourcing, funding and developing high-quality mineral assets. During his career, Mr. Sussman has built a strong network of business contacts throughout Latin America, and in the past decade has raised over $500 million for various ventures.
Mr. Sussman was formerly the Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Colossus Minerals Inc., which is developing the famous high-grade gold, platinum and palladium project, Serra Pelada, in Brazil. Mr. Sussman currently serves on the board of directors of Dalradian Resources Inc.