SRK opens Mongolia office

SRK Consulting expects staff numbers in its new office in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, to increase significantly next year as exploration and development activity in the country's nascent mining sector accelerates.

Having built a successful presence in China, and serviced the Mongolia market from that base, SRK is now on a recruitment drive to expand its Ulaanbaatar team. The company will look to recruit local geologists, mining engineers and interpreters. The new office will be officially opened in December.

SRK currently has active exploration management projects in Mongolia; and as well as being a logistics centre for existing projects, the Ulaanbaatar office will provide exploration QA/QC services and translation services.

According to SRK China managing director Yonglian Sun, Mongolia is "the next frontier" for mining development. The country's rich mineral deposits are being recognized and it has the potential to become one of world's biggest copper, coal and gold producers.

"SRK has been active in Mongolia since 2002 when it commenced work on the Ivanhoe mine," Sun said. "At the moment, SRK is running three QA/QC exploration management projects in Mongolia. In addition, SRK has been regularly working in Mongolia on geology review, mine design as well as full due diligence studies for acquisition, merger and listing on the Hong Kong stock exchange.

"To facilitate project execution, it is necessary for SRK to have a presence in Mongolia, where both Mongolian and international clients can meet SRK regularly for project updates, and where SRK can provide services to them. On the other hand, SRK needs to understand the local culture and business model in Mongolia. The proposed Ulaanbaatar office is designed to meet these challenges, and to lay a solid foundation for the foreseeable future," said Dr Sun.

The Ulaanbaatar office manager is Ms Erdene-Otgon (Oogii) Dalai. Oogii has an MBA from the Maastricht School of Management in the Netherlands and a Bachelor's Degree from the Mongolian State University. She is multilingual, speaking Mongolian, Russian, English and Chinese. Oogii has strong industry contacts within the local government and will be able to assist in facilitating the execution of projects in Mongolia.