Canadian mining company Ivanhoe Mines has appointed Kamoa-Kakula operations senior executive Tom van den Berg as the group's COO, with effect from January 1, 2026, succeeding current COO Mark Farren, who will become a strategic adviser to the Ivanhoe board.

"Mr Farren has overseen a remarkable phase of project execution and growth at Ivanhoe Mines, including the delivery of nine major capital projects in the past five years while as COO at Ivanhoe Mines and CEO at Kamoa Copper. This includes the construction of Kamoa-Kakula’s Phase 1, 2 and 3 operations and subsequent debottlenecking, Kamoa-Kakula’s on-site direct-to-blister copper smelter, the rehabilitation and construction of Kipushi Mine, the recently opened Phase 1 operation at Platreef, as well as the refurbishment of the hydroelectric facilities at Mwadingusha and Turbine #5 at Inga II," Ivanhoe points out.

In his capacity as strategic adviser, Farren will continue to support the delivery of Ivanhoe’s next phase of organic growth, including the Platreef Phase 2 expansion in South Africa and the development of the Western Forelands project in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Van den Berg will remain at the Kamoa-Kakula complex, in the DRC, for an interim period to oversee the ongoing operational recovery and turnaround strategy, but will also be responsible for building out technical expertise and operational excellence across the group, with significant further personnel additions planned in the near term.

Further, Ivanhoe has also appointed mining industry leader Nick Popovic as a strategic adviser to the board. He is said to bring to the role a wealth of knowledge from over three decades with Glencore International, including significant experience in both the DRC and Kazakhstan, and will advise the company in terms of commercial and operational matters, as well as growth strategy.

In addition, Manfu Ma will step down as a director and will be succeeded by Xianwen Wu, GM of CITIC Metal Group, as CITIC's nominee on the Ivanhoe board. Wu's appointment is effective November 26.

“The next chapters of Ivanhoe’s growth are going to be nothing short of extraordinary, and we are positioned well following the appointments of Tom van den Berg, Mark Farren and Nick Popovic. I couldn’t be more energised and excited about what is yet to come.

“I also extend my sincere thanks to Manfu Ma for his wisdom, support and unwavering dedication in shaping the development of the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Complex, and in the process building Ivanhoe Mines into a world-class company with now three operating mines. Since joining the board in 2019, Mr Ma has been instrumental in Kamoa-Kakula’s three phases, each of which were delivered ahead of schedule. We welcome Xianwen Wu to our board, and we look forward to continuing to work with CITIC Metal on our shared vision for a bright future,” comments Ivanhoe founder and executive co-chairperson Robert Friedland.

KAMOA-KAKULA GUIDANCE UPDATE
Meanwhile, Ivanhoe has also confirmed that it plans to issue an update on the expected copper production at Kamoa-Kakula for 2026 and 2017 next week.

Ivanhoe in June withdrew its production guidance for Kamoa-Kakula for 2026, after flooding on the eastern side of the Kakula mine in May disrupted production. While dewatering activities continue and have allowed Ivanhoe to resume mining in some areas, the company is still dealing with the impact of the flooding.