Eur.Ing. Professor COLIN ROBERTS LL.M Resources Law & Policy (Dundee), P.G.Dip. International Commercial Arbitration (QMULondon), Juris Doctor, GDLP, B.Eng Mining Engineering (WASM-Curtin), P.Eng, C.Eng, C.Pet.Eng, C.Sci, FIMMM, FEI, FSAIMM, FAIE, FAusIMM(CPMan), FAIADR, FCIArb, MCIM, MIEAust, SPE, SME possesses over 50 years of multi-disciplinary resource industry experience.
Professor Colin Roberts practices as an international arbitrator, adjudicator and mediator, international resources geo-strategist, petro-strategist and was authorised emissary for the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) – World Bank Group. He was chairman of Salternas Ltd and Salternas GmbH operating in Somaliland; and is director of Natural Resource Geo-Strategy (NRG) advising governments on resources policy and foreign direct investment as well as advising transnational corporations on political risk mitigation; Resource Dispute Resolution (RDR) and the Centre for International Dispute Resolution (CIDR). In addition, he is an adjunct professor at the Western Australian School of Mines (WASM): Minerals, Energy and Chemical Engineering and the Petroleum Engineering Department at CurtinUniversity and was director, senior fellow and honorary lecturer of International Arbitration, at the Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy (CEPMLP), University of Dundee, Scotland.
Professor Roberts’ current interests and activities include, but are not limited to, the fields of resources policy and mitigation of sovereign risk, international commercial and investment arbitration; alternative dispute resolution (ADR); natural resource exploration, exploitation and feasibility; major project development; foreign direct investment (FDI) in the developing world; international trade and investment law; transnational business; competition law; law of the sea; governance and globalisation. His major geographical regions of interest and expertise are Africa, Eastern Europe, EU countries, Central, Southern and Eastern Asia and the Australia-Pacific.
Prior to his current positions, he has been the general manager/partner of RSG Global/Coffey Mining – a major resource feasibility practice; the Centre for International Dispute Resolution and Management (CIDRAM); the deputy director and commercial director of the CEPMLP, University of Dundee; director of the CEPMLP MBA Programme in Resource Management; leader of the CEPMLP Africa Programme, director of the CEPMLP LLM Programme in International Dispute Resolution and Management and adviser in his areas of expertise, to the Commonwealth Secretariat, London.
In addition to the above, Colin is a member of the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA); Patron of the International Bar Association (IBA): Section on Energy, Environmental, Natural Resources & Infrastructure Law and Dispute Resolution; the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators (AIPN); the American Arbitration Association (AAA) Panel of Neutrals, Energy Arbitrators List and the Human Rights Institute (HRI).
From 2007 to 2015, Professor Roberts served the Pakistan Prime Minister’s Secretariat as the Honorary Investment Counsellor (HIC) for Australia. During this period, he was an advisory member of the Governments of Pakistan and Balochistan team, successfully negotiating the Mineral Agreement between the Governments and Tethyan Copper Corporation (TCC) for the Reko Diq Project. In addition, Roberts assessed many mineral projects in Gold, Copper, Iron Ore and Coal (including the Thar Coalfields), throughout Pakistan in Punjab, Baluchistan, Khyber Pakhtunhwa (KPK), Northern Areas (Gilgit-Baltistan), Azad Kashmir, Waziristan (FATA) and Sindh.
He currently serves, and has served, as: a committee member and co-author of the International Bar Association (IBA) – IBA Rules on Investor-State Mediation; member of the Asia-Pacific Advisory Council for the Dispute Board Federation Genève; past president of the Mining Institute of Scotland (MIS), the Scottish Branch of the Institution of Materials, Minerals & Mining (IMMM); the Western Australian branch executive of the Energy & Resources Law Association (formerly AMPLA); national councillor of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb); past-chairman of the Western Australian Chapter of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE); past-chairman of the Western Australian Branch of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM); director of the Western Australian Branch of the Australasian Institute of Energy (AIE); director of the Petroleum Education and Training Association; director of the Scottish Oil Club and serves on the management board of the Dundee and Angus Oil Venture Group (DAOVG).
He has formerly served in other executive positions of various professional Institutions such as: the AusIMM in Ghana; the SPE in Aberdeen, Scotland; the Scottish Oil Club; the Institute of Engineers (IEAust) in Kalgoorlie, Australia; the Australian Drilling Industry Association (ADIA); Austmine Ltd; the Australasian Mineral Drilling Association (AMDA) and the Tanzania Exploration and Mining Association (TEMA), working on Industry recommendations for the Tanzanian Mining Code. In addition, he has served as an expert witness in the fields of petroleum, mining, exploration and drilling engineering.
It has been his honour to represent Australia in a diplomatic capacity, acting as the Australian Consular Warden in Zambia. His name has also been recommended to the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague, as both an arbitrator and a scientific expert relating to natural resources and/or the environment.
Professor Roberts is proud to have made some milestone achievements in his career: notably his involvement advising in the early stages of peace negotiations between the government of the Republic of Sudan and the Sudan Peoples Liberation Army/Movement (SPLA/M) and the Northern Democratic Alliance (NDA); the key driver in the CEPMLP winning the “Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade”; as successful mediator facilitating the settlement of a US$311 million claim, in one of the first major Investor – State Mediations, and numerous negotiations on behalf of sovereign states to secure FDI. Two quite significant negotiations were for two major resource projects with initial investment valued at US$5 billion and US$18 billion respectively.
Professor Roberts dedicates a great proportion of his time in conflict and post-conflict states, helping to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) to host-states susceptible to the poverty trap, the threat of systemic terrorism and poor governance. He argues that FDI, made attractive through treaties and viable dispute resolution mechanisms therein, should in turn; create an environment where poverty, terror and subsequent unrest in all its forms are rendered irrelevant. He contributes in excess of 25% of his time pro bono publico, and works in common, civil and شريعة (Shari’ah) legal jurisdictions in close association with colleagues in Australia, England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Mauritania, Pakistan, Bulgaria, Kosovo and Uganda.
Receiving his engineering qualifications from the Western Australian School of Mines (WASM) – Curtin University in Australia as a recipient of the prestigious AusIMM Tertiary Scholarship, Professor Roberts can practice globally, and has been conferred the professional title Eur.Ing. by the Fédération Européenne d’Associations Nationales d’Ingénieurs (FEANI). He is a Chartered Professional Engineer and Chartered Scientist in the disciplines of Mining and Petroleum Engineering in the UK, and Professional Engineer in Australia, USA and various African and Asian countries. He gained an LL.M (Master of Laws) in Resources Law and Policy at the CEPMLP – University of Dundee, a Post Graduate Diploma in International Commercial Arbitration at the Queen Mary College – University of London, Accreditation as an International Civil and Commercial Mediator from the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb), London and European & International Competition Law at Churchill College – Cambridge.
After military service, Professor Roberts started his 50-plus year career in major construction. He later entered the resource industry as a drill crewmember, working his way up through the ranks to board level. Professor Roberts was involved in the discovery and development of numerous world-class mineral and petroleum deposits. Subsequently, he spent five years in academia at Curtin University’s Western Australian School of Mines, studying and lecturing in mining, petroleum and core engineering subjects. The remaining years were spent mainly in the drilling and production sector, working as an engineer at various levels in production, design, operational, managerial and executive positions negotiating and directing major projects with values exceeding US$ multi-billion (NPV) in the mining and petroleum industries throughout the Australia-Pacific region, Europe, the Middle East, Central, Southern and Eastern Asia, with the six years prior to the CEPMLP, as managing director and general manager of Stanley Mining Services, a fully-owned subsidiary of NASDAQ listed – Layne Christensen, a world major resources services company throughout Africa. In this role, he led exploration and production in projects in 30 African countries; mainly in the copper, gold, water and petroleum sectors.
Professor Roberts has served, and is serving on the boards of numerous companies, some of which are listed below:
– Geo-strategy International Pty Ltd – Managing Director
– Salternas Ltd
– Salternas GmbH
– Natural Resource Geo-Strategy Pty Ltd – Managing Director
– Resource Dispute Resolution Pty Ltd – Managing Director
– Centre for International Dispute resolution – Chairman
– Centre for International Dispute Resolution and Management (CIDRAM) – Director
– RSG Global/Coffey Mining – General Manager/Director
– Austmine Ltd – Director
– Australasian Mineral Drilling Association Inc – Director;
– Baraka Petroleum Ltd (ASX), – Non-Executive Director
– Equigold N.L., Côte d’Ivoire – Director;
– J.K. Smit & Sons (Diamond Tools) Australia Pty. Ltd – Director;
– Natural Resource Globalisation Consultants Pty. Ltd – Managing Director
– Glindemann & Kitching – Chief Engineer;
– Occiori Drilling Consultants Pty Ltd – Managing Director;
– RBC Pty Ltd, a group of Oilfield Companies – Managing Director.
– Resource Dispute Resolution Ltd – Executive Chairman
– Stanley Mining Services (Zambia) Ltd – Managing Director;
– Stanley Mining Services (Zimbabwe) Ltd – Managing Director;
– Stanley Mining Services (Mali) Ltd – Managing Director;
Colin’s interests include, but are not limited to, the fields of resources policy and mitigation of sovereign risk, international commercial and investment arbitration; alternative dispute resolution (ADR); natural resource exploration and exploitation; major project development; foreign direct investment in the developing world; international trade and investment law; transnational business; competition law; law of the sea; governance and globalisation. His major geographical regions of interest and expertise are Africa; Europe; Central, Southern and Eastern Asia and the Australia-Pacific.
In his spare time, he serves as Patron of the International Bar Association (IBA), the AusIMM Professional Conduct Committee, Ethics Committee and the AusIMM Perth Branch Committee.
He can be contacted at:
Tel & SMS: +61 (0)437 483 479
E-mail: colin@colinroberts.com
Website: www.colinroberts.com