Hearts & Mines

Not just another mining podcast... Hearts & Mines won’t be reporting on share prices, production guidances or the latest advances in mining technologies. Instead, we’ll be showcasing the achievements, practices and insights of company directors and executives who are passionate about improving the human experience within the industry. Join us as we explore this often underrated but critical aspect of mining. Our guests will share personal stories and experiences that are rich in substance and instructive for our own development. These are the captivating stories of mining people who understand the value of leadership in engaging stakeholders and improving workplace culture. With your hosts Alana Bray–White & David Beilby, stay tuned for insightful discussions and inspiring stories! Also if you would like to tell your story and join the conversation, please contact us at info@ivyandgecko.com.au to register your interest.Hearts & Mines is recorded at Hush Connective studios in PerthE

Hearts & Mines is a business podcast hosted by ivy & gecko, with 49 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

ivy & gecko hosts Hearts & Mines, a business show with 49 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #51

  Old Friends, Honest Stories & 50 Conversations: David and Stuart's View on Hearts & Mines

  Sep 30, 202619 min

  In this special mini episode of Hearts & Mines, the tables are turned as David is interviewed by his longtime friend and colleague Stuart Chandler, Senior Client Partner at ivy & gecko. Having worked together for more than 20 years across executive search, the pair reflect on why David and Alana Bray-White, ivy & gecko’s Managing Director, started the podcast, why vulnerability sits at the heart of every conversation, and what sets Hearts & Mines apart from more technical mining podcasts. David then turns the questions back on Stuart, exploring what makes a candidate truly memorable, why strong executives can struggle when a company's growth phase doesn't match their experience, the people who have shaped his career, and the lessons from Patrick Lencioni's Getting Naked. The conversation also looks ahead to ivy & gecko's future as a boutique firm, the upcoming magazine celebrating 50 Hearts & Mines conversations, and Stuart's plans to launch a podcast of his own. A warm and genuine conversation between two old friends who clearly enjoy working together. David Beilby https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidbeilby/ Alana Bray-White https://www.linkedin.com/in/alana-bray-white-8b4478219/ ivy & gecko https://www.linkedin.com/company/ivy-gecko Timecodes: (00:00) Why David Started Hearts & Mines (02:05) Vulnerability and Leadership Stories (03:20) Stuart's Path Into Executive Search (04:30) What Drew Stuart to ivy & gecko (05:55) What Makes a Candidate Memorable (06:50) When Good Candidates Fail (08:00) The Advantage of a Boutique Firm (09:15) People Who Shaped Stuart's Career (10:35) Running, Hiking and Recharging (11:15) What's on Stuart's Bedside Table (12:40) The Future of ivy & gecko (14:35) Making a Remote Team Work (16:00) Celebrating 50 Conversations (17:20) Stuart's Podcast Plans Follow Hearts & Mines LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/hearts-mines Recorded and produced by Podwave Studios:https://podwavestudios.au/ Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in 'Hearts & Mines' are those of the podcast participants and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of ivy & gecko or any other agency, organisation, employer, or company associated with the podcast. Content provided is for informational purposes only. #HeartsAndMines #ivyandgecko #ExecutiveSearch #MiningIndustry #MiningLeadership #Leadership #Recruitment #BoutiqueFirm #WorkplaceCulture #CareerAdvice #Vulnerability #TeamCulture #AustralianMining #Resources #Podcast

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  Episode #50

  The Leadership Skills Mining Executives Miss with Dominic Piper

  Sep 28, 202658 min

  In this episode of Hearts & Mines, David is joined by first-time co-host Nathan Giglia to speak with Dominic Piper, editor of Australia's Paydirt and Gold Mining Journal. A multi-award winning journalist with more than two decades covering the international resources sector, Dominic has built his reputation on the junior and mid-tier end of the market, writing without fear or favour and travelling to the places most people would never put on an itinerary. This is a rare look at the industry from the other side of the microphone. Dominic talks about growing up working class in the northeast of England, the screenplays he has been quietly writing for years, and why the junior sector runs almost entirely on force of personality. He is candid on the Peter Principle in mining, why brilliant geologists are so often set up to fail as leaders, the two decisions he got wrong and what they taught him, and why permitting gridlock is really a problem created by the majors. Along the way there are Kalashnikovs at a West African border post, a warning about what happens when a company elevates itself onto a new share register, and a thoughtful case for why the breakdown of community is the biggest risk the world is ignoring. David Beilby https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidbeilby/ Alana Bray-White https://www.linkedin.com/in/alana-bray-white-8b4478219/ ivy & gecko https://www.linkedin.com/company/ivy-gecko Timecodes: (00:00) Intro (00:40) Meet Dominic Piper, multi-award winning mining journalist (03:45) Africa Down Under, from 60 delegates to 1,400 (05:50) Darlington to Perth, and wanting to be a journalist at nine (10:25) The secret screenplays and the characters of the junior sector (16:00) Clarity of purpose when you control none of the variables (18:25) The Peter Principle, good geologists and unprepared leaders (21:35) Leading through COVID by stripping back to fundamentals (26:25) Two failures, the gold conference and a personnel call (29:15) Hiring for a unicorn or a dinosaur (32:30) Kalashnikovs, bribes and border posts in West Africa (34:35) Culture in a small team, and attracting people to mining (39:25) Permitting, the majors and mining's chance to be the good guys (44:00) M&A, Northern Star and the Elliott effect (47:40) Rapid fire, hope, community and the leader he'd most like to meet Follow Hearts & Mines LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/hearts-mines Recorded and produced by Podwave Studios:https://podwavestudios.au/ Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in 'Hearts & Mines' are those of the podcast participants and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of ivy & gecko or any other agency, organisation, employer, or company associated with the podcast. Content provided is for informational purposes only. #HeartsAndMines #MiningPodcast #DominicPiper #Paydirt #GoldMiningJournal #AfricaDownUnder #MiningLeadership #JuniorMining #WesternAustralia #ResourcesSector #MiningNews #MiningIndustry #Leadership #NorthernStar #MiningJournalism

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  Episode #49

  Identity, Trust & Authenticity: Julissa Shrewsbury's View on Mining Leadership

  Sep 20, 202649 min

  In this episode of Hearts & Mines, David sits down with Julissa Shrewsbury, founder and managing director of New Work Consulting, to explore a side of mining leadership that rarely gets airtime: identity. Julissa helps leaders and organisations close the gap between the brand a business claims and the way its people actually show up, and she works closely with the resources sector. This is a thoughtful, wide-ranging conversation about what leadership brand really means, why so many technically brilliant mining leaders struggle with the human side of the role, how AI slop is quietly eroding trust, and why the leaders of the future will need to be, in Julissa's words, demonstrably human. A warm and insightful discussion about authenticity, self-awareness, and the power of showing people what they are truly capable of. David Beilby https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidbeilby/ Alana Bray-White https://www.linkedin.com/in/alana-bray-white-8b4478219/ ivy & gecko https://www.linkedin.com/company/ivy-gecko Timecodes: (00:00) Cold open: identity, AI and leadership (00:42) Meet Julissa Shrewsbury and New Work Consulting (01:50) Argentina, Portugal and a family built on migration (05:55) The teacher who first reflected on her potential. (08:00) Why an outsider was drawn to mining leaders (10:20) The technocrat's leap into leadership and the role of trust (12:40) What leadership brand actually means (15:25) Coaching leaders to be authentic but responsive (18:20) Winning over sceptical teams and developing the whole person (23:00) Executive versus board: two professional identities (27:05) Mining's image problem and individual reputation (29:30) AI slop, the sea of sameness and eroding trust (33:40) Building leadership identity in the next generation (36:30) Julissa turns the tables on David (41:10) Rapid-fire: hope, risk and advice to a 20-year-old self Follow Hearts & Mines LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/hearts-mines Recorded and produced by Podwave Studios:https://podwavestudios.au/ Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in 'Hearts & Mines' are those of the podcast participants and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of ivy & gecko or any other agency, organisation, employer, or company associated with the podcast. Content provided is for informational purposes only. #HeartsAndMines #MattAllen #AndeanSilver #CerroBayo #SilverMining #MiningLeadership #JuniorMiners #ASXMining #ChileMining #ResourcesSector #MiningCulture #LeadershipDevelopment #AIinMining #PerthPodcast #MiningPodcast #CriticalMinerals

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  Episode #48

  People, Progress & Not Confusing Speed: Matthew Allen's View on Mining Culture

  Sep 13, 20261h 1m

  In this episode of Hearts & Mines, David is joined by Matthew Allen. A self-described "reformed oil and gas guy" and accountant by training, Matthew has spent his career deliberately stepping out of big-company comfort and into junior explorers and developers across oil and gas, rare earths, lithium and now silver, working on every continent along the way. He currently leads the restart of the historic Cerro Bayo silver-gold mine in southern Chile. This is a candid conversation about what genuine leadership looks like in small companies where there are no egos and everyone has to row in the same direction. Matthew and David explore why failure is the best teacher, why humility and authenticity matter more than authority, the challenge of selling mining as a career to the next generation, operating responsibly in remote South American communities, and where AI is genuinely reshaping how a small-cap miner works. A warm, generous and thoughtful discussion from a leader who has never been afraid to take on a challenge. David Beilby https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidbeilby/ Alana Bray-White https://www.linkedin.com/in/alana-bray-white-8b4478219/ ivy & gecko https://www.linkedin.com/company/ivy-gecko Timecodes: (00:00) Cold open & preview (00:45) Introducing Matthew Allen, MD & CEO of Andean Silver (01:50) Country NSW childhood, cadets and a fighter-pilot dream (05:05) Rugby league, sports management and lessons for listed companies (07:00) Resilience, learning to fail, and the $27M dry hole (09:25) Tracing family history back to 1066 and Gallipoli (11:55) Family life, and raising a creative, dyslexic daughter (14:30) What effective leadership really takes: vision, execution and people (19:00) Culture "complement" over culture "fit", humility and small teams (22:50) Andean Silver and restarting the Cerro Bayo mine in Chile (27:30) Chilean workforce laws, diversity and social licence (33:50) Asking the right question, and the legacy of Sir Charles Court (38:35) Selling mining as a career and fixing it through education (42:00) AI as a productivity tool and the silver supply deficit (49:55) Decision-making: the call to sell Otto Energy's only producing asset (52:55) Rapid-fire round and advice to his 25-year-old self Follow Hearts & Mines LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/hearts-mines Recorded and produced by Podwave Studios:https://podwavestudios.au/ Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in 'Hearts & Mines' are those of the podcast participants and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of ivy & gecko or any other agency, organisation, employer, or company associated with the podcast. Content provided is for informational purposes only. #HeartsAndMines #MattAllen #AndeanSilver #CerroBayo #SilverMining #MiningLeadership #JuniorMiners #ASXMining #ChileMining #ResourcesSector #MiningCulture #LeadershipDevelopment #AIinMining #PerthPodcast #MiningPodcast #CriticalMinerals

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  Episode #47

  Vulnerability, Vision & Values: Brendan Tritton's View on Leadership That Lasts

  Aug 30, 202652 min

  In this episode of Hearts & Mines, David is joined by co-host Stuart Chandler to speak with Brendan Tritton, MD and CEO of Valiant Gold. A country kid from WA turned mining engineer, Brendan has moved from underground crews to the private sector and now into the public arena, leading the restart of the Comet and Reedy gold operations spun out of Westgold. This is a candid, wide-ranging conversation about what genuine leadership looks like at the helm of a newly listed junior, why connecting with people as humans comes before strategy, and how to manage complexity and uncertainty when you are building systems and culture from scratch. Brendan shares the "prove you wrong" moment that shaped his drive, the value of vulnerability and servant leadership, and why 80% is sometimes good enough to keep momentum. A genuinely warm and insightful conversation from one of WA's emerging mining leaders. David Beilby https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidbeilby/ Alana Bray-White https://www.linkedin.com/in/alana-bray-white-8b4478219/ ivy & gecko https://www.linkedin.com/company/ivy-gecko Timecodes: (00:00) Cold open: proving them wrong and connecting as humans (01:55) Welcome to Brendan Tritton and co-host Stuart Chandler (02:25) A WA country upbringing and the "prove you wrong" moment (07:00) Falling in love with mining and underground camaraderie (09:20) What leadership means: leader-leader over leader-follower (11:05) Empathy, humility and exposing vulnerability (14:05) The navigation exercise: ego, pausing and adjusting (17:25) Managing the restart of Comet and Reedy (18:55) ASX listing and the path back to production (23:20) Pitching the value proposition of a new junior (29:55) Listening well and hiring for authenticity over the CV (35:25) The biggest challenge: attracting young people into mining (38:20) Approvals processes and WA slipping down the rankings (40:10) AI at Valiant: building without legacy systems (42:35) Rapid fire: hope, highlights, advice and a warm wrap Follow Hearts & Mines LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/hearts-mines Recorded and produced by Podwave Studios:https://podwavestudios.au/ Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in 'Hearts & Mines' are those of the podcast participants and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of ivy & gecko or any other agency, organisation, employer, or company associated with the podcast. Content provided is for informational purposes only. #HeartsAndMines #ValiantGold #MiningLeadership #ASX #GoldMining #JuniorMiner #WAMining #MiningPodcast #Westgold #ResourcesSector #Leadership #MiningEngineer #CometGold #MiningCulture #GoldProducer

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