Rob Ferguson carved out a successful multi-decade career in the ever-evolving world of mining and geological software. He talked to Colleen O’Hanlon about his remarkable journey from the gritty depths of mining operations in the 1980s to the innovative heights of Seequent in 2024 as he heads into a well-earned retirement.
When Rob Ferguson embarked upon a mining career in 1989, times were much simpler.
The tools of the trade were pen and paper, no one had heard of the internet and any talk of the cloud was weather related.
Fast forward to 2024 and Rob is retiring from his post as Seequent’s Segment Director, Exploration and Resource Management, closing the door on a career during which he has witnessed a paradigm shift in how things get done in exploration & mining, particularly during the last five to eight years.
Rob Ferguson is retiring from his role as Segment Director, Exploration and Resource Management at Seequent.
Along with all the other advances of the digital age, technological innovations have enabled mining companies to transform their operations to scale at speed, while still progressing their Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) goals.
“For decades, people had to fly to the data. That might be the actual drill core or paper cross sections,’ he said. “Or to review the block model, because it was 10 gigabytes and you couldn’t actually digitally transfer it because it was just too big, you had to go to the data.”
Now technologies like Seequent’s Imago enable geologists to take a photo of the core that can be shared and analysed in real time with colleagues anywhere in the world.
”So you don’t have those domain experts flying around and that obviously saves not just in travel expenses but also reducing your environmental footprint and I kind of like that.”
Rob Ferguson
The original line-up when Rob made the transition from being self-employed to being part of the Seequent (then Aranz Geo) team. L to R, Janina Elliott newly appointed Seequent Segment Director Mining, Lorraine Tam, Shaun Maloney (previous CEO), Lisa Swinnard, Maria Kothlow, and Heather Ferguson.
That real time capability of course enables faster data-driven decision-making, an essential for a sector where drilling is expensive, and investment can be hard to find. Knowing where exactly to find the mineral needle in the geological haystack is only growing in importance as demand for resources grows.
Grow they will. The World Bank estimates the demand for critical materials will surge 500% by 2050. When coupled with the need to transform their operations to meet net-zero carbon emission goals, this soaring demand creates a sector landscape which needs an innovation mindset at the forefront.
Cloud technology has transformed the mining sector in the last five years and will continue to shape the sector’s future.
TECHNOLOGICAL REVOLUTION
Rob’s pen and paper eventually gave way to 2D drawing in CAD applications, including Bentley Systems’ Microstation in the mid-1990s.
“So now I see my career has come kind of full circle (Seequent is The Bentley Subsurface Company).”
It wasn’t long before a move to software development beckoned, an area where Rob would spend the next 25 years. That time has been packed with technological advances but for mining, the pace of progress truly picked up during last five years when cloud technology became embedded in the industry.
“When we first released Seequent Central in 2015 it was server-based, it was on-premise and that was not too bad,’’ Rob said. “But as soon as we started inviting customers to put their data in the cloud, there was significant pushback.”
A lack of understanding of cloud security models gave rise to a lack of trust in the technology. It took five years and a global pandemic for some customers to see the benefits of operating in the cloud.
Seequent’s more modest presence at PDAC 2016 compared to the more impactful show in 2024 (below).
“We’re actually putting everything in the cloud now and that’s the direction the industry is going,’’ he said.
“There are still some late adopters but overall, everyone in mining is moving that way. It’s basically because of Covid (WFH) that there was a realisation of the benefits of data being in a cloud environment so a business can share, collaborate and decisions can be made from afar instead of being close to the data. The trust came.”
The advantages of being able to make decisions on the fly are tangible – to keep drilling or stop drilling, for example.
“You can optimise your drilling programme based on information that you will get sooner. Not every mining company has a domain expert in every part of the world or at every mine site. They used to just travel around and see projects maybe three or four times a year. Now, that information is available whenever, wherever.”
THE OUTLOOK FOR MINING
Short-term cycles like the outcome of a US election and the impact of events like Covid and geo-political conflicts are storms to be weathered. Like hiccups, they come and are uncomfortable, but eventually they go, revealing the longer-term “super” cycles that determine the sector’s underlying overall health.
In 2025, Rob is hopeful that the mining industry may see more investment and funding by the middle of the year, thanks in a large part to declining interest rates.
“If interest rates continue to drop, we might see exploration go back to where it was in 2022, which was pretty robust,’’ he said.
In the longer term, the outlook for mining is looking much rosier. Humanity’s goal of putting a stop to using carbon for energy and copper’s starring role in the line-up of metals used for transmitting and consuming energy for EVs, mobile phones and other consumer electronics are just two reasons driving demand.
The transition to clean and renewable sources of energy will continue to drive demand for copper as the main metal used to transmit energy including in EVs.
“What we do know is that the demand for metals and minerals is just going to increase over time,’’ he said. “And that’s because we want to stop using carbon for energy. Copper is the major metal used in transmitting and consuming energy in terms of EVs etc.
At the time of writing, commodity prices were experiencing above normal volatility following the US election.
Investment dollars can still be hard to find thanks to increased investor appetite for tech stocks which are building data centres to power AI and machine learning advances.
Rob with some core samples in the Seequent office in Vancouver.
“At some point you would think that that will transition back again because the value of these mining companies would increase on the back of continued demand for their commodities.”
Rob says the increase in merger and acquisition activity in the emerging mining tech space, including the purchase of Seequent by Bentley Systems, and greater private equity interest in the sector are encouraging signs.
“It’s not unheard of now for start-ups to raise $5-$10 million as an initial investment just because they have a great idea,” he said. “The older players in the industry, the ones who have been around 40-45 years, they’re not getting that kind of investment.”
In future, heavy machinery used in mining will increasingly be operated remotely from an office versus from inside a cab.
HOW TECHNOLOGY IS CHANGING THE MINING LANDSCAPE
The future of mining is one in which technological advancement and environmental stewardship go hand-in-hand.
Mines of the future will likely need fewer people as mining companies aim to address risk to people and the environment. As remote working becomes even more the norm, the sector can expect more developments like the operating of heavy equipment and systems autonomously.
“You know, a lot of big mining companies are trying to get people out of the mine, trying to use technology to remove the risk and the footprint of individuals. That’s one of their goals. That means if you don’t need to be on site, don’t be on site.”
Rob and Heather Ferguson trial running what some of retirement might look like.
THE FUTURE FOR ROB
The last 34 years has been revolutionary for Rob, and despite the many ups and downs, he is grateful for the choices the younger him made.
“I’ve loved my career, and I’ve loved the people and work. There are some technologies coming in 2025 and beyond that I am a little remiss not to be part of because I’ve been part of the journey for the last seven, eight years…but there are extremely talented people to carry on the work,” Rob said.
“I’m not going to call out that I’m going to be a woodworker or plan to go golfing every day. Now it’s time for me to do more things that I just want to do on an everyday basis.”
Rob’s last day in the Seequent office is December 13. Dr Janina Elliott has been appointed as Seequent Segment Director, Mining.