Forum Topics RMS RMS Management

Pinned straw:

Last edited a month ago

Mar 3, 2026 hearts & mines an ivy & gecko podcast: From the Mine Site to Executive Leadership, Tim Hewitt on Scaling Gold Operations

Tim Hewitt is the COO (Chief Operating Officer) at Ramelius Resources (RMS). Interesting chat about scaling up an Australian gold company along with a number of other topics.

Timecodes:

  • 00:30 Welcome
  • 00:51 Company Growth Goals
  • 01:56 Early Life in UK
  • 03:29 Schooling and Mining Bug
  • 04:52 Uni and MBA Shift
  • 07:36 Leadership Essentials
  • 09:29 Authenticity and Introverts
  • 13:27 Resilience and Failure
  • 15:34 Scrutiny and Role Modeling
  • 17:47 COO Challenges Today
  • 19:48 Engagement on the Ground
  • 20:17 Recognising Progress Wins
  • 20:50 Why Work at MIUs
  • 22:55 Culture Drives Performance
  • 25:23 Managing Site Subcultures
  • 27:11 Mining Talent Image Gap
  • 30:12 WA Investment Risk Red Tape
  • 32:05 Infrastructure Energy Constraints
  • 33:21 AI in Mining Today
  • 34:56 Dream Interview Leaders
  • 37:03 Rapid Fire Personal Insights
  • 41:19 Habits Advice Closing


Follow Hearts & Mines ????

LinkedIn ????   / 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.


Bear77 Disclosure: I usually hold RMS however I've gone to 100% cash recently in my SMSF because I'm in the process of transferring it all across into a new Income Stream account, so I'll certainly be buying RMS back in the near term. I have no association with or interest in this podcast. Just thought it was worth sharing.

Bear77
Added a month ago

I meant that I have no financial interest, not interest. I'm interested in the podcast, I just don't have a financial interest or arrangement with them. Today was the first time I've come across "Hearts and Mines" actually - interesting name for a poddy.

Also, I still hold RMS here on SM - it's one of my top 5 positions. I'll be buying RMS in my income stream account once it's up and running. There will be BIG production uplifts coming for them to hit their 500 koz p.a. production target by 2030, and they have the gold in the ground to get there, and that's without any M&A, and they have so much cash I'm almost expecting a little M&A from them as well. Either way, I think it'll be an interesting and profitable ride.

19

Rick
Added a month ago

@Bear77 Going to 100% cash might have been a blessing in disguise. We could be in for a tough week on the ASX given what’s going on in the middle-east, and there is likely to be some bargains out there.

15

Seymourbutts
Added a month ago

I saw this podcast pop up on my LinkedIn as I am connected with Tim; worked with him back when I was also at Newmont about 10 years ago.

An extremely competent operator that simplifies mining sequencing to optimise production. He probably barely remembers me given I was well down on the pecking order and he was Mining Manager, but I always recall him being level-headed and highly regarded across both the leadership team on site and the underground crews.

I've downloaded the episode and am keen to listen to it.

16

Bear77
Added a month ago

Thanks for that scuttlebutt @Seymourbutts - I hadn't even registered that he was the COO at RMS prior to yesterday because Zeppy and more recently also Simon Lawson have been doing their presentations - Simon Lawson did half of their D&D presso last year, but it's mostly been Mark Zeptner - I have also followed Bob Vassie since he was at St Barbara and he's RMS' Chairman now, although he is clearly happy to stay out of the spotlight in that Chair role now since he announced his retirement from frontline management a few years back when he left SBM.

COO's are often overlooked and under-rated, but Tim Hewitt sounds like a good man to have in that position. And RMS is a very good gold producer going through a development phase at Dalgaranga (Never Never and Pepper stope development) before a major production uplift over the next 4 years with the Dalgaranga assets being processed and then Rebecca and Roe to the east of Kal coming online after they build that mill.

Yes @Rick - being in cash is probably a good thing right now - and I've been in cash in my SMSF since the 19th Feb, so I've missed a bit of the continued rise of my favourite large and mid-tier gold producers, and now the same ones are falling along with everything else, although RMS is the only one in the green today - barely, but still green, so far.

Outside of that cashed-up SMSF, I own quite a lot of GNG and LYL in my income portfolio, and I still have 14 companies in my SPF (speccy portfolio), and the largest position in that one is MEK (Meeka Metals) which is holding up OK so far.

I'm itching to start getting that income stream money invested but it clearly takes time to set up, as it's not ready yet. This time next week I'll be driving a 6-berth Maui Motorhome across the Nullarbor so won't be doing any market watching or trading then.

But yeah, being in cash in my SMSF has been frustrating and then on weeks like this one, it's a bit of a silver lining.

11