Global engineering and mining consultancy Hatch<\/strong> has been a familiar presence at the Future Minerals Forum (FMF) in Saudi Arabia for the past three years. But at FMF26 in Riyadh, the focus has shifted toward something bigger \u2014 the emergence of a new generation of mining professionals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking with Mining.com.au during the event, Hatch Vice Chairman Joe Lombard explained why the forum continues to attract him after more than four decades in the mining industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Lombard, FMF offers a rare opportunity to connect directly with senior decision-makers. \u201cThere\u2019s a very high concentration of quality clients here,\u201d he said, noting that CEOs and senior executives from across the global mining sector attend the forum and are highly accessible. \u201cIt\u2019s large, but not overwhelming, and that makes meaningful conversations possible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n With Hatch<\/strong> now marking over 70 years in business, Lombard emphasized the company\u2019s long-standing relationships with mining clients worldwide. \u201cMany of our clients have been with us for decades, and FMF gives us a chance to reconnect and strengthen those partnerships.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lombard also highlighted how Hatch<\/strong> aligns with Saudi Arabia\u2019s Vision 2030 strategy, particularly the Kingdom\u2019s ambition to build a globally competitive mining sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He pointed to remarks made by Bob Wilt, CEO of Maaden<\/strong>, during the forum, confirming that Hatch<\/strong> is a key partner in the development of Maaden\u2019s $110 billion mining growth program<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat partnership is the result of more than 20 years of groundwork,\u201d Lombard said. \u201cWe\u2019re extremely proud to be part of this nation-building effort in Saudi Arabia alongside Maaden<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A recurring theme at FMF26 was the urgent need to attract young talent into mining. Lombard described this as the beginning of a new chapter for Hatch<\/strong> in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOur real journey is starting now,\u201d he said, explaining that the company plans to replicate its global talent-development approach in Saudi Arabia. This includes building relationships with universities, mentoring students, and engaging young people as early as high school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One initiative Lombard is personally involved with is FIRST Robotics, a global STEM program encouraging students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Hatch<\/strong> has been a long-time platinum sponsor of FIRST Robotics Canada and has expanded its support to Australia, sponsoring multiple teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lombard believes Hatch\u2019s<\/strong> employee-owned structure plays a major role in attracting and retaining talent. \u201cWe\u2019re different,\u201d he said. \u201cWe value technical excellence, but we also want people who can communicate, collaborate, and innovate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He noted that many employees build lifelong careers within the company \u2014 in some cases spanning multiple generations of the same family. \u201cPeople who join Hatch<\/strong> tend to stay. You can have several careers within the organisation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n With a global workforce of more than 10,000 professionals operating across over 150 countries, Hatch<\/strong> continues to work on complex mining, metals, energy, and infrastructure projects worldwide \u2014 all while preparing the next generation of leaders to shape the future of mining.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" FMF26: Mining\u2019s New Generation About to Hatch Global engineering and mining consultancy Hatch has been a familiar presence at the Future Minerals Forum (FMF) in Saudi Arabia for the past three years. But at FMF26 in Riyadh, the focus has shifted toward something bigger \u2014 the emergence of a new generation of mining professionals. Speaking…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1026,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,65,46,79],"tags":[44,32,80],"class_list":["post-1025","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mining-companies","category-mining-industry","category-mining-news","category-mining-policy","tag-mining-companies","tag-mining-industry","tag-mining-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greatmining.com\/mining-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1025","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greatmining.com\/mining-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greatmining.com\/mining-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greatmining.com\/mining-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greatmining.com\/mining-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1025"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.greatmining.com\/mining-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1025\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1027,"href":"https:\/\/www.greatmining.com\/mining-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1025\/revisions\/1027"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greatmining.com\/mining-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1026"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greatmining.com\/mining-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1025"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greatmining.com\/mining-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1025"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greatmining.com\/mining-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1025"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Supporting Saudi Arabia\u2019s Mining Vision<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Investing in the Next Generation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
A Culture That Retains Talent<\/h3>\n\n\n\n