Phil Edmands Email & Phone Number

Melbourne, Australia

Resources and energy partner practising in unregulated M&A; project development (including of rail, port and other infrastructure); project finance; State/Investor Agreements; native title; commodity sale and purchase agreements; and investment approvals. Specific projects have included advising Sandfire Resources on its $167m acquisition of MOD Resources by way of scheme of arrangement; Whitehaven Coal on its bid for Rio Tinto’s Queensland coal assets (ultimately sold for more than US$4b); Resource Capital Funds on its investment in the US$650m Khoemacau project in Botswana and in obtaining a unique three year land and business entities FIRB exemption certificate relating to investment in Australian mining assets and companies; Kumul Petroleum (PNG's national oil company) on gas field development; an international streamer on major gold streaming arrangements; Rio Tinto in its successful defence of the application for access to its 1700km Pilbara rail network - the largest private rail network in the world; Rio Tinto on its proposed iron ore joint venture with BHPB (involving settling over 50 commercial agreements to create what would have been a US$100billion entity ultimately blocked by competition authorities); Rio Tinto on its move from annual iron ore pricing negotiations to floating prices linked to iron ore indices; on numerous gold, nickel, copper, zinc, mineral sands, lithium, niobium, potash, iron ore, coal and bauxite/alumina projects; and on offshore projects in China, Armenia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Ghana, Burkina Faso, DR of Congo, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Botswana, PNG, Mozambique and Zambia. This work included negotiating a State/investor agreement in Tanzania subsequently used as the template State agreement appended to the then new Mining Act.

Melbourne, Australia

Responsible for heading up Rio Tinto’s Australian corporate head office in Melbourne, and overseeing and advancing Rio Tinto’s corporate interests in Australia. A significant proportion of Rio Tinto’s global assets are located in Australia. Achievements • Played a central role in Rio Tinto successfully dealing with numerous strategic issues of national significance to it.• Worked with the Federal Government including the Prime Minister, Treasurer, Finance Minister, Trade Minister, Foreign Minister, Environment Minister, and Resources Minister and their respective departments, State Ministers such as the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, key members of the Federal Opposition and the Cross Bench.• Enhanced Rio Tinto’s engagement with China, India and Japan by working with Chinese and Japanese joint venturers, engaging with government officials and trade representatives, speaking at high level fora, and promoting commercial and cultural ties/understanding.• Protected Rio Tinto interests in policy areas including in tax, industrial relations, deregulation, security and environment. In particular ably defended Rio Tinto before the Senate tax inquiry, participated in a roundtable with the Australian Prime Minister on cyber security, spoke at the Australian National Reform Summit and at a major and widely reported national Tax Reform Summit and represented Rio Tinto’s perspective in print and film media and through many major speeches.• Represented Rio Tinto at B20 during Australia’s presidency of G20 including in the Infrastructure Taskforce and by taking a leading and very well received role in the Anti-Corruption Taskforce.• Strongly promoted Rio Tinto engagement with Indigenous communities and leaders, and with organisations seeking Indigenous empowerment.

Melbourne, Australia

Responsible for the strong functioning of the Board and its committees. Ensured that the detailed regulatory requirements governing superannuation funds were being complied with and drove strong performance.

Perth, Australia

Responsible for the internal legal function within iron ore (by far the largest of the Rio Tinto product groups and accounting for a very significant majority of Rio Tinto’s annual profit) and for Rio Tinto’s legal function in China.

Melbourne

Strongly performing member of the board of the Business Council of Australia (BCA) across the whole range of its activities, led the CEO subcommittee on climate change, and actively participated as a member of each of the Economic Competitiveness and Policy Committee, the Labour Market, Skills and Education Committee and the Indigenous Engagement Task Force

Canberra, Australia

A strongly performing member of the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) Board across the full range of the MCA’s activities.

Perth, Australia

Practiced in energy and resources (particularly mining) law. Acted on numerous mergers and acquisitions, State Agreements and project and infrastructure developments - both in Australia and offshore. Held the roles of Head of the firm’s national Resources Practice, Perth Managing Partner (then an office of just over 200) and Head of International Operations.

Perth Office (Then Robinson Cox)

B.Juris, Llb, Mba, Law And Business Administration

Activities and Societies: Rugby Union

Business Leader Development Programme, 2007

Senior Leadership Development Programme, 2013