Ep. 140: Mark Frayman, VP of Venture Investment at BHP

Today's guest is Mark Frayman, Vice President of Venture Investments at BHP.

BHP is an Anglo-Australian mining company that is based in Melbourne. One of the biggest mining companies in the world, they extract oil & gas and process minerals, such as coal, copper, and iron. Mark is part of the new Venture Investments group which is the trading arm of BHP.

A graduate of the University of Melbourne where he studied law, commerce, and finance, Mark went on to serve as an investment banking analyst at UBS on the M&A mining & metals team. In 2010, he joined BHP Billiton (now BHP) as a manager in acquisitions and divestment. While at BHP Billiton, Mark focused on small and medium-sized transactions on behalf of the company, including development of transaction approach, structure, tactics, valuation, negotiation, and approvals. Mark left BHP to consult on strategy and M&A for a global hedge fund in Buenos Aires and later served as Chief Investment Officer for the Kin Group USA in New York City. After a 5-year hiatus, Mark returned to BHP and assumed his current role as Vice President of Venture Investments.

As the world hurtles towards the Paris Accord goals, mining companies are facing massive challenges. Mark's expertise and experience are fascinating to learn about in relation to sustainability and investments. We have a lively discussion about why and when the ventures group was created, their progress to date, and how they will deploy capital. Mark and also talk about the sectors and solution areas that are most appealing and what companies can expect if they take funding from BHP. I learned a lot about the role of corporate venture arms. It was great to have Mark join me this week!

Enjoy the show!

You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.

Episode recorded December 8th, 2020