The people who really work hard and seize every opportunity are going to be given more opportunities. This is going to sound kind of glib, but you know what, when it comes right down to it: work really hard and don’t be an asshole.
Mark O’Dea is the Chairman and Founder of Oxygen Capital, an integrated merchant bank and mining house located in Vancouver, Canada.
Oxygen Capital was not an Overnight Success
Having begun his career as a field geologist, Mark is perhaps best known for selling Fronteer Gold to Newmont in 2011 for $2.3 billion. Since that time Mark has been involved in the creation, funding, management and sale of numerous successful companies from Africa to Canada.
Recently Mark and I sat down for breakfast at his home in North Vancouver to discuss his career to date, and what’s next for the serial entrepreneur.
In this conversation we discuss:
- How Mark transitioned from scientist to CEO.
- Why geologists are scared of putting lines on maps.
- The kind of person actually making discoveries.
- How to minimize failure by focusing on de-risked, misunderstood projects.
- Obsession and dogged determination.
- Why investor commitment is essential to exploration success.
- What Mark looks for when backing a team.
- The unusual opportunity that catapulted Mark into the public markets.
- Why Mark thinks geologists make the best CEOs.
- The Haywood broker that brought Mark and ex-Lucara CEO, William Lamb, together on an exciting new copper deal.
Listen to Mark’s Views
Mark has a very nuanced, very philosophical view of the mining industry. He is one of the few people that has been able to build an effective system and master the components necessary for success in the discovery game.
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I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.
Cheers,
Jamie Keech
PS: You can also check us out on iTunes here.
