Under the theme ‘Year of Impact’, the Future Minerals Forum 2025 is set to make an even bigger splash in the mining world than the three events that preceded it, Saudi Arabia’s Vice-Minister for Mining Affairs, H.E. Khalid Al-Mudaifer, made clear during a press conference in Riyadh, earlier this week.
Now in its fourth year, FMF has grown exponentially from its inaugural event in 2022, with organisers expecting attendance to swell to over 20,000 for the 2025 edition, taking place at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center, in Riyadh, from January 14-16. The event is organised by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
During this week’s press conference to launch the event, Al-Mudaifer (pictured) said the event continued to not only showcase the mineral exploration and development opportunities available within the Kingdom, but also bring together both mineral producing and consuming country representatives to address the number of challenges facing global supply chains.
This focus is reinforced by the event’s Ministerial Roundtable, an event within the event that has grown exponentially since FMF started in 2022 and, in 2025, is expected to host over 100 government representatives and 50 international organisations. This one-day, invite-only event is where policy and industry intersect to shape global strategies, the organisers say.
For the second year running, FMF will host an International Geological Surveys meeting, which will represent the largest gathering of survey CEOs ever assembled, organisers claim. Participants include Geological Survey leaders from the “Super Region”, which extends from Africa to West and Central Asia, as well as the historical geological survey’s data reservoirs like the US Geological Survey, the British Geological Survey, BRGM of France and GTK of Finland. Objectives of this meeting are to:
- Build capacity in geological surveying across the Super Region to attract more investment in exploration;
- Use the latest digital technologies and artificial intelligence to locate minerals with greater precision, as well as making geological information available to investors and the wider public; and
- Create a regional centre of excellence to drive innovation, skills development and the deployment of new technologies.
There will also be an inaugural “Centers of Excellence and Technology” meeting, a gathering of experts at the leading edge of minerals research and innovation.
Another event first is the ‘Knowledge Exchange’, a space for in-depth sharing of the latest advancements in minerals intelligence, geology, technology, sustainability and talent development. This will be complemented by an inaugural ‘Leadership Roundtable’, which aims to gather ministers, CEOs and global experts to tackle investment, infrastructure, value addition and processing hub creation.
On top of a conference plenary featuring CEOs from 11 of the top 20 global mining companies and 10 International Council for Metals and Mining (ICMM) member companies, the international exhibition is set to run for the full three days, as opposed to the two days it has previously been hosted for.
The Vice-Minister emphasised that the forum is one of the world’s leading platforms for addressing regional and international challenges in the mining sector. He highlighted FMF’s focus on enhancing the supply of critical minerals and their pivotal role in the global transition to clean energy. “FMF provides an exceptional opportunity to exchange ideas, showcase innovative solutions and strengthen international cooperation to achieve sustainability in mining, while also driving economic and social developments,” he added.
Day one of the event will set the stage with the International Exhibition and interactive Knowledge Exchange sessions, where industry leaders will present insights into the global mineral supply outlook, technological advances and sustainability frameworks. Fresh voices from the downstream sector will present innovative ways to integrate local communities and economies into the mineral value chain, offering attendees first-hand insights into the future applications of emerging technologies and showcasing the possibilities at the intersection of technology and sustainability, organisers say.
Days two and three include the Leadership Roundtables including a series of Regional Leadership Roundtables for Africa, Latin America and Central Asia, bringing focus to the opportunities for trade and investment to and from emerging supplier regions. Each session will involve Ministers, CEOs and industry experts to tackle a tough issue in order to unlock and de-risk global mineral supply through collaboration.
FMF 2025 has an impressive line-up of industry titans, including;
- Dominic Barton, Chairman of Rio Tinto;
- Máximo Pacheco, Chairman of Codelco;
- Duncan Wanblad, CEO of Anglo American;
- Mark Bristow, CEO of Barrick Gold;
- Tom Palmer, President and CEO of Newmont;
- Graham Kerr, CEO of South32;
- Kent Masters, CEO of Albermarle;
- Catherine Raw, Chief Development Officer at BHP;
- Jinghe Chen, Executive Chairman of Zijin;
- Yuan Honglin, Chairman of CMOC;
- Jonathan Price, CEO of Teck Resources;
- Jeremy Weir, Executive Chairman and CEO of Trafigura Group;
- Mark Cutifani, Chairman of Vale Base Metals;
- Bob Wilt, CEO of Ma’aden;
- Jasper Jung, Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives and Global Public Policy at General Motors;
- Joe Kaeser, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Siemens Energy and Daimler Truck;
- Robert Friedland, Founder of Ivanhoe Mines, Ivanhoe Electric, and I-Pulse;
- HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Energy;
- H.E. Bandar AlKhorayef, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources;
- H.E. Mohammed Al-Jadaan, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Finance;
- H.E. Khalid Al-Mudaifer, Saudi Arabia’s Vice-Minister for Mining Affairs;
- H.E. Khalid Al-Falih, Minister of Investment;
- H.E. Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, Secretary General of Gulf Cooperation Council;
- H.E. Yousef bin Abdullah Al-Benyan, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Education;
- H.E. Saleh Al Jasser, Minister of Transport and Logistics Services; and
- Mohammed A. Abunayyan, Chairman of ACWA Power.
International Mining is a media sponsor of FMF 2025, and will be in Riyadh, in January, reporting from the event. Find out more about the event here.
