FIRST Quantum Minerals co-founder, Philip Pascall has died, the Toronto-listed copper producer announced on Tuesday. Pascall helped found the company in 1996 serving as its chairman from inception and CEO until 2022.
“Whilst this is an enormous loss for all of us at First Quantum, Philip would not want us to dwell too long on his passing. He was always looking forward and was excited by the trajectory of the company,” Tristan Pascall, CEO of First Quantum and Philip’s son, said.
Pascall began his career in 1973, holding various general management positions in South Africa before moving to Australia. He became the project manager of the Argyle diamond project in Western Australia, and then executive chairman and part-owner of Nedpac Engineering from 1982-1990.
After selling his shares in Nedpac, he spent a few years as a consultant in the mining industry, including a period with Rio Tinto’s Hamersley Iron, and with various projects in Zimbabwe and Zambia. In 1996, he co-founded First Quantum, serving as chairman since its inception and chief executive officer until 2022.
“We are all indebted to Phillip for his extraordinary leadership at First Quantum, setting us firmly on the path to the modern, multi-national mining company that we are today,” said Robert Harding, interim chairman of First Quantum. “Philip was a friend and mentor and his passing will be profoundly felt across the company and the many people and lives he impacted as a result of his vision.”
