We are approaching the cobalt cliff, says U.K. cobalt expert Nick French

NICK FRENCH
Director, Cobalt27 Capital

Mr. French graduated from Cambridge University in 1975 with an M.A. in Geography (Economic) before spending 22 years with London based trader Wogen Resources Ltd. during which time he rose from trainee to Managing Director and was at the trading desk when the price of cobalt rose from US$5/lb to US$50/lb during an eight-month period during 1978.  During the following years, Mr. French was on the cobalt front line as the market developed new directions based upon the opening up of China as it turned from net exporter to net importer and the collapse of the Iron Curtain including the sell-off of the Soviet stockpiles.

In 1999 he became the CEO of SFP Metals Ltd., a creative cobalt specialist trading house.  While at SFP Metals, he structured finance deals with African producers, a joint venture with China’s largest producer and various long term contracts with the world’s largest producers and consumers.  As such, SFP Metals was well placed when the cobalt price ran up to over US$50/lb again in 2008.  With SFP Metals as one of the most active global cobalt traders, the “SFP Weekly Cobalt News” publication was for more than a decade distributed to over 350 members of the global cobalt community.

In 2015, Mr. French stepped back to form his own cobalt consultancy, Metal Investment Consultants, and has spent the last two years advising various parties on the structure and potential of the cobalt market with occasional articles published in the industrial press and conference presentations.

https://www.castlesilverresources.com/index.php/news-releases/2017-news-releases/