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NEWS RELEASE
31 March 2002 -
World Gold Council launches strategic gold industry
initiative
LONDON: Sunday, 31 March 2002 - The World Gold Council today announced
a major strategic initiative to identify and respond to the marketplace
challenges facing the gold industry in the 21st century.
This initiative which is being led by Miss Haruko Fukuda, chief executive,
and Mr Bobby Godsell, chairman, is focussed on establishing a framework
for the gold industry to respond to developments in the markets for gold
over the next three-to-five years. This new approach follows a series
of reviews and strategic developments, initiated by Miss Fukuda since
her appointment as chief executive three years ago.
"Now is the right time to take a broad perspective and consider
the full range of strategic and structural options for the World Gold
Council in order to deliver the best returns to our stakeholders,"
Miss Fukuda said today.
There have been very significant changes occurring within the wider gold
industry during the last decade, resulting in consolidation at both the
producing and consuming ends of the market, and a different focus on gold
by some central and commercial banks, and other market participants.
The World Gold Council's initiative, which is being assisted by a consulting
team from Bain & Company, will seek to determine whether and how a
collective approach across different industry stakeholders can create
value, and what will be required in a practical sense to realise that
value.
It will define the mandate to create the most value for the gold industry
and will also provide the strategic framework to ensure the best organisation
and structure to drive successful implementation of this mandate.
It will take into account future market trends and challenges and the
need to continue to broaden the base of support across different stakeholder
groups. It will also help to build better alignment among
these stakeholders, so that, to the extent appropriate, the industry is
pulling in the same direction and maximising its collective impact.
"We will be asking for the co-operation of many people throughout
the industry to help us with this initiative," said Miss Fukuda.
"Bain & Company will be interviewing a very wide cross-section
of people, including miners, jewellery manufacturers, bullion banks and
traders and, we hope, representatives of some of the central banks who
are major holders of gold, to help us define the key dynamics of the market
in the future."
Ends
For further information, please contact:
Neville Wells, Director of Communications, WGC 07785 903 401
Keith Irons, Bankside Consultants 01256 389 298 / 07885 356 639
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