Our Core
We position extractives people with the judgment and relationships to move complex transactions forward.
In-country experience. Commercial judgement. Reliable execution.
Advisory
People are the bridge.
In mining and complex extractives, outcomes are shaped long before bids are submitted. Experience, relationships, and strategic engagement determine results.
Companies face geopolitical, regulatory, supply chain, and reputational challenges that demand informed, decisive action.
Unamine partners with senior advisors—former CEOs and operators with global experience—to provide judgment and insight where risk is material. We embed senior professionals to support bids and tenders, ensuring structured market entry and commercial alignment.
Consulting Team
Arno Saffran — Managing Partner
Arno Saffran is the founder of Unamine, an advisory firm focused on commercial alignment across the mining and metals sector.
He advises operators and manufacturers on market entry, competitive procurement, and strategic positioning across extractive and industrial value chains—and where commercial relationships and senior stakeholder access are material to outcomes, he works to position the right participants within them.
Prior to founding Unamine, Arno held roles in industrial client development and transaction advisory at KPMG, where he supported market-entry mandates and coordinated senior advisory engagement with large industrial groups.
He has also undertaken strategic assignments in affiliation with firms including Hakluyt, contributing to early-stage market assessments and stakeholder mapping across energy and extractives.
Arno holds a degree in Law and Political Science from the London School of Economics and Political Science and is based in Geneva. Engagements are undertaken on a referral basis.
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Tendai Mono — Advisor, Mining
Tendai Moyo is a mining industry professional with more than 20 years’ experience leading operations and developing business strategies across Southern Africa. He is a trusted advisor to Unamine on frontier market strategy, market entry, and stakeholder engagement, particularly in environments where operational planning, regulatory alignment, and commercial diplomacy are critical to success.
Tendai’s executive experience includes senior roles as Chief Executive Officer of ZimCoal Ltd, a leading coal producer in Zimbabwe, and previously as Chief Operating Officer of Great Lakes Mining, where he oversaw operational performance, growth initiatives, and sustainability programs. He has also held senior project management roles on copper and gold projects with African Minerals Group and strategic advisory positions for regional mining joint ventures.
Tendai holds degrees in mining engineering and business management, and his career spans operational optimization, project development, and strategic growth. He has worked across Zimbabwe, Zambia, South Africa, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, engaging with government regulators, investors, and local communities to align complex stakeholder objectives and foster responsible resource development.
In his advisory role with Unamine, Tendai brings practical operational insight, regional market expertise, and strategic judgement to support clients and leadership teams as they expand in emerging markets, strengthen local partnerships, and implement effective business development strategies.
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Hans Bock — Partner, Mining
Hans Bock advises Unamine partners on the leadership judgment required to advance high-value resource projects in complex operating environments.
His focus is on identifying the operators and commercial leaders who can translate geology, stakeholder landscapes, and local-content realities into credible, structured project pathways.
Hans brings over eighteen years of experience across mining operations and commercial leadership roles with major and mid-tier mining houses, including BHP and First Quantum Minerals. His work has centred on early project development phases where technical planning, political context, financing structures, and operational considerations must align.
He is recognised for his ability to assess not only the viability of a resource, but the practical leadership required to advance it under demanding local conditions.
Grounded in site-level experience — including contract negotiation, joint-venture governance, and community engagement — Hans brings a practical lens to evaluating leadership capability between feasibility and delivery.
Hans holds a degree in Mining Engineering and an MBA focused on strategic leadership. He is based in Geneva and engages through referral.
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Bak Chirchikbayev — Advisor, Caspian & Turkic Markets
Bak Chirchikbayev advises Unamine partners on the political, sovereign, and commercial context shaping resource and infrastructure projects across the Caspian region, Turkey, and the wider post-Soviet corridor.
His work focuses on interpreting how sovereign priorities, infrastructure strategy, and long-term resource development intersect in environments where formal process alone does not determine outcomes.
With over fifteen years of senior experience across Caspian energy infrastructure and joint-venture operations, he has worked closely with national companies, transit governments, and international partners in complex, multi-jurisdictional settings.
He is recognised for his fluency in the political-commercial dynamics of the region and his ability to translate strategic intent into approaches workable within local governance realities.
Bakhyt holds advanced degrees in International Political Economy and is a native speaker of Azerbaijani, Turkish, and Russian. He operates from Istanbul and engages through referral.
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Ms Tina Abelshauser — Partner, Southern and Central Africa
Ms Abelshauser advises Unamine partners on the leadership judgment and contextual understanding required for resource and energy projects across Southern and Central Africa.
She brings over fifteen years of experience across advisory and in-house roles supporting international energy and resource companies operating in complex African jurisdictions, with a consistent focus on early project development where credibility, local realities, and sovereign priorities must be understood well before formal commitments are made.
Her background includes advisory work with Deloitte’s Africa practice in Cape Town and subsequent commercial and advisory roles with Glencore at its headquarters in Baar, supporting country management teams in navigating regulatory, stakeholder, and governmental context across African markets.
She has worked with junior, mid-tier, and major operators across Angola, Namibia, South Africa, the DRC, Zambia, and frontier basins, often in environments where formal process and practical decision-making diverge.
Ms Abelshauser is recognised for her practical judgment and her ability to assess whether leadership teams are equipped to operate credibly at the intersection of sovereign interests, local conditions, and international capital expectations.
She holds a Master’s degree in International Economics and Political Science from the University of Heidelberg and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Mannheim. She speaks German and English fluently, with working French, and operates between Johannesburg and Europe. Engagement is by referral.
Email >Broad Advisory Network
Beyond our core partners, Unamine draws upon a closed, trusted network of senior advisors, officials, and industry specialists across global oil and gas, mining and metals markets.
This extended capability provides grounded local insight, validates critical intelligence, and enables introductions that lie beyond established channels.
To learn more about how we work—or to discuss a potential engagement—please contact us directly.