We are absolutely delighted to welcome Amanda Lacaze (CEO of Lynas Corporation) as our guest speaker for our June Luncheon. Amanda is renowned as a fiercely intelligent and forthright communicator and advocate for Lynas Corporation and the rare earths industry. Lynas Corporation is one of the largest western world producers of critical rare earths minerals, producing the unspellable and unpronounceable parts of the periodic table like praseodymium, neodymium, dysprosium, scandium, yttrium and a bunch of lanthanides. Not only are they hard to spell and pronounce, they are also damned difficult to separate into their useful elemental forms and require incredibly complex metallurgical processes to do so. Their uses are wide and varied, from the aerospace industry, electronic componentry, lasers, glass, magnets and are very important strategically for military guidance systems. Indeed, a brief search on the uses for rare earths will leave you wondering what they’re not used for ! Over 90% of the world’s rare earth production emanates from China, with global supply chains vulnerable to Chinese supply policy, for example the European car industry currently has only 5-6 weeks supply of critical minerals to enable the ongoing manufacture of vehicles. In Australia, our federal government is mooting a $1.2Bn rare earths critical minerals stockpile and have been actively supporting rare earths production facilities. Trump presidency Mk II has seen peace negotiations with Ukraine being dependent upon access to Ukraine’s rare earth deposits and strong US moves into African countries are designed in part to gain access to rare earths deposits and dampen the Chinese production stranglehold. Operating in such a politically charged environment has seen Amanda and Lynas Corporation in the news almost daily, attempting to steer the good ship Lynas through a dizzyingly complex washing machine of global geopolitical uncertainty and critical minerals policy.
Lynas Corporation has a mining operation in WA – the world class Mt Weld deposit, along with processing operations in Malaysia and Kalgoorlie. Lynas have been active in the USA advancing the Seadrift Project in Texas and there have been rumours of a tie-up with MP Materials in the USA (with Gina Rinehart prominent on both registers).
This will be fascinating. A rare treat indeed with something for everyone. Whether you’re an investor, a supplier to Lynas Corporation, a student of global geopolitics, or simply a rare earths geek, be in the room to be transfixed and transformed.
Bookings close COB Wed 18th June, but don’t wait until then – get in early ! Please don’t be one of those people that try to book on the week of the event, only to be disappointed. And please note that this event is on a Wednesday, not our usual Thursday timing. If you turn up on Thursday, you could always do a stadium tour if you like but if you’re looking for the legendary networking and luncheon experience offered by the WA Mining Club, be there on Wed 25th!
More info here: WA Mining Club 2025 June Luncheon – Amanda Lacaze, Lynas Rare Earths – WA Mining Club
