The President of the Austrian Parliament, Barbara Prammer, has honoured Alan R. Hill, President and CEO of Gabriel Resources, the ‘Responsible Manager of the Year’ Award in the international category at an event hosted at the Austrian Parliament in Vienna.
The prize is given to those who excel in responsible management as part of the ICON-Vienna Congress, which showcases trends and innovative developments in Europe. ICON-Vienna established the CSR prizes in the categories of international, public interest, small and medium sized companies, middle management and top management. Members of the ICON-Vienna Conference include Trade Union Austria, the Association of Industrialists, the Chamber of Commerce and the Ministry of Economics.
Hill was recognized for his leadership at the helm of Rosia Montana Gold Corp, a large-scale project that could become Europe’s biggest gold mine. According to the jury, the award was given to him because he is committed to social and ecological responsibility in a challenging business area like mining, which does not typically apply such criteria. The jury further stated that this example of setting up a mine in Romania could serve to pave the way into the future for the entire industry.
As an industry veteran, Hill has spent over four decades in the mining industry, leading projects all over the world, and has seen first hand how countries’ natural resources can translate into wealth for nations and people. For the last two years, since he became President and CEO of Gabriel Resources, Hill has worked toward meeting the challenge of his latest project: to build a mine to the highest industry standards, as well as use the project as a catalyst for regional sustainable development.
Under Hill’s leadership, Gabriel Rosia Montana has pioneered social programmes and civil society partnerships in the areas of education, health, environment and business, as well as introducing company corporate governance policies built on openness and transparency. Hill has ensured that his company applies the highest standards to all of its operational areas.
Hill’s initiatives include:
- Introducing open and transparent management practices
- Enlisting top specialists to help design a project fully compliant with EU and international standards
- Involving leading Romanian and international experts in the assessment of the relevant environmental impacts of the proposed project
- Encouraging active environmental protection measures, such as forestry programmes, environmental awareness and education actions and partnerships
- Establishing an ongoing social programme which helps disadvantaged people in the project area
- Helping set up a professional development training programme for the local community, through which over 600 people have been trained in areas directly related to the core business of the company
- Designing a future village to combine modern facilities with traditional architecture for the local community to offer them significantly higher living standards
- Launching of the Rosia Montana MicroCredit, a micro-lending institution that was set up recently in order to encourage diversity and development of the local economy through customised financial solutions.
Gabriel Rosia Montana currently employs about 400 people, most of them from the local community, in an area experiencing more than 70% unemployment. Once operations have begun, it will employ over 1,200 people for two years of construction, 600 during the 17 years of the life of the project and will likely generate over 6,000 indirect jobs. The company has signed protocols with local authorities to ensure preference of employment is given to locals from the project area and surrounding communities.
