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Brian Rudd
Executive Director, Capital Ltd

Standing atop an offshore platform drilling rig in 1989,
it became apparent to Brian Rudd that owning the type
of company he was working for then was not for him.
An entrepreneur at heart, his affection was for the desert
and the mining and exploration drilling environment in
general, and this has taken the Perth-based Capital
Limited executive director from Perth to Mwanza and
around the world over the past 34 years.

R udd founded Capital Drilling in 2004 and the company
listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2010. It
focuses its operations on the African markets with its
headquarters based in Mauritius. Capital is now one of the
most reputable mining services providers in all of Africa
and was recently retitled to Capital Limited to reflect
better its broader range of capabilities in load and haul,
geochemical laboratory services and asset maintenance.

Not bad, considering that at the start of his career Africa
didn’t appear on Rudd’s radar.
Rudd welcomed Paydirt into Capital’s new Perth digs
on Stirling Highway in Claremont to share how drilling
in the spotlight
became more than just a job for him.
Brian at home in his first house after a stint away
PD: How did your career in drilling start?
BR: I was putting roofs on a transportable house in Mt PD: What is the hardest part about going into a new
Barker when I saw a water well rig drilling nearby. country and being thrust into such a position?
I walked over and spoke to the driller to ask what it was all about BR: It was overwhelming at the time, as all of a sudden
and a few weeks later started with that company driving a water I was responsible for all the operations, staff, budgeting
truck around the Officer Basin north of Kalgoorlie. That led to and financing and also dealing with new things such as
being a driller’s offsider and then into a role as a driller back in work permits and immigration issues. I was very fortunate
October 1984. I enjoyed being 400km north of Kalgoorlie, living that I had a great team with me who provided a lot of support,
in a caravan and fending for yourself out in the bush on a roster and as a result, I learnt a lot quickly. The days were long but also
of one month on and one week off. looking back enjoyable as we were improving how things were
done. I still see some of that team socially today.
PD: Is there one project that is most memorable for you? The mentality back then was that you are an allrounder, and there
BR: Coincidentally, it was probably one of the first were a fair few comments about having the ability to sink or swim.
projects I drilled, around Westonia near the Edna May
mine in 1986. We stayed in a caravan at the back of the PD: Sink or swim, is that a good way to learn?
hotel in Westonia some 30-odd years ago and the first time BR: I wouldn’t like to do it to too many people today. It
I had been back was last week staying at the hotel. Standing is more demanding nowadays, and we move a lot faster
at the bar, it all became very familiar once again (laughs). with better connectivity and everyone having an opinion
or the ability to chip in almost immediately.
PD: When did you first visit Africa? Back then, my boss at the time was located in Ghana and Perth,
BR: August 1998. I was supervising for Stanley Mining and I would go a couple of weeks without talking to them because
Services, which had recently been bought by Layne of the slow communications [fax/ADSL emails]. The good part of
Christensen, and was working as a drilling supervisor for that, though, was learning quickly, and I was able to gain a lot of
quite a few years based in Kalgoorlie. I covered jobs from experience and became very independent. They let me run the
Kalgoorlie to Port Hedland right the way through to Alice business and do my own thing, and I was ready to go out and build
Springs and was doing about 90,000km a year, often with the business up.
just a swag on the back of the Landcruiser, which was quite
enjoyable looking back now. At that time, we had 40 odd rigs, with only three working. Within
six months, we had about 20-odd working as I was able to go out
For several years, I was asked about going to Africa, but and grow the business outside of Tanzania to include Uganda and
wasn’t interested, until I had one of those days where I’d had Egypt.
enough and decided it was time to give it a go. I arrived in
Tanzania as operations manager for Stanley Mining Services PD: What was the greatest learning garnered from your
and about a month into the role, the guy that hired me left early experiences?
and I landed the job as general manager. BR: The need to build relationships and trust. The mining

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