James Nicholson
Head of Corporate Responsibility Trafigura
James is Head of Corporate Responsibility at Trafigura, having joined the company in 2010 to help establish a Corporate Affairs team.
Trafigura is one of the leading physical commodity trading groups in the world, with revenues of USD147 billion in 2020.
Responsible for driving Trafigura’s responsibility and stakeholder engagement agenda worldwide, James’ focus has included developing the company’s leadership positon on transparency and responsible sourcing.
In 2014, Trafigura became the first independent commodity trading company to publicly support the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) and go on to disclose its substantial payments to governments in EITI implementing countries. The standard set by Trafigura latterly formed the basis of an industry reporting norm. In 2019, James was appointed to the International Board of the EITI.
James leads Trafigura’s efforts in pursuit of the responsible sourcing and supply of metals and minerals. Of note in this respect has been James’ initiation and oversight of the ‘Mutoshi Pilot Project’ - a leading effort by government authorities, Trafigura and the NGO ‘Pact’ to support the responsible sourcing of cobalt from semi-mechanised mining operations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Prior to Trafigura, James worked at the De Beers Group for over 9 years.
Mining Indaba Virtual Agenda Sessions
Panel Discussion Part II - Pan-African Focus: Government & Private Sector Collaboration: Resilience, Reboot & Responsible Sourcing of African Minerals
Sponsored by 
Moderated by 
- ESG impact on high-risk mining communities: OECD Framework and other practical tools for companies to better understand and mitigate supply chain risks
- Defining the role of Governments and Financial Institutions: strategic client due diligence, financial sanctions and other measures that need to be undertaken to enhance responsible supply chains
- What is the scope for international cooperation on artisanal mining and conflict minerals?
- Supply Chain Transparency – What role can technology play for producers, end users and national regulators to achieve legitimate transparency?
Wednesday 03 February 14:05 - 14:50 Room 1
Moderated by
- ESG impact on high-risk mining communities: OECD Framework and other practical tools for companies to better understand and mitigate supply chain risks
- Defining the role of Governments and Financial Institutions: strategic client due diligence, financial sanctions and other measures that need to be undertaken to enhance responsible supply chains
- What is the scope for international cooperation on artisanal mining and conflict minerals?
- Supply Chain Transparency – What role can technology play for producers, end users and national regulators to achieve legitimate transparency?
