BUILT FROM THE GROUND UP
ABD Mining Services was founded by mining professionals who have spent over 20 years doing the work, not just advising on it.
Ben Kelly
Founder & Director
Built on career's that have spanned over two decades of operational mining leadership across four continents. From operator to Project Manager, we have held almost every role in between — and that experience is the foundation of everything ABD Mining Services delivers.
Our Co-Founders both started on the tools. Worked their way through the ranks of the mining industry the hard way — site by site, role by role — building a depth of operational knowledge that can't be learned in a classroom or a consulting report.
Over the last 20 years, both have led operations across Australia and Internationally. They have managed projects at scale, built and developed high-performing teams, and delivered results in some of the most challenging operational environments in the world.
ABD Mining Services was founded because we identified a gap in the market — a need for a mining services business that actually understood operations from the inside. Not a recruitment agency that fills seats. Not a consulting firm that writes reports. A business that delivers people and programs that genuinely move the needle.
We don't fill seats. We build operations.
Ben Kelly, Founder
20+ YEARS. 4 CONTINENTS.
Our operational experience spans some of the world's most demanding mining environments.
Australia
Extensive operations across WA, QLD and NT — open cut and underground, gold, iron ore and coal.
Africa
Multi-country experience across Sub-Saharan Africa, managing large-scale open cut gold operations.
Mongolia
Remote operations in extreme conditions — large-scale open cut coal and copper projects.
Papua New Guinea
Complex operational environments with significant community and stakeholder management requirements.
HOW WE OPERATE
The values that drive every engagement.
Competence First
We only place people we would trust to run our own operation. Technical competence is non-negotiable — it's the baseline, not the benchmark.
Character Matters
Skills can be developed. Character is harder to change. We assess both — and we won't compromise on either.
Outcomes Over Activity
We're not interested in looking busy. We're interested in delivering results. Every engagement is measured against defined, agreed outcomes.
Straight Talk
We tell clients what they need to hear, not what they want to hear. That's what 20 years of operational experience earns you — the confidence to be direct.
Site-Based Thinking
Every recommendation, every placement, every training program is grounded in real operational experience. We don't theorise. We've been there.
Long-Term Relationships
We build relationships, not transactions. Our clients come back because we deliver — and because we're the kind of people you want in your corner.
WORK WITH US
Whether you need a single specialist or a full operational overhaul, we're ready to talk.