Mark Bristow

Mark Bristow has served as President and CEO of Barrick Gold since the 2019 merger between Barrick and Randgold Resources, the African gold miner he had built and led for 25 years. Bristow is widely regarded as one of the most operationally competent CEOs in the mining industry. The merged entity is the world's second-largest gold mining company (behind Newmont) with six Tier 1 gold mines across Nevada, the Dominican Republic, Mali, Tanzania, Côte d'Ivoire, and Papua New Guinea, plus a growing copper business. Bristow's management philosophy emphasizes operational excellence, disciplined capital allocation, and strong relationships with host governments — a philosophy forged during decades of mining in Africa. Under his leadership, Barrick has reduced debt, improved mine performance, and invested in exploration to extend mine lives. The Nevada Gold Mines joint venture with Newmont is the largest gold-producing complex in the world. His key decisions involve gold production growth and mine life extension, copper business expansion (particularly the Reko Diq project in Pakistan), managing political risk in diverse jurisdictions, exploration investment, and capital return policy.