John Robins

John Robins is a highly respected geologist, prospector, and mining entrepreneur with more than 35 years of experience driving major discoveries, building successful exploration companies, and shaping the modern junior mining sector. A graduate of the British Columbia Institute of Technology’s Mining & Mineral Exploration program, he has dedicated his career to advancing high-quality mineral projects across North America and globally. His leadership and long-term industry impact have been recognized with some of the sector’s highest honours, including the PDAC Viola R. MacMillan Award (2025) for excellence in mineral exploration financing, AME’s Murray Pezim Award (2022) for outstanding contributions to exploration and development financing, and the Spud Huestis Award (2008) for significant contributions to mineral exploration in British Columbia and Yukon.

Over his career, John has been instrumental in several landmark discoveries, including the 5-million-ounce Coffee Gold deposit in the Yukon, the Three Bluffs gold deposit in Nunavut’s Committee Bay greenstone belt, the Aviat and Churchill diamond districts, and the Great Bear project in northwestern Ontario. Through a combination of technical insight and entrepreneurial leadership, he has been responsible for more than $3 billion in M&A activity and over $1 billion in direct and indirect mineral expenditures across Canada, Latin America, and Australia. His recent successes include the sale of Great Bear Resources to Kinross Gold for $1.8B, Great Bear Royalties to Royal Gold for $200M, and Kaminak Gold to Goldcorp for $510M.

John’s strategic vision, strong ethical leadership, and deep industry relationships make him one of the most influential figures in the junior mining space. He currently serves as Chairman of K2 Gold Corp. and provides strategic expertise to several exploration companies, including Defense Metals Corp., Kodiak Copper Corp., ValOre Metals Corp., CopperEx Resources Corp., and Prospector Metals Corp. His ability to identify high-potential opportunities, build exceptional technical teams, and guide companies through discovery, growth, and major transactions continues to set the standard for modern mineral exploration leadership.