Mark Bristow
Analyst · UBS Group. Please go ahead, sir
So, as you can imagine, I've got a very full inbox, says Kevin, of people wanting to be considered in asset sales. And I guess it's probably equaled by the number of bankers wanting to derive a fee from being able to sell those assets. So, there's no shortage of energy and support and potential buyers. The one thing that I've learned, we've learned, is it's something we're not going to do in a public forum. So, Barrick's got no bleeders. We've got to filter process all the assets that we might consider to bring to account are contributing to the bottom line. And so, again, it's important that -- and as I said when we announced the deal, it's important -- one of my responsibilities, and Kevin's even more, is when we sell something, we don't diminish its component in the NAV of the business. So, we will do it in the fullness of time. Some of the assets we've got a bit of work to do to make sure that we maximize the sale value and we're busy with that. And others are more saleable in the short term. And, again, we're not sitting on our hands. So, that's what I can say on the asset side. On the acquisition side, you say that, Mark, but it's not my experience. And if you look at the recent goings on in the gold industry, there's been a lot of promises that haven't been met and disappointments and forecast production that just haven't been realized. So, the biggest risk is believing market consensus in trying to buy things. And so it's like -- I think it was Harry Oppenheimer that said many great gold mining, and other mining, opportunities have been killed by a bullet hole. And I can say, from my own experience, many new business opportunities have been destroyed by our due diligence. And so we have and we continue to do regular due diligence, as I think, even in the short period of the last seven weeks, we've done a couple. And so we will continue to look at every opportunity that might merit our due diligence but that filter that you see up there is what's going to drive this business going forward. And so we're not going to be seduced into making those irrational acquisitions that our industry is so very good at. But at the same time, if you stumble and you've got quality, you'll find us at your front door.