News
Announcing the departure of Mickaël Daudin, Pact’s deputy director of mining
After many years of leading the International Tin Supply Chain Initiative (ITSCI) on behalf of Pact, Mickaël Daudin has been hired by the International Tin Association (ITA) to be the group’s internal ITSCI program lead. Former ITSCI lead Marlène Wäfler will become interim manager.
“We are humbled that so many of Pact’s mining program alumni make such an impact within our programs that they are recruited directly by international industry leadership bodies and corporations,” said Roger-Mark DeSouza, Pact’s Vice President of Sustainable Markets. “Pact looks forward to continuing its relationship with ITA under Mickaël’s leadership,” he continued.
Twelve years ago, ITSCI began as a pilot program to establish if and how due diligence could be performed on 3T materials on ASM sites in eastern Congo. The Congolese mining sector had faced a de-facto embargo by international industry if traceability to conflict-free mines could not be established.
Through working closely with host governments in the region and with international industry partners, the ITSCI program has shown that implementing the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas (OECD DDG) is both possible and scalable. The ITSCI program was the first initiative to reach 100% alignment to the OECD DDG, according to independent auditors.
Now, the program is at several thousand mine sites and remains the only traceability and due diligence program to operate at scale with ASM mines in the Great Lakes Region of Africa. “Mickaël oversaw a period of tremendous growth. We look forward to continuing that legacy of success,” said Cristina Villegas, Pact’s mining program director.
ITSCI veteran Marlène Wäfler will step into the program leadership until a suitable candidate is identified to grow the program further. Wäfler led the program from 2012 to 2017, then spent years focused on responsible business conduct in conflict-affected areas and returned to Pact’s mining program in 2021. She is a recognized global expert on the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights and leads much of Pact’s other responsible sourcing work in the region.
At ITA, Mickaël takes over for former ITSCI manager, Roper Cleland.