About FPC

The Hidden Asset

Your plan promises predictability, yet your reality is a constant firefight. For decades, the mining industry has been missing targets, burning out its best people, and disappointing investors. We've blamed the geology, equipment, and even the market, but the real problem has been hiding in plain sight.

The true predictive indicator, the one not tracked on any spreadsheet, is a site's Operational Capability, the invisible engine that determines whether strategic ambition translates into dollars in the bank or just another quarter of chaos and underperformance.

Our approach is grounded in a core belief: when facing complex decisions, we go back to first principles thinking. By stripping away assumptions and narrative, we provide the clarity needed to build the systems that deliver the holy grail for all stakeholders: production that is safe, consistent, reliable, predictable, and sustainable.

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Our Values

We act with integrity

We do the right thing, every time. We show respect.

We are curious

We always believe there is a better way, and pursue it by staying curious. We learn, continuously.

We are courageous

We are unafraid of speaking truth to power. We are open to receiving feedback.

We promote client ownership

The more our clients own their initiative, the more effective and efficient it will be.

We are holistic

We actively integrate with our team mates, doing what needs to be done by whomever to achieve the desired outcome: one team — many functions, No silos.

A New Generation of Leadership

Alex Franklin is the Managing Director of First Principles Consulting and the author of Mining for Value. With a foundation as a Chartered Engineer, Alex spent the first decade of his career bidding on, advising, and delivering complex, large-scale projects across six countries. His work in infrastructure, telecoms, defence, and transport provided a hands-on perspective on the operational realities of delivering strategic ambitions.

Feeling that operations was only half the picture, Alex pivoted to entrepreneurship. He eventually joined First Principles Consulting, where he stepped into a leadership role, driven by a frustration that he was unable to unlock the immense value trapped within the organisation. The breakthrough came when he stopped trying to run the business as it had always been run and started applying his unique blend of operational experience and a value investor's mindset.

Today, Alex and the team at First Principles Consulting specialise are dedicated to helping companies build their “invisible engine”, the Operational Capability required to turn strategic ambition into predictable, long-term value for all stakeholders.

Mark Franklin

Founder

With over two decades of international consulting experience, he champions client-owned initiatives that drive transformative outcomes.

If he had a super power, it would be...

Assembling a team with superpowers

Alex Franklin

Managing Director

Alex is a chartered engineer with global experience across the full project lifecycle.

If he had a super power, it would be...

Deconstructing complex problems.

David Hollingsworth

Senior Consultant, Tech and MOS

David has worked with many clients developing their specific reporting and collaboration platforms.

If he had a super power, it would be...

Combining a deep understanding of Management Systems (MOS), behaviours and an exceptional knack to rapidly develop a specific competency for the required ICT platform (e.g. MS Excel, Power BI & Azure DevOps, SQL scripting and many, many more).

Brett Armstrong

Manager, People and Performance

Brett helps client teams and individuals in leadership positions by identifying the intended and unintended consequences of their behavioural preferences.

If he had a super power, it would be...

Unlocking individual and team performance.