Colin Thomson
Naperville
Summary
Senior commercial leader with 25 years of expertise in business development, commercial strategy, and risk management. Demonstrated success in refining, power generation, and mining sectors, leading global teams to achieve optimal performance. Proficient in procurement and supply chain management, with a focus on identifying innovative revenue opportunities and building sustainable strategic alliances. Core strengths include enhancing market share and fostering relationships with a diverse customer base.
Overview
16
16
years of professional experience
Work History
General Manager-Global Sales & Value Chain (Borates)
Rio Tinto
01.2021 - Current
- Company Overview: U.S. Borax, part of Rio Tinto, is a global leader in the supply and science of borates serving 500+ customers globally. U.S. Borax supplies 30% of the world’s need for refined borates from their world-class mine in Boron, California.
- Set commercial strategy and own P&L for Rio Tinto’s global borates business (US Borax), delivering profitable growth and market-share gains through disciplined customer segmentation, pricing, and execution against annual and long-range plans.
- Lead 'market-to-mine' orchestration: translate customer insight and competitive intelligence into commercial, pricing, and supply-chain strategies; establish a rigorous S&OP/IBP (Integrated Business Planning) cadence to optimize cost-to-serve and service reliability.
- Serve as the executive sponsor for key accounts—building C-suite relationships, negotiating multi-year agreements, and aligning product/innovation roadmaps with the voice of the customer while representing the business to Rio Tinto senior leadership.
- Build a high-performance organization: hire and develop leaders, instill clear operating rhythms and KPIs, drive accountability and continuous improvement, and ensure global cross-functional alignment across Sales, Supply Chain, Operations, Logistics, and Marketing.
- U.S. Borax, part of Rio Tinto, is a global leader in the supply and science of borates serving 500+ customers globally. U.S. Borax supplies 30% of the world’s need for refined borates from their world-class mine in Boron, California.
General Manager-Sales (Americas & EIMEA)
Rio Tinto
01.2018 - 01.2021
- Company Overview: U.S. Borax, part of Rio Tinto, is a global leader in the supply and science of borates serving 500+ customers globally. U.S. Borax supplies 30% of the world’s need for refined borates from their world-class mine in Boron, California.
- Lead sales function across the Americas and EIMEA; converting voice-of-customer and market intelligence into commercial outcomes to grow revenue, margin, and market share across regions and product lines.
- Lead, mentor, and develop regional sales managers and foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and high performance by setting clear goals, providing consistent and regular feedback, and supporting professional growth.
- Mobilize cross-functional teams to deliver on customer commitments and business targets; drive continuous improvement to improve customer satisfaction, retention, and account expansion.
- U.S. Borax, part of Rio Tinto, is a global leader in the supply and science of borates serving 500+ customers globally. U.S. Borax supplies 30% of the world’s need for refined borates from their world-class mine in Boron, California.
Senior Sales Manager (US Southeast)
Rio Tinto
01.2015 - 01.2018
- Company Overview: U.S. Borax, part of Rio Tinto, is a global leader in the supply and science of borates serving 500+ customers globally. U.S. Borax supplies 30% of the world’s need for refined borates from their world-class mine in Boron, California.
- Responsible for ensuring the implementation and execution of US Borax’s commercial strategy and managing the overall sales for the region.
- Build and maintain strong relationships with customers and ensure timely delivery of high-quality products that meet customer expectations.
- Identify and pursue business opportunities, collaborate with marketing teams to develop pricing strategies and customer proposals. Represent the company in customer meetings, trade shows, and industry events.
- U.S. Borax, part of Rio Tinto, is a global leader in the supply and science of borates serving 500+ customers globally. U.S. Borax supplies 30% of the world’s need for refined borates from their world-class mine in Boron, California.
Key Account Manager-Power & Energy
IMERYS
01.2014 - 01.2015
- Company Overview: IMERYS is the world leader in mineral-based specialty solutions for industry. IMERYS transforms a unique range of minerals to deliver high value-added, functional solutions to a considerable number of industries, ranging from process manufacturing to consumer goods.
- Responsible for business development and new product sales to energy producers.
- IMERYS is the world leader in mineral-based specialty solutions for industry. IMERYS transforms a unique range of minerals to deliver high value-added, functional solutions to a considerable number of industries, ranging from process manufacturing to consumer goods.
Sales Director
CMC Coal Marketing Company (USA) Inc
01.2011 - 01.2014
- Company Overview: CMC Coal Marketing Company, owned jointly by BHP Billiton, Anglo American, and Glencore, is the exclusive marketer of thermal coal from the Cerrejon mining complex in northern Colombia.
- Manage strategic accounts in the United States, Canada, South America, Central America, the Caribbean, and India.
- Develop and implement marketing and sales strategies to create value outside of the company’s traditional markets.
- Develop a customer portfolio and build sustainable relationships through focused communication and customer-oriented activities.
- CMC Coal Marketing Company, owned jointly by BHP Billiton, Anglo American, and Glencore, is the exclusive marketer of thermal coal from the Cerrejon mining complex in northern Colombia.
Vice President-North America (Coal)
Castor Americas | Gunvor Group Ltd.
01.2010 - 01.2011
- Company Overview: Castor Americas Inc. is the wholly owned US subsidiary of Gunvor International BV, one of the world’s major independent commodity trading companies.
- Originate trading opportunities and develop a customer base with a focus on domestic, import and export opportunities in the Americas.
- Provide market intelligence and sales support to Business Development and Marketing teams in Europe, Asia, and Africa.
- Develop strategic investment opportunities in the Americas with a focus on strategic mining and supply chain assets.
- Castor Americas Inc. is the wholly owned US subsidiary of Gunvor International BV, one of the world’s major independent commodity trading companies.
Education
MBA Coursework -
Kennesaw State University
Marietta, GAMBA Coursework -
Saint Mary’s University
Halifax, NSBachelor of Arts -
University of New Brunswick
Fredericton, NBSkills
- Business planning integration
- Development and strategy execution
- Account management on a global scale
- Optimization of supply chains
- Negotiation tactics and risk assessment
- Collaboration across functions
- Leadership with scenario analysis
- Pricing strategies and market intelligence
Key Career Accomplishments
- Grew sales revenue at an 8% CAGR since taking ownership of the global borates portfolio., 01/01/21
- Established record sales volumes, sales prices, and sales revenues for Rio Tinto borates business., 01/01/22
- Developed and implemented portfolio management model to optimize customer segmentation strategy and maximize profitability of the global sales borates book.
- Led global commercial team through multiple large reorganizations and operating model transformations while maintaining strong sales performance and high levels of customer satisfaction.
- Evaluated strategic markets in the Americas and identified key opportunities to develop niche customers for Colombian coal.
- Created annual revenues of $200M and increased premiums by over 200% year over year.
- Developed non-traditional markets and identified key growth regions for Cerrejon coal.
- Structured and implemented a marketing strategy for commercial opportunities in India, contributing $13M in revenue.
Professional Development
- King’s College London, Wargaming & Strategy
- Columbia Business School (Executive Education), Scenario Planning
- University of Tennessee (Haslam College of Business), Strategic Foresight
- Stanford University, Strategic Decision & Risk Management
Timeline
General Manager-Global Sales & Value Chain (Borates)
Rio Tinto
01.2021 - Current
General Manager-Sales (Americas & EIMEA)
Rio Tinto
01.2018 - 01.2021
Senior Sales Manager (US Southeast)
Rio Tinto
01.2015 - 01.2018
Key Account Manager-Power & Energy
IMERYS
01.2014 - 01.2015
Sales Director
CMC Coal Marketing Company (USA) Inc
01.2011 - 01.2014
Vice President-North America (Coal)
Castor Americas | Gunvor Group Ltd.
01.2010 - 01.2011
MBA Coursework -
Kennesaw State University
MBA Coursework -
Saint Mary’s University
Bachelor of Arts -
University of New Brunswick
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