About

Boliden Group, a Swedish mining and smelting company focusing on production of copper, zinc, lead, gold and silver, is supported by a legal department of five. Led by Eva Rydén, general counsel, the team recently provided a substantial contribution to the creation of a new in-house nickel business at one of Boliden’s Finnish subsidiaries. As with various other organisations in Europe Boliden has been subjected to an increase in regulatory requirements with regard to the protection of the environment. The legal department took a leading role in managing the environmental applications that allowed the significant expansion of Bolidens’s Aitik copper mine. Going beyond simply adapting to the new environmental requirements, Rydén believes that the team also ‘act as a sounding board for proposed new legislation in the environmental field’. As Boliden continues on its expansion strategy, the legal function played an integral part in the acquisition of First Quantum Minerals’ shares in the Kevista mine in Finland. The team was responsible for the process, coordinating the usual legal issues such as due diligence, negotiations and document drafting in addition to various other areas such as acquisition financing and operational matters. In order to successfully complete the deal, in-depth knowledge of the company’s financials, targets and operational activities were required, especially considering that the acquisition resulted in the refinancing of Boliden’s revolving credit facilities.