Rio exploration leader joins Fleet Space
- 7 August 2025
Former senior Rio Tinto exploration manager Kendall Cole-Rae has joined Australia’s Fleet Space Technologies’ expert advisory program, saying the company is positioned to be a disruptor.
Cole-Rae left Rio Tinto earlier this year after 13 years at the mining major.
He was manager of resource geology for Africa and the Americas, general manager of resource strategy and a chief advisor with the copper and diamond product groups and then head of resource and commodity knowledge for the exploration group. He finished as head of exploration technical knowledge.
Fleet Space’s ExoSphere exploration geophysics and AI-enabled analytics platform is being used by mining heavyweights such as Rio Tinto, Barrick, Gold Fields, AngloGold Ashanti and Ma’aden to rapidly acquire, process and integrate high-resolution 3D exploration data.
The Adelaide-based company raised US$100 million of equity funding last year and now has a plus-$525 million enterprise value.
“We need to disrupt and transform this industry,” Cole-Rae said after his appointment as Fleet Space’s expert-in-residence.
“I believe that Fleet Space understands this opportunity, possesses the know-how to capitalise on it and will lead the industry through this change. Fleet Space isn’t just opening new frontiers for mining innovation, through our partnerships, we are fundamentally changing how to deliver results at a speed and scale that was previously out of reach.”
Fleet Space launched its Experts-In-Residence (XIR) program early last year, saying the internal group would support its “roadmap to transform mineral exploration globally”.
“We are thrilled to welcome Kendall to the Fleet Space team,” said CEO Flavia Tata Nardini.
“His leadership in global resource development and management perfectly aligns with our mission: to empower the world’s largest mining companies with tools that deliver faster insights, richer orebody knowledge and more sustainable exploration outcomes.
“Kendall’s guidance will be invaluable as we expand the ExoSphere platform to support the development of secure, resilient mineral supply chains for Earth’s clean energy future.”
Fleet Space Technologies is a gold sponsor of IMARC 2025 at ICC Sydney from October 21-23, 2025.
