Mike Ralston is the Chief Executive Officer of Blencowe Resources Plc, the London-listed graphite development company advancing the 100% owned Orom-Cross Graphite Project in northern Uganda.

Orom-Cross is positioned by Blencowe as a world-class graphite project, with first production targeted for 2026. The company highlights the project’s scale, high-value jumbo and large-flake graphite profile, shallow open-pit characteristics, low strip ratio, free-digging potential and a 21-year mining licence.

Mike is based in Perth, Australia, and brings senior executive experience across early-stage resource development, project financing and mine delivery. Blencowe’s management profile describes him as a Chartered Accountant with 25 years’ experience developing businesses worldwide, including considerable African experience. He has raised more than A$300 million in debt and equity, and has helped develop mining companies from start-up through to production.

His previous senior roles include Managing Director of Balamara Resources Ltd, which developed large-scale coal projects in Poland, and Chief Financial Officer of Kangaroo Resources Ltd, which developed coal projects in Indonesia before a trade sale to a major Indonesian coal producer.

Mike also brings wider African commercial experience. Before moving to Australia, he managed the expansion of Africa Online, one of Africa’s largest internet service providers, across the continent.

At UKAIS 2026, Mike will contribute to the critical minerals discussion with a focus on graphite, supply-chain resilience, project finance, offtake structures, downstream processing and the strategic need for credible non-Chinese critical mineral supply.

His contribution aligns with the Summit theme, Trade Corridors and Industrial Platforms: From Access to Production, by showing how Uganda’s graphite resources can move from exploration and mining into value addition, processing, energy-transition supply chains and strategic industrial partnerships.