Mining Operator Accelerates ESG Readiness Through Cyber-Integrated Advisory and Executive Consulting

The Challenge

TerraNova Resources Ltd., a mid-tier Canadian mining operator with exploration and refining assets across Ontario and Nunavut, was facing mounting pressure from investors, regulators, and joint-venture partners to demonstrate Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) accountability. While its safety, environmental, and community programs were well developed, the company lacked a unified cybersecurity and data-governance strategy to underpin its ESG disclosures and investor communications.

Inconsistent data management across exploration, production, and supply chain systems resulted in incomplete ESG metrics, unverifiable audit trails, and exposure to cyber risks involving geological and environmental data. Additionally, the executive leadership team lacked a clear governance model linking cybersecurity and privacy with enterprise risk management (ERM), leaving gaps in compliance with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and emerging ESG reporting standards such as the Canadian Sustainability Standards Board (CSSB) framework.

Without executive-level cyber governance integration, TerraNova risked falling short of investor expectations, missing compliance milestones, and undermining confidence in its corporate disclosures.

Our Solution

Our Advisory and Executive Consulting team was retained to design and facilitate a Cyber-Integrated ESG Governance Strategy, aligning cybersecurity and privacy with the company’s operational and sustainability objectives. Key advisory activities included: Through this engagement, TerraNova’s executive team gained clarity, structure, and measurable accountability across both sustainability and cybersecurity domains.

  • Executive Risk Workshops: Facilitated sessions with senior leadership to identify cyber dependencies within ESG metrics, digital operations, and supply-chain data exchanges.
  • Governance Alignment: Mapped cyber and privacy governance policies to TSM (Towards Sustainable Mining), ISO/IEC 27001, and CSSB disclosure requirements.
  • Cyber-ESG Integration Framework: Designed a cross-functional structure connecting IT, legal, sustainability, and operations teams through defined data ownership and reporting channels.
  • Strategic Communications Support: Developed investor-facing narratives demonstrating how cybersecurity governance enhances transparency and resilience within ESG reporting.
  • Board-Level Dashboards: Introduced executive dashboards providing real-time visibility into cyber risk exposure, ESG performance, and regulatory compliance milestones.

The Value

Within nine months, TerraNova Resources realized transformative governance and operational outcomes: By embedding cybersecurity and privacy into its ESG leadership model, TerraNova transformed compliance obligations into competitive advantages, reinforcing trust across the investor and regulatory ecosystem.

  • Achieved ESG reporting alignment under CSSB and TSM standards with verifiable data integrity controls.
  • Improved investor confidence, resulting in a 12% rise in sustainability-linked bond participation.
  • Established cross-departmental governance accountability, reducing audit remediation efforts by 40%.
  • Enhanced cyber maturity rating from “Developing” to “Established” under ISO/IEC 27001 benchmarks.
  • Strengthened brand reputation with recognition from the Mining Association of Canada for integrated governance innovation.

Implementation Roadmap

1. Executive Assessment (Weeks 1–3): Conduct stakeholder interviews and governance maturity evaluation.
2. Framework Design (Weeks 4–6): Align cybersecurity, privacy, and ESG governance structures with TSM and ISO/IEC 27001.
3. Integration Workshops (Weeks 7–10): Establish cross-functional governance teams and executive dashboards.
4. Reporting Enablement (Weeks 11–14): Configure performance metrics and automate ESG data collection.
5. Continuous Advisory (Ongoing): Provide quarterly governance reviews and investor communication support.

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