Marridale appoints Blackleaf Security under group services agreement

Marridale Resources has entered into a group services agreement with Blackleaf Security, an international security services group, covering all sites operated by the company and its divisions.

The agreement consolidates arrangements currently held with seven regional contractors. Scope covers site security, personnel and materials movement, emergency response and remote site medical support. It extends to the Biochemical Division facility and to the Envirolab installations, which have to date been serviced under separate arrangements.

The initial term is five years to 2031, with two extension options. Blackleaf will co-locate a coordination cell at the company’s Adelaide office. The agreement provides for additional personnel to be deployed at Marridale’s request without further tender, which the company expects to shorten response times materially at its more isolated sites.

Personnel engaged under the agreement are employees or contractors of Blackleaf Security and are not employees of Marridale Resources.

Blackleaf’s Chief Executive, Lawrence McDonald, said the agreement reflected a shift in how the sector thought about distance. “Australian resource operations run a long way from help,” he said. “Our business is closing that distance. Marridale have been clear about what they need and where they need it, which makes the work straightforward.”

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Byron Lee-Edwards said the consolidation was overdue. “We were running seven relationships and seven standards,” he said. “Now we run one.”

The agreement is administered by the Managing Director’s office. It sits within delegated authority and does not require shareholder approval. It is not considered market sensitive.