Stuart Burns

Stuart Burns

It would be nice to say that after earning a Bachelor of Science degree from Kingston University, in London, UK (with First Class Honors, mind you), Stuart Burns was drawn into the metals business by a fascination with metallurgy. It would also be nice to say that his love of travel and foreign cultures led to his interest in a global reach in metals markets. Unfortunately, neither statement would be true: Stuart got into the metals business for the money.

To a struggling science grad in the 1980s, commodity traders seemed to make very big bucks. It was only as the years went by that Stuart’s visits to producers and consumers in far-flung (and occasionally hostile) parts of the world instilled in him a more refined appreciation for the wider delights of being a physical metals expert. Stuart used his scientific training and business experience to communicate effectively with engineer and buyer, local politician and corporate manager. (He also did well at the drinking table with the Russians, but again, that’s another story…)

Stuart met Lisa in 1994 when they were both trading metals — Lisa with the crook and Stuart with a very successful UK niche metal-distribution business, in which he still owns a stake. Today, he couldn’t imagine being in any other industry, as few match the metals markets for excitement and global reach.

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