Leon Riedel has over five years’ experience in global development projects in the artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) and large-scale mining (LSM) sectors.
At Levin Sources, Leon works with different actors along mineral supply chains including governments, civil society and businesses to promote and implement responsible mining practices and good governance. He supports refiners looking to source from ASM gold operations in eastern DRC as part of USAID’s Zahabu Safi (Clean Gold) Project. He manages Levin Sources’ participation in multistakeholder projects supporting responsible sourcing as part of EC-funded projects.
Leon leads Levin Sources’ work on ASM Spotter, an early warning tool that automatically detects artisanal mining activity in forest landscapes using artificial intelligence and satellite images. ASM Spotter is a joint venture with software specialist dida Datenschmiede GmbH. It was developed in collaboration with dida and the RWTH Aachen University and won the Microsoft AI Award in 2020.
Prior to joining Levin Sources, Leon was project advisor at the European Partnership for Responsible Minerals (EPRM). Whilst there, he supported up- and downstream actors with 3TG responsible mineral production and sourcing in line with the EU responsible minerals regulation and the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Mineral Supply Chains.
Previously, Leon worked for the development agency GIZ where he supported resource-rich host countries during contract negotiations for large-scale extractive industry investments at the CONNEX Support Unit. He managed projects in Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa and Central Asia.
With a Master’s degree in Mining Engineering, and work experience in government-funded, high-impact extractive sector projects, Leon combines a relevant mix of specialised technical skills and political sensitivity. He works in German, English, and Dutch and has basic command of Spanish.
