In 2008, he was appointed Executive Director at Kirk Mining Limited, a junior gold mining exploration company focused on developing mining assets in sub-Saharan Africa. His responsibilities included setting up the Ghanaian subsidiary, appointing professional consultants,
providing overall direction to the company in collaboration with the board, facilitating collaboration agreements with license holders, managing government relations, overseeing permitting and approvals, ensuring corporate responsibility, and handling communications functions.
Over the last 20 years, he has acquired in-depth experience and a lateral understanding of the gold and diamond industry, consolidating relationships with supply chain counterparties and institutions across the precious metals and minerals value chain.

Max founded a responsible mining initiative and designed a digital inventory management and traceability system to implement formalisation in the small-scale mining sector. He co-developed The Development Gold Ghana Performance Standard (DGG PS), a set of ESG criteria aligned with the SBGA criteria, the LBMA ASM Toolkit, and the OECD Due Diligence Guidance. The implementation of this certification standard culminated in the first and historic export of responsibly mined small-scale gold from Ghana to a leading LBMA-accredited refinery in Switzerland.

Max sits on the organising committee of The Gold Statement, an annual conference, exhibition,
and Gala event in Ghana, collaborating with the AU’s African Mineral Development Centre (AMDC). The event is dedicated to promoting best practice principles in the small-scale mining sector and the sustainable beneficiation of Ghanaian gold and gemstones.
Max holds a Gem Diamond Diploma from the Gemmological Association of Great Britain (Gem- A) and a Rough Diamond Evaluation and Grading Diploma from the Colia Roberts Institute of Diamonds in Johannesburg, South Africa. He also holds a Jewellery Design and Manufacturing Diploma from the British Academy of Jewellery (BAJ). Max graduated from Cavendish University College, London, in International Trade and Management and is a certified PRINCE 2 Project Manager.