From Disruption to Domination: Matt Simpson of Brazil Potash On How Companies Are Thriving in the Age of Chaos and Turning Uncertainty into Opportunity

An Interview With Cynthia Corsetti

Communicate clearly and effectively — Uncertainty often invites speculation and accusation, and false perception can quickly become reality. That is why we make it a priority to communicate clearly and frequently with stakeholders, from local communities to global investors. We have worked to tell our story truthfully and proactively: our project is an underground mine on previously cleared farmland, with dry-stacked tailings and strict environmental protections.

In today’s world, uncertainty has become the new normal. Yet, some companies are not only surviving but thriving by leveraging disruption as an opportunity for growth and innovation. What strategies, mindsets, and practices enable businesses to navigate chaos and come out stronger on the other side? As part of this series, we are interviewing Matt Simpson.

Mr. Matt Simpson is the Chief Executive Officer and a director on the board of directors for Brazil Potash. Prior to becoming CEO, Mr. Simpson worked for the Iron Ore Company of Canada, a subsidiary of Rio Tinto plc and Mitsubishi Corp. At IOC, he held several progressive roles in Business Evaluation, Operations Planning, Continuous Improvement, and, in his last three years, as Mine General Manager. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering, as well as a Master of Business Administration degree, from Queen’s University in Canada.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive into our discussion, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?

I have always been drawn to entrepreneurship and fascinated by the intersection of engineering and finance. I began my career as a chemical engineer, designing and building metallurgical refineries around the world. While I felt completely at ease speaking with technical teams and understanding their professional jargon, I realized I did not fully understand the perspective from a financial lens. So, to bridge this gap between tech and finance, I decided to pursue an MBA.

After earning my MBA, I joined a major mining operation to gain hands-on experience on the operational side of the business. I advanced to become the general manager of the mine, overseeing more than 600 employees by the time I was 32 years old. Having now been involved in designing, building, and operating mining projects, the natural next step for me was to move into financing and developing mines of my own.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?

One of the companies I lead is developing a new iron ore mine in central Ukraine. Just before Russia’s invasion, I had secured expressions of interest to finance approximately $550 million for the mine’s construction. When the Russia/Ukraine war began, everything changed overnight. I suddenly found myself in an entirely different role of helping to evacuate and resettle employees’ families, including single mothers and children, across borders. It was incredibly moving to leverage my global network to arrange safe passage and resettlement for those impacted. One family, for example, was met at a train station in Germany, given housing, and helped through the registration process for receiving assistance. That experience reminded me of the human side of business and one that I will never forget.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

Brazil is one of the world’s largest exporters of agricultural products, yet much like the U.S., Brazil imports over 95% of its potash, a key nutrient required for efficient crop growth. This heavy reliance on foreign supply presents a strategic vulnerability. Brazil Potash is developing what could become the world’s second largest potash basin, located right in Brazil’s backyard. Because we are producing domestically, with most competitors 9,000 to 12,000 miles away, our total delivery cost is lower than just the shipping cost of imported potash alone. That logistical and cost advantage is a game-changer for Brazil’s food security and farming economy.

You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

1. Know your audience and tailor your communication meaningfully — When managing large operations, it is critical to speak in terms that resonate. For example, haul trucks use six tires, each costing over $50,000. Senior management cares about total tire lifespan in hours — a key performance indicator (KPI). But for drivers, that metric is abstract and does not resonate with them. Instead, in order to find a more relevant metric for truckers, we tracked the number of monthly tire failures, which gave the drivers a real-time, relatable goal they could work towards daily (i.e. work towards ensuring there are less than “X” amount of tire failures per month).
2. Breakdown complex problems into manageable steps — At one of the mines that I had taken over, performance had lagged for years. I implemented a visual KPI dashboard where green meant success and red meant we were off target. The senior management team helped create these KPIs so everyone was aligned. If a KPI was not met, we created an “action strip” to fix the issue. We held 15-minute daily standup meetings to review progress. Within a year, we broke every previous record and performance skyrocketed.
3. Never give up — even when faced with complex challenges — When we were building Brazil Potash, we faced significant hurdles in permitting, logistics, and stakeholder engagement, especially given the project’s location in the Amazonas State. Rather than back down, we leaned in. We worked closely with local communities, indigenous peoples, environmental experts, and government agencies to ensure the project met and exceeded regulatory expectations. That determination paid off: we’re now advancing one of the most strategically important agricultural projects in the world, one that will reduce Brazil’s reliance on imported fertilizers, improve food security, and create thousands of local jobs. It’s a powerful example of what’s possible when you stay the course and lead with purpose, and most importantly do not give up.

Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. How does your company foster a culture that embraces change and innovation during periods of uncertainty?

Uncertainty is the default setting when you are pioneering a large-scale project like ours. At Brazil Potash, we have built a culture that does not just tolerate change, we expect it. Our team thrives on adaptability, driven by a shared vision to make Brazil more self-sufficient in potash. We empower our people to think creatively and act decisively by giving them a clear sense of purpose and the autonomy to solve problems. We have institutionalized weekly leadership huddles with structured action tracking, but more importantly, we have cultivated an environment where ideas flow freely, and challenges are viewed as opportunities to innovate. This mindset has enabled us to move a multibillion-dollar project forward despite regulatory hurdles, geopolitical shifts, and supply chain disruptions.

What are the key strategies your business has used to turn market disruptions into opportunities for growth?

Historically, the potash market has been balanced between supply and demand. However, today about 50% of the global supply comes from countries facing sanctions or conflict, including Russia, Belarus, and Israel. The geopolitical risk has been a wake-up call, indicating that countries must develop secure, domestic sources of essential resources, like potash, in order to support their food systems and economies. Brazil Potash is uniquely positioned to be that secure, sustainable, and homegrown solution.

Can you share an example of a major pivot your company made in response to unexpected challenges, and the lessons learned from that experience?

When I worked for RioTinto, one year we started off with several production disruptions resulting in the company being millions behind budget with the inability to make up this shortfall in the latter half of the year without doing something dramatically different. Every summer we would hire university students to cover peak vacation from our unionized front line work force; that year, I came up with the idea to hire substantially more students, rent additional equipment and bring in contractors to run the excavation equipment, as this much more complex machinery required extensive experience. Bringing in contractors to a unionized environment can be a difficult conversation but since this was being balanced with the hiring of additional students, many of whom were sons and daughters of the unionized workforce, we were able to get both the union and senior executives to agree. This initiative was successful as the company finished the year slightly ahead of budget. The lesson learned is sometimes the solution to ever-seemingly massive challenges is doing familiar things differently than you have before.

How do you identify and act on emerging trends that could impact your industry before your competitors do?

Staying ahead in a resource-driven industry like mining requires more than just technical expertise, it demands constant vigilance and strategic foresight. At Brazil Potash, we actively monitor global agricultural, geopolitical, and environmental trends that could impact fertilizer demand, supply chains, and sustainability expectations. For example, we have long recognized the growing global emphasis on food security, and the risks of overreliance on imported potash from politically unstable regions. That foresight is what drove our mission to develop a domestic potash source in Brazil for Brazil, one of the world’s largest agricultural producers.

Once we identify a trend with the potential to shift the market, we assess whether existing technologies or partnerships can address it, or if we need to invest in R&D to create our own solution. Whether it’s evaluating low impact mining techniques, leveraging digital infrastructure to optimize logistics, or engaging with regulators on forward-looking ESG standards, we don’t wait for change, we anticipate it and build around it. That’s how we stay not just competitive, but indispensable.

Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “Five Things That Leaders Can Do To Turn Uncertainty into Opportunity”? If you can, please share a story or an example for each.

1. Track industry trends early — The earlier you spot an industry shift, the better positioned you are to lead through it. Years ago, we recognized Brazil’s critical overreliance on imported potash, more than 95% of its supply comes from countries like Russia and Belarus. This dependency posed a growing geopolitical and economic risk. By acting early, Brazil Potash was able to secure a world-class potash deposit in the Amazonas region of Brazil and develop a strategic plan to help the country become self-sufficient in a key agricultural input — well before the war in Ukraine and the newly imposed tariffs turned this issue into a global crisis.
2. Maintain access to capital — During uncertain times, capital can be the difference between opportunity and missed potential. We have worked diligently to maintain relationships with long-term investors who share our values and understand the significance of our mission. This access allowed us to continue advancing our permits and pre-construction efforts through volatile periods, including the pandemic and current global market disruptions. Our ability to keep the project moving forward while competitors paused demonstrates the value of proactive, long-range financial capital planning.
3. Invest in resilient sectors — We deliberately chose to build a business that supports global food security. Regardless of economic cycles, people need to eat, and modern agriculture depends on nutrients like potash. Investing in the agricultural supply chain has proven to be not only a stable choice but a strategic one. By producing potash locally, we are lowering food production costs in Brazil and reducing reliance on politically sensitive supply routes, giving us both purpose and protection in times of uncertainty.
4. Empower your team — Great ideas and thoughtful decisions come from people who feel ownership and accountability. At Brazil Potash, we empower our teams by fostering transparency, giving them clear goals, and encouraging problem-solving at every level. When we faced delays during the environmental permitting process, it was our team’s deep local relationships and community engagement that helped us navigate challenges and keep public support strong. Leadership means trusting the people closest to the problem to find the solution.
5. Communicate clearly and effectively — Uncertainty often invites speculation and accusation, and false perception can quickly become reality. That is why we make it a priority to communicate clearly and frequently with stakeholders, from local communities to global investors. We have worked to tell our story truthfully and proactively: our project is an underground mine on previously cleared farmland, with dry-stacked tailings and strict environmental protections.

What role does resilience play in your leadership approach, and how do you instill that resilience in your team?

Resilience is absolutely essential in the junior mining space. Funding is difficult and often unpredictable, regulatory timelines can be long and complex, and unforeseen challenges are a daily reality. At Brazil Potash, we don’t view these as setbacks, because we understand that these are expected parts of the journey.

To engrain resilience into our culture, I consistently emphasize that identifying a problem is only half the job. What I really want to hear is: “Here’s the issue and here’s how we might solve it.” That expectation of ownership and initiative is what fuels our team’s agility and momentum.

For example, during the environmental permitting process, we encountered opposition from local activist groups spreading misinformation about our project. Rather than getting discouraged, our team mobilized on the ground. We engaged directly with local communities, explaining the facts, and reinforcing the long-term benefits of our project. That effort not only helped preserve community trust but also strengthened our credibility with regulators and investors alike.

To me, resilience means staying focused on the end goal, adapting with integrity, and never letting temporary roadblocks derail long-term vision. When a leader models that mindset, the team follows.

How do you balance long-term strategic planning with the need for rapid adaptability in an unpredictable environment?

You need a clear long-term vision. At Brazil Potash, our strategic goal has always been to make Brazil self-sufficient in potash, reducing its reliance on imports and strengthening the country’s food security. That is our goal. That is the north star that guides every major decision we make.

But we also recognize that the path to achieving that vision is rarely linear. Whether it’s shifting investor sentiment, regulatory developments, or geopolitical disruption, we operate in an environment where agility is essential. That’s why we build flexibility into our execution plans. If a challenge emerges, we adjust timelines, reallocate resources, or engage new partners, but we always look to the North Star and never lose sight of where we’re headed.

A good example is how we continued advancing the project through the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite global delays, we used that time to strengthen relationships with local communities and government stakeholders, so that when conditions improved, we were ready to move forward without missing a beat. This was extremely instrumental to our success as a lot of our competitors were forced to hit “pause” on their projects or went out of business altogether, while Brazil Potash came out on top.

In my view, successful leadership is about holding firm to your mission while staying nimble in your methods. That balance is what allows us to make real progress, even in unpredictable environments.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

If I could start a movement, it would be to end global hunger by ensuring every country has the means and the ability to grow enough food to feed its population. Food security should not be a privilege; it should be a basic right.

That is a core part of why Brazil Potash exists. Potash is an essential nutrient for crops, yet Brazil, one of the world’s largest agricultural producers, imports most of its supply. That dependency makes the entire food chain vulnerable to price shocks, supply disruptions, and geopolitical risks.

By developing a local, sustainable source of potash, we’re not just building a mine, we’re helping Brazil take control of its agricultural future. And in doing so, we’re contributing to a more stable, resilient global food system.

But Brazil Potash is just the beginning, there is so much more that can and needs to be done to end global hunger. To me, solving global hunger starts with building smarter, more secure supply chains that empower countries to nourish their own people and that is the kind of impact I believe business should strive to make.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

You can stay up to date by visiting our website and subscribing to our news releases at www.brazilpotash.com. You can also follow us on LinkedIn and X for the company’s latest updates.

Thank you for the time you spent sharing these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!

About the Interviewer: Cynthia Corsetti is an esteemed executive coach with over two decades in corporate leadership and 11 years in executive coaching. Author of the upcoming book, “Dark Drivers,” she guides high-performing professionals and Fortune 500 firms to recognize and manage underlying influences affecting their leadership. Beyond individual coaching, Cynthia offers a 6-month executive transition program and partners with organizations to nurture the next wave of leadership excellence.