Program

Jeff Dawes

Former President

Komatsu

Until recently, Jeff Dawes was President and CEO of Komatsu Mining Corp. Group, headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and a subsidiary of Komatsu Ltd. in Japan. Jeff was appointed to that position in April 2017, when Komatsu acquired Joy Global Inc. and renamed the business.

Born in Perth Australia, in 1958, Jeff grew up in the coal mining town of Collie, approximately 200 kms south of Perth. After leaving high school, Jeff studied Metallurgy at the Western Australian School of Mines in Kalgoorlie and completed a PhD at the Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Center at the University of Queensland.

Jeff has had a long and successful career in the mining industry, beginning in 1985 as a mining consultant in Chile. Jeff began working at the El Indio group of mines in Chile (including Tambo and Pascua Lama) in 1989, holding a series of progressively responsible positions from Project Engineer to Operations Manager.

Jeff joined Komatsu in 1998 as General Manager, Mining, and was appointed as President of Komatsu Cummins Chile in 2003. In 2009, Jeff was given the additional responsibility of President and CEO of Komatsu Latin America, where under his direction, Komatsu acquired four distributors in Peru, Colombia, Panama and Mexico, as well as a dump body manufacturer in Chile.

In April 2016, Jeff was appointed a Senior Executive Officer (Jomu) position of Komatsu Ltd. and simultaneously held the position of Vice President of the Komatsu Global Mining Business Division.

Jeff retired from Komatsu in March 2022 and now lives in Chile with his wife and family. He holds several Board positions in Chile and consults for several companies, mostly in Latin America.

Matt Daley

Group Head of Mining

Anglo American

Matt is a Mining Engineer with more than two decades of underground, open cut, smelting, refining and commodity trading experience. He has lived and worked in Australia, South American, North America, the UK, and the Middle East.

Prior to joining Anglo American in 2017 as the Group Head of Mining, Matt was the Executive General Manager for Glencore Canada Corporation based in Toronto and served on the Polymet Mining Corp Board (NYSE, TSX) as a non-executive director. He has previously worked for Xstrata and Minera Alumbrera and started his career with Mount Isa Mines in Qld, Australia.

Matt holds a BEng Mining (Hons) from the University of South Australia and has completed post graduate studies in Finance and Investment. He is married with three young children and currently resides in London.

Laura Tyler

Chief Technical Officer

BHP

Laura Tyler joined BHP in May 2005 and became BHP’s inaugural Chief Technical Officer (CTO) in September 2020. The CTO represents key technical and operational capability on the BHP Executive Leadership Team and is responsible for BHP’s technology, value analytics, innovation, metals exploration, and centres of excellence for maintenance, projects and resources. Laura was Asset President for Olympic Dam in South Australia from July 2018 to August 2020 and concurrently also BHP’s Chief Geoscientist. Prior to this, Laura was the Chief of Staff to the CEO and has also worked as the Asset President Cannington, Vice President HSEC Aluminium and General Manager Ekati Diamond Mine in Canada.

Luis Rivera

EVP

Goldfields

Mr Rivera joined Gold Fields in October 2016. Prior to joining Gold Fields, Luis was, since 2014, the Vice-President of Operations for Las Bambas and before that, since 2013, was the General Manager of Copper Operations for Glencore Peru and, since 2012, Executive General Manager for all Xstrata Copper Operations in Peru. His career also includes 5 years as General Manager of the large Copper Tintaya and Antapaccay operations, as well as 11 year experience in the Xstrata Copper Operations of Minera Alumbrera, a large gold – copper operation in North Argentina, where he became Tech Services Manager after servicing as Chief Engineer and Senior Geologist.

Matt O'Neill

Glencore

Matt is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Glencore’s Copper Assets in Australia and lives in Mount Isa in North West Queensland.

In his current role, he is responsible for the exploration, mining, minerals processing, and material storage and handling activities across Glencore’s Copper operations, which include Mount Isa Mine, Ernest Henry Mining, CSA Mine, along with Townsville’s Copper Refinery, and Port operations. In addition to his position as COO, he is also a director of a number of Glencore’s subsidiary companies such as Mount Isa Mine, Ernest Henry Mining and CSA Mine.

Having been raised in Mount Isa, Matt plays a keen role in the community. Over the past 10 years, he has been Chairman of the board for the Laura Johnson Aged Care Facility located in Mount Isa, which is a not for profit aged care home providing high and low care services for more than 70 residents in North-West Queensland. He is also a member of the Mount Isa Running and Triathlon Club and Mount Isa Water Ski Club.

Matt graduated from the University of Queensland with a Mechanical Engineering degree in 1995, completed his MBA in 2001 and a Graduate Diploma in Mining in 2016. With more than 20 years as a mining professional, he has worked in a variety of roles as a consultant, contractor and owner across the construction and mining industries throughout Australia and overseas.

Matt is a key contributor to industry discussion in his capacity as a member of the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, and the Queensland Resources Council’s Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy’s (QMEA) advisory board.

Richard Seville

Corporate NED

Richard Seville is an entrepreneur and Company Director with 40 years’ experience in the resources sector. This has included 25 years as either Managing Director or Executive Director of various ASX, TSX or AIM listed companies, prior to more recently developing a career as a Non-Executive Director. Richard has been involved in a wide range of commodities including coal, base metals, potash and lithium chemicals with open cut and underground mine extraction, and brine pumping.

As Managing Director Richard lead Allkem (formerly Orocobre) from a successful IPO in 2007 to become a well-established and expanding lithium chemicals producer at the time he stepped down as Managing Director after 12 years at the beginning of 2019. He remained on the Board of Allkem as a Non-Executive Director and was appointed Chairperson of Agrimin and a Non-Executive Director of Oz Minerals later in the year. In 2022, he was appointed Executive Chairperson of high purity alumina producer Advanced Energy Materials Ltd.

Mr Seville is a mining geologist and geotechnical engineer, graduating from the Imperial College London and James Cook University in North Queensland. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree with Honours in Mining Geology and a Master of Engineering Science in Rock Engineering.

Paul Amyotte

Distinguished Research Professor

University of Halifax

Dr. Paul Amyotte, P.Eng. is a Distinguished Research Professor at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree from the Royal Military College of Canada, Master’s from Queen’s University, and Doctorate from the Technical University of Nova Scotia (all in chemical engineering). Paul is a past-president of both Engineers Canada and the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering. He is the current editor of the Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries. His teaching, research and practice interests are in the field of process safety, with specific expertise in dust explosions, inherently safer design, and risk management.

Judith Hackitt

Former Chair

UK Health and Safety Executive

Dame Judith Hackitt is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and former President of IChemE. Her career spans working in major hazards industries and both the third and public sector. She is a lifelong champion for safety in the workplace and chaired the UK Health and Safety Executive for 10 years. In 2017 she conducted an Independent Review for UK Government into Building Regulations and Fire Safety in the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster. She holds a number of non-Exec roles in the fields of Manufacturing and Engineering which continue to be her passion.

Gerald Poplin

Miner Health Branch Chief

US Centre for Disease Control

Gerald Poplin, PhD, MS, is an epidemiologist who has been conducting prevention and occupational health research for the last 18+ years. He is currently Branch Chief at the CDC/NIOSH Spokane Mining Research Division, leading an interdisciplinary research program aimed at improving the health and well-being of mine workers. Dr. Poplin’s research has focused on applying risk management strategies in the prevention of injuries in high-risk occupations, while also exploring a range of applied methodologies including experimental and computational design in biomechanics, survey data analyses, clinical and community health, and industrial hygiene, among others.

Kevin He

Professor

China University of Mining and Technology

Dr. Xinjian “Kevin” He is a Professor and Director of the Research Institute of Occupational Health of China University of Mining and Technology. Dr. He is a Certified Safety Professional (CSP) and Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) of the United States. Dr. He received his PhD in Environmental and Occupational Health from the University of Cincinnati in 2013, and worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) from 2013 to 2014. From 2014 to 2020, he was an Assistant Professor and Associate Professor at West Virginia University (WVU). After studying and working in the United States for 13 years, he joined China University of Mining and Technology full-time in May 2020 and is employed in the School of Safety Engineering. Dr. He is a three-time recipient of the John M. White Award given by the American Industrial Hygiene Association. Dr. has received 8 U.S. funded and 3 Chinese funded research projects with a total worth of $2.5 million. He has published over 50 research papers; and has given more than 30 presentations at international conferences. Dr. He is very active with professional organizations in the field of Occupational Safety and Health. He served as Vice President for the Respiratory Protection Committee, American Industrial Hygiene Association, and regularly served as the editorial board member and reviewer for many key academic journals in this field.

Robin Burgess-Limerick

Professor

University of Queensland

Robin Burgess-Limerick is a Professorial Research Fellow in the Minerals Industry Safety and Health Centre, Sustainable Minerals Institute at The University of Queensland. Robin is a Certified Professional Ergonomist and past-president of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society of Australia. Robin’s has published widely on participatory ergonomics, as well as the the design of mining equipment and new technology for improving safety and health for the mining industry. His publications include two books with Tim Horberry & Lisa Steiner titled "Human Factors for the Design, Operation and Maintenance of Mining Equipment" (2011) and "Human-Centered Design for Mining Equipment and New Technology" (2018).

Alex Haslam

Professor

University of Queensland

Alex Haslam is Professor of Psychology and Australian Laureate Fellow at the University of Queensland. He has written 15 books and over 300 peer-reviewed articles exploring the contribution of group processes to social and organizational functioning. Alex has received a range of major awards from scientific bodies around the world including recognition for distinguished contributions to psychological science from both the British and Australian Psychological Societies. In 2022 he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia “for service to higher education, particularly psychology, through research and mentoring”.

Elsabe Muller

Group HSE Officer

BHP

Elsabe Muller is the Group HSE Officer who leads the team responsible for the strategic direction of HSE for the company. She has almost 30 years of international experience in the resources industry, working across six commodities and four continents. She commenced with BHP in 1994 and holds a Bachelor of Science from North West University, South Africa, and an MBA from Heriot Watt University (Edinburgh Business School). Previously she was the Asset President for BMC and NSW Energy Coal mines and prior to that other roles included, General Manager at Jimblebar Mine, General Manager of Integrated Production and Remote Operations, General Manager Non-Process Infrastructure, General Manager Marketing and Group Manager Business Optimisation/Business Planning for the Nickel business globally. In July 2022 Elsabe was appointed as the Group HSE Officer for BHP based in Perth

Scott Jackson

Head of Mineral Resources

Anglo American

Angus Melbourne

CTO

Orica

Angus was appointed as Orica Chief Technology Officer in May 2021, responsible for strategic marketing, research and development (R&D), technology commercialisation, information technology (IT), and Orica Digital Services. Angus joined Orica in January 2016 as President of Australia Pacific and Asia and was appointed Orica Chief Commercial Officer in October 2016, following a 25-year career at Schlumberger, where he held a number of senior executive roles.

Angus’s executive experience includes leadership roles across the mining and petroleum industries with responsibilities spanning research and development, engineering, manufacturing, operations, marketing and sales.

Prior to joining Orica, Angus spent four years as President of Schlumberger Artificial Lift (2010-2014), Vice President, Schlumberger Engineering and Manufacturing Asia (2007-2010) and Vice President, Schlumberger Reservoir Completions Technology (2005-2007), which included responsibility for Schlumberger’s explosives and perforating products research, development, and manufacturing. He was also General Manager, Schlumberger Australasia (2002-2005).

Prior to this, Angus held senior leadership positions in international oilfield operations and management roles across Schlumberger dating back to 1990.

Angus is a Director of MCI Carbon, an Australian-based global cleantech, with a mission to lock away a billion tonnes of carbon dioxide by 2040.

Angus also Chairs the Monash University Faculty of Engineering Deans Advisory Council.

He holds a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering (Hons) and Bachelor of Science Applied Mathematics from Monash University.

Karin Breitman

Head of Analytics

Rio Tinto

Karin serves as the interim Chief Data and Analytics Officer at Rio Tinto. Over her career, she held a tenured Computer Science Professor position at PUC-Rio, where she led joint industry projects with NASA, HP, IBM and Microsoft. She later joined EMC and served as the head of the Brazil R&D Center, where she oversaw the filing of a total of 52 invention disclosures to the US Patent Office. Karin is the author of over one hundred combined patents (Microsoft, EMC, and Dell), books, and scientific papers.

She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Engie Brazil Energia and on the Technical Advisory Board for the Research Data Alliance. As a proud Latina, she serves on the Advisory Boards of COPPEAD, the business school of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and project SUPER, a joint Samsung - Federal University of the Amazon to support higher education among vulnerable populations. In the past, she served on ACM Practitioner's Board and as a cloud/IoT expert to the European Commission, and the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology. She is a member of the Brazilian Computer Society, ACM and IEEE.

lee Hickin

Director, National Chief Technology Officer

Microsoft

Lee has over 27 years of experience in the IT industry, working across a variety of roles and technologies. Lee has worked in Asia, the UK and Australia with a passion for innovation and leading-edge technologies such as AI. He has been a CISSP-certified security architect with RSA Security and Tivoli, leading the IOT business development team across

APAC with Amazon Web Services and most recently, the CTO for Microsoft Australia. As the CTO, Lee helps customers on their journey of digital transformation through cloud technologies; focusing on the adoption of intelligent cloud services such as AI, IOT, Machine learning and cognitive services underpinned by core cloud infrastructure technology strategy, Security and ethical AI principles. Lee is passionate about the positive potential for Artificial intelligence to build an inclusive and bright future and is a regular speaker on Cloud technology, innovation and driving digital transformation. He attended Bournemouth University.

Michelle Ash

Oz Minerals

Michelle joined OZ Minerals in March 2022. As Technology Executive, she is accountable for ICT, including digital, robotics and automation, Mining Technology and Transformation.

Michelle has more than 20 years’ experience in the mining and manufacturing sectors with a focus on business improvement and change management.

Most recently, she was CEO of Dassault Systems GEOVIA software division where she led a growth strategy across the company’s Natural Resources sector, delivering next-generation solutions through geologic modelling and mining engineering software applications.

Prior to this, Michelle was Chief Innovation Officer at Barrick Gold.

She is also the Chair of Global Mining Group and a Board Member of technology start-ups Railveyor and Off World.

Nicole Gillespie

University of Queensland

Nicole Gillespie is the KPMG Chair in Organizational Trust and Professor of Management at the University of Queensland Business School, and an International Research Fellow at the Centre for Corporate Reputation, Oxford University. She co-leads the Trust, Ethics and Governance Alliance at the University of Queensland. She is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Social Sciences and in 2019 was made a Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand School of Government in recognition of outstanding contribution to public management.

Nicole joined UQ Business School in January 2010. Prior to this she held faculty and research positions at Melbourne Business School, Warwick Business School (UK), The Australian & New Zealand School of Government, The University of Melbourne, University of Queensland, and Swinburne University of Technology.

June Hill

CSIRO

Mikael Artursson

MD/CTO

Minalyze Pty Ltd

Roman Beloborodov

CSIRO

Penny Stewart

CEO

PETRA Data Science

Malcolm McCrae

Vale

David Lawrie

Imdex

Piero Velletri

Global Product manager - WearSense

Metso Outotec Australia Limited

Ahmed El Sherbini Ibrahim

Vice President - Digital Transformation (apac)

Baker Hughes

Timothy Munday

Research Director

CSIRO

Karol Czarnota

Senior Science Advisor

Geosciences Australia

Dr Karol Czarnota is the senior science advisor for the Exploring for the Future program focused on Minerals, Energy and Groundwater at Geoscience Australia. He has two decades of experience in undertaking and leading precompetitive geoscience programs focus on understanding Australia’s resource potential. He holds a BSc from the University of New South Wales, an MSc from Royal Holloway University London and a PhD in geology and geophysics from the University of Cambridge. Karol is happiest working at the interface between Earth science disciplines.

Suzanne Hunt

Oz Minerals

Suzanne Hunt is Global Head of Exploration at OZ Minerals. She leads the organisation’s Exploration activities to support the building of its growth pipeline, with a key focus on the advancement of technology in support of geological concept development. Suzanne has global leadership experience in the mining, oil & gas, and academic sectors. Whilst in the academic sector she published over 60 peer reviewed scientific papers in structural deformation and rock mechanics. Prior to joining OZ Minerals, Suzanne was General Manager Production Planning & Performance and Head of Sustainability at Beach Energy. She has also held senior leadership roles with Mitsui E&P, AWE Limited and Santos, and spent time in Antarctica where she managed the Mawson Station Geophysics Observatory for 18 months. Suzanne started her career in the mining industry as a geotechnical engineer with Goldfields and Coffey Partners. She holds a PhD in Geomechanics, MSc in Mining Geology & Engineering and BSc (Hons) in Geophysics.

Ailie MacAdam

Global President

Bechtel Mining and Metals

Ailie MacAdam is an elected Director on the Bechtel Group Board and President of the Mining & Metals business unit, with responsibility for all aspects of its operations across global markets, primarily in The Americas, Middle East and Asia Pacific regions.

Ailie has over 35 years of expertise managing complex transportation and civil infrastructure megaprojects in Australia, the U.K., and the U.S., in addition to oil, gas, and chemicals projects in Europe and Africa.

Ailie holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Bradford University in the U.K. and is a fellow of the U.K. Institution of Civil Engineers. She is a STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) ambassador and a champion of diversity and inclusivity.

Magnus Ericsson

Consulting Professor of Mineral Economics

Luleå University of Technology

Fiona Wild

Vice President, Sustainability and Climate Change

BHP

Fiona has over 20 years of experience in multinational oil and gas and resources companies. Born in Liverpool, UK, she holds a degree and PhD in Chemistry from the University of Edinburgh.

Fiona joined BHP in 2010 as Senior Manager, Environment and was appointed to the role of Vice President, Environment and Climate Change in February 2013. In April 2016, Fiona was appointed to a new role as Vice President, Sustainability and Climate Change. Fiona led the development of BHP’s Climate Change Portfolio Analysis report, an industry-leading analysis that describes the impact of both an orderly and rapid transition to a low carbon future on the valuation of the company’s portfolio. She advises the Board and senior management on emerging environmental and climate change trends and represents BHP in engagements with national and international stakeholders, including NGOs, academics, industry associations, governments and investors.

Fiona holds several Board positions, including Director of IETA, representing BHP at the International Council of Mining and Metals and Deputy Chair of the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute. In December 2015, she was appointed to the Financial Stability Board’s Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures, reporting to the G20. The Task Force released its recommendations in June 2017 (www.fsb-tcfd.org) which serve as a template for how financial and non-financial companies should disclose climate-related information to ensure financial risk can be better measured and managed.

Chris Greig

Senior Research Scientist

Princeton University

Chris Greig is the Theodora D. ’78 & William H. Walton III ’74 Senior Research Scientist in the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment at Princeton University. An entrepreneur and former CEO with extensive industry experience, Grieg conceived the Rapid Switch Initiative, a major international, interdisciplinary research effort that aims to accelerate progress on climate change by identifying and resolving the critical bottlenecks that slow our progress towards deep decarbonization.

Stephen Wilson

Adjunct Professor

University of Queensland

Stephen Wilson is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Queensland who has worked at the intersection of engineering, economics and policy, energy security and the geopolitics of energy and resources across three decades and in over 30 countries.

Stephen has worked on projects in energy efficiency and demand-side management, electricity regulation, tariffs and pricing, climate change and energy policy, natural gas, pipeline and storage infrastructure master plans, security of supply and bankability studies, coal and uranium mining, renewable energy and system modelling.

Originally trained as a mechanical engineer, Stephen has spent his career in energy economics, as a consultant based in Melbourne, Hong Kong and later London, as general manager of market and industry analysis in the energy product group of a global mining company, and as a full-time teaching and research Professor at UQ. Stephen is Managing Director of Cape Otway Associates.

Eric May

CEO, Future Energy Exports CRC; Professor Chemical Engineering

University of Western Australia

Eric May is Managing Director of the Future Energy Exports (FEnEx) CRC and was named the 2021 Western Australian Scientist of the Year. His research team works closely with industry, conducting projects in hydrogen liquefaction, LNG production, gas separations, CCS and fluid property prediction. Eric was awarded the Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year as part of the 2012 Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science. In 2017, he co-established Gas Capture Technologies Pty Ltd, a spin-out company for patented technologies to capture methane from coal mines, land-fill gas and other sources. Launched in 2020, the FEnEx CRC brings together 28 industry, government and university partners with resources of $163 million to conduct industrial-scale research that supports LNG and Hydrogen exports from Australia.

Mark Ruth

Senior Engineer

National Renewable Energy Agency (NREL)

Keith Wipke

National Renewable Energy Agency (NREL)

Mr. Wipke has been the Laboratory Program Manager for the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Technologies program at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory for the last 10 years, where he has worked since 1993. The program covers all aspects of hydrogen and fuel cells, from hydrogen production with renewables to end-use applications envisioned in the H2@Scale “bubble-chart.” Prior to this role, Mr. Wipke worked in the area of advanced vehicles for almost 20 years. For 9 of those years he led NREL’s participation in the Controlled Hydrogen Fleet and Infrastructure Demonstration and Validation Project (aka the Learning Demo). This technology validation activity was later expanded to evaluate fuel cell technology in other applications. He received his masters degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University, is NREL’s senior representative at the California Fuel Cell Partnership, sat on the Board of Directors of the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association (FCHEA) for 6 years, and actively participates in the Colorado Hydrogen Network.

Tony Irwin

Tony Irwin is a chartered engineer with over 40 years technical experience with nuclear reactors. Tony is Technical Director of SMR Nuclear Technology Pty Ltd and Chair of Engineers Australia Sydney Nuclear Engineering Panel. Tony commissioned and operated eight nuclear power reactors for British Energy (formerly the Central Electricity Generating Board) in the UK. He was Reactor Manager at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) during the commissioning and early operation of the new OPAL research reactor.

His experience with the nuclear fuel cycle also includes managing fuel strategies for ANSTO and representing Australia at international meetings. Following the Chernobyl accident, Tony was a member of a World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) team who worked with Russian engineers to improve their safety culture. He is an Honorary Associate Professor at the Australian National University and principal lecturer for the Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Nuclear Reactors.

Helen Cook

GNE Advisory Pty Ltd

Michael Velore

Lenka Koller

Elizabeth Muller

Gillian Davidson

Chair

Global Battery Alliance

Gillian Davidson is a leader in sustainability, ESG and responsible supply chains with extensive experience in the extractives and natural resources sectors. She is currently a senior advisor to global extractives companies and a Non-Executive Director at New Gold Inc, Central Asia Metals, Lundin Gold and Horizonte Minerals where she also chairs the Sustainability Committees of the Boards.

Leanna Kemp

Louis Marechal

Robyn Denholm

Burkhard Seifert

Bernard Respaut

Chief Executive

European Copper Institute

Shannon O'Rourke

Yichun Yin

Research Scientist

CSIRO

Alex Zapantis

Xingjin Wang

Director

Denison Gas Ltd

Troy Powell

Head of Sustainability

Orica Limited

Ryan Edwards

Vladimir Shapiro

Principal Computer Vision Scientist

Baker Hughes

Felicia Ruiz

Director

Clean Air Task Force

Ashleigh Collins

Mining Director Apac

Baker Hughes

Marek Borowski

Professor

AGH University of Science & Technology Krakow

Yonggang Jin

Team Leader

CSIRO

Volha Roschchanka

Us EPA

Roberto Valery

Robin Batterham

Troy Powell

Head of Sustainability

Orica Limited

Aidan Davy

Operations Director

ICMM

Aidan Davy joined ICMM in June 2007. As COO, he is responsible for strategy development and implementation and provides strategic support across all ICMM’s programmatic work on environmental resilience, social performance, mineral resource governance and innovation. He led the work to develop ICMM’s Mining Principles - which define good practice environmental, social and governance requirements for the mining and metals industry - and is responsible for ICMM’s work on mining standards, sustainability reporting, tailings management, and policy engagement. In past strategy cycles, Aidan led ICMM's work on environmental resilience, social performance, and governance and transparency.

Aidan has 35 years of cross-sectoral experience on sustainable development issues, working with a range of private, multi-lateral and not-for-profit organizations, including the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation in Washington DC. For the first decade of his career, Aidan primarily worked on environmental issues, within an international consulting company, a multinational manufacturing company and at the World Bank. He then shifted his focus to social responsibility and accountability issues, with a strong emphasis on the mining industry.

Melanie Stutsel

Head of Closure Planning

Rio Tinto

Experienced General Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the mining & metals industry. Strong collaborator and skilled professional in Sustainable Development, Social Performance, Indigenous Relations, Safety and Health, Stakeholder Relations, Public Policy, Strategic Partnerships, and Environmental Management.

Melanie joined Rio Tinto in late 2020 and is responsible for designing and implementing Rio Tinto’s global strategies to reduce closure cost and risk and ensure retained social, cultural and environmental values in the communities in which we operate. Lead the strategy and management for the global closure R&D portfolio. Co-founded the establishment of Regeneration Enterprises, a combined for purpose and profit JV with global NGO RESOLVE to responsibly re-mine wastes for minerals and metals essential to a low carbon economy and invest this in the delivery of ecological restoration outcomes.

Kaylen Gulich

CEO

WA Treasury Corporation

Nahlane Moren

Director

Tahltan

Larissa Waters

Politicians

Australia Green Party

Phillippa Huntsmann

NRCan

Saleem Ali

Blue/Gold Professor

University of Delaware

Karen Hussey

Deputy Director-General

Queensland Department of Environment and Science

Professor Karen Hussey was appointed Deputy Director-General of the Queensland Department of Environment and Science in May 2020. Karen leads the development and coordination of policy, strategy and legislation relating to the environment, conservation and cultural heritage. She oversees the delivery of strategic programs such as protection of the Great Barrier Reef, waste management and resource recovery, and the Land Restoration Fund. She also leads policy and programs in areas such as heritage, climate change, environmental offsets, biodiversity, koala conservation and State of Environment reporting.

Before taking up her appointment, Professor Hussey established the UQ Centre for Policy Futures in February 2017 and later became the centre’s inaugural director.

In its first year, the centre developed capacity in three key areas:

• Science, technology and society
• Sustainable development
• Trade, foreign and security policy

A political scientist and economist by training, Professor Hussey’s research focuses on policies, institutions and governance arrangements for sustainability.

For more than a decade she has undertaken research and consultancies in the areas of water policy, climate mitigation and adaptation policy, coastal and reef governance, energy policy, natural disasters, the climate-energy-water nexus, and the links between international trade and environmental outcomes (especially in relation to agricultural trade).

She has a particular interest in the challenges and opportunities of making environmental policy in federal systems; and owing to her time in Brussels (2007 – 2010) enjoys an enduring interest in the EU–Australia relationship.

Before establishing the Centre for Policy Futures, Professor Hussey was Deputy Director at the Global Change Institute, a role she commenced in September 2015. Prior to joining UQ, Karen was an Associate Professor at the Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University.

She has a PhD in Political Science from the University of Melbourne, an M.Econ.Sc from University College Dublin, Ireland, and a BA (Economics and Politics) from the University of Melbourne.

Nadja Kunz

Canada Research Chair in Mine Water Management and Stewardship

University of British Columbia

Nadja Kunz obtained her PhD from SMI in 2013, and thereafter spent two years as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Eawag Aquatic Research Institute in Switzerland. She has a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering (First Class Honours) and a Bachelor of Business Management (Dean’s Honour Roll), both from the University of Queensland.

Since January 2017, Nadja is an Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia, in a joint appointment between the UBC School of Public Policy and Global Affairs and Norman B Keevil Mining Engineering. She leads an interdisciplinary research team focused on improving water management and governance within the global mining sector. Her projects focus at two geographical scales of analysis: (1) within the mine lease, and (2) within mining regions. At the mine site level, Nadja develops novel models to improve quantification of water risk and to analyze trade-offs such as energy use and societal impact. At the regional level, she studies the evolving role of the mining sector in water stewardship and governance. Nadja is especially interested in how mining can best contribute towards the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, including SDG6, which focuses on the provision of water and sanitation.

In addition to her academic credentials, Nadja maintains close links to practice. She provides technical expertise to the International Finance Corporation, contributing to a Voluntary Code of Practice on Water Management among mining companies in the South Gobi Region in Mongolia, as well as other projects globally. Nadja is also a member of the Academic Directorate for the Canadian International Resources and Development Institute (CIRDI). Previously, Nadja gained extensive operational experience in the mining, oil and gas sector within Australia, including at the Northparkes copper/gold mine, Yarwun Alumina Refinery and BP’s Bulwer Island refinery. She has also worked in corporate sustainability reporting for Rio Tinto and contributed to sustainability strategy for Anglo Gold Ashanti in South Africa.

Stephen D'Esposito

President & CEO

Regeneration

Stephen D’Esposito is the President and CEO of RESOLVE and a solutions strategist. Trained as a policy advocate, he helps partners envision, design, and implement innovative solutions to sustainability challenges. Stephen’s work covers all of RESOLVE’s issue areas, with a focus on natural resources, energy transition, and sustainable development. He is the founder and CEO of Regeneration, a restoration start-up that provides biodiversity, community, and climate positive minerals for the energy transition, green tech, and sustainable brands.

Stephen began his public policy work in the mid-1980s with the New York Public Interest Research Group, founded by Ralph Nader and Donald Ross. He served as National Field Director and Deputy Director of Greenpeace USA, where he played a central role in building Greenpeace USA into one of the country’s largest environmental organizations. He then led the Greenpeace International Executive Committee based in Amsterdam. His work there on the Brent Spar campaign led many corporations and NGOs to rethink their approach to stakeholder engagement and shareholder advocacy.

In the decade prior to joining RESOLVE, Stephen was President and CEO of EARTHWORKS, a nongovernmental policy organization focused on mining, oil and gas issues founded by Stuart L. Udall (former U.S. Secretary of the Interior) and J. Michael McCloskey. At EARTHWORKS, Stephen focused on fostering corporate and NGO partnerships to address environmental and human rights challenges.

At RESOLVE, Stephen works with leadership in companies, nonprofits, foundations, and community groups both internationally and locally to make concrete progress on challenges like the need to accelerate the energy transition, build a restoration economy to support biodiversity, and respond to and prevent natural resource conflicts. He co-created and chairs RESOLVE Enterprises, an incubator for mission-aligned start-ups.

Stephen serves on a number of boards; he chaired the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on the Future of Mining and Metals, and is a frequent keynote speaker and advisor to foundation, nonprofit, and corporate boards.

David Miljak

Research Director, Sensing and Sorting

CSIRO Mineral Resources

Dr David Miljak is Research Director of the Sensing and Sorting Program at CSIRO Mineral Resources. He has over 20 years experience in developing on-line analysis systems that target mineral sensing applications across the mining and processing chain. He has led the long term development of magnetic resonance systems for enabling rapid, high tonnage bulk ore sorting and selective mining. Dr Miljak also has extensive experience in technology trial projects, validation and commercial technology transfer.

Veena Sahajwalla

Founding Director, SMaRT Centre UNSW

Centre for Sustainable Materials Research & Technology, The University of New South Wales

Professor Veena Sahajwalla is an internationally recognised materials scientist, engineer, and inventor revolutionising recycling science. She is renowned for pioneering the high temperature transformation of waste in the production of a new generation of ‘green materials’ at the UNSW Sustainable Materials Research and Technology (SMaRT) Centre, where she is Founding Director. Professor Veena is the inventor of polymer injection technology, known as green steel, an eco-friendly process for using recycled tyres in steel production.

In 2018, Veena launched the world's first e-waste MICROfactorieTM and in 2019 she launched her plastics and Green Ceramics MICROfactoriesTM, a recycling technology breakthrough. Veena is the director of the ARC Industrial Transformation Research Hub for ‘microrecycling’, a leading national research centre that works in collaboration with industry to ensure new recycling science is translated into real world environmental and economic benefits. Professor Veena has also been appointed hub leader of the national NESP Sustainable Communities and Waste Hub. In 2021, Professor Veena featured in the ABC’s Australian Story and named the 2022 NSW Australian of the Year.

John Marsden

President

Metallurgium

John Marsden has over forty years of broad international experience in the development and management of major, innovative copper, gold, silver, molybdenum & cobalt operations and projects in the USA, Chile, Peru, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, and the Congo (DRC).

Marsden is currently president of Metallurgium, established in 2009 to provide consulting services to the mining industry worldwide. Prior to that John held various operations and technical management positions with Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. and Consolidated Gold Fields PLC.

He has published more than forty technical papers, holds fifteen U.S. patents and is the author of “The Chemistry of Gold Extraction”, now in its second edition. A member of the National Academy of Engineering, John is also a distinguished member of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration Inc. (SME), a fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, and a registered Professional Engineer (Nevada). John Marsden is the recipient of the AIME Robert H. Richards Award, and the Milton E. Wadsworth Award and two Arthur F. Taggart Awards from SME.

Jim Finch

Professor Emeritus in Mining and Metallurgical Engineering

McGill University

Professor in Department of Mining and Materials Engineering, McGill University, serving as Chair (1988 to 1991) and as Gerald G. Hatch Chair in Mining and Metallurgical Engineering (2005-14). Held a succession of Industrial Research Chairs supervising 50 PhDs, authoring 400 + articles, and co-authoring two books Column Flotation (1990) and 8th Edition of Wills’ Mineral Processing Technology (2016).

From SME received the Gaudin Award, from CIM the Alcan Award, Falconbridge Innovation Award and twice CMP Best Presentation Award, from NSERC the Leo Derikx Synergy Award for Innovation and from IMPC Lifetime A

Markus Reuter

Chief Expert

SMS-Group GmbH

Professor Markus A. Reuter is the Director of Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology, Germany since 2015. He is Honorary Professor, TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Germany (since 2015) and Adjunct Professor Curtin University, Australia (since 2018).

His previous positions (professorships co-current with industry) are:

• Chief Technology Officer Ausmelt Australia & Director Technology Management Outotec Australia and Finland (2006-2015)
• Professor at TU Delft, The Netherlands (1996-2005)
• Professor & Prof Fellow Uni Melbourne, Australia (UoM) (2005-2018)
• Adj. Prof at Aalto University, Finland (Aalto) (2012-2017)
• Guest Prof at Central South University, China (2012-2017)
• Leader Furnace Control Group, Mintek South Africa (1994-1996)
• Process Metallurgist, Anglo American Corp South Africa (1984-1985)

Professor Reuter has won multiple Awards and honours including:

• EPD Luncheon Lecture TMS 2020 San Diego (2020)
• Honorary Doctorate University of Stellenbosch, South Africa (2017)
• Honorary Doctorate University of Liège, Belgium (2015)
• EPD Distinguished Lecture Award TMS www.tms.org (2016)
• EPD Science Award www.tms.org (2014)
• Outotec Technology Award (2013).

Industry: Chief Expert SMS Group (Germany 2020 ongoing); Chief Technologist Ausmelt Australia & Director Technology Management Outotec (Australia and Finland 2006-2015); Anglo American Corporation & Mintek (1984-1985 & 1994-1996 South Africa).

Academic: Director at Helmholtz Institute Freiberg (Germany 2015-2020); Full Professor TU Delft (Netherlands 1996-2005); Honorary & adjunct professorships @ (i) TUBAF Freiberg (Germany 2015 ongoing); (ii) Curtin University Perth (Australia 2018 ongoing) (iii) Aalto University (Finland 2012-2018); (iv) Central South University (China 2012-2017) & (v) Melbourne University (Australia, also full professor 2005-2018).

Education: D.Eng. & PhD Stellenbosch University (2006 & 1991 South Africa); Dr. habil. RWTH Aachen (1995 Germany).

Publications and Patents: H-factor 39 (Scopus) 49 (Google); >38 patents in 4 patent families.

Ranking: Ranked 21st globally - 2021 Stanford top 2% Global Scientists in the Mining & Metallurgy category and Position #41,810 of all 190,036 top 2% scientists in all categories;

Recent Awards: 2022 TMS (USA) Science Award; 2022 TMS Best paper “Journal of Sustainable Metallurgy”; 2022 Light Metals Luncheon Lecture; 2020 TMS EPD Luncheon Lecture; 2 Honorary Doctorates @ (i) 2015 University of Liège (Belgium), (ii) 2017 University of Stellenbosch (South Africa); 2016 TMS EPD Distinguished Lecture Award; 2015-2016 SME Henry Krumb Lecturer; 2014 TMS Science Award; 2013 Outotec technology award.

Luke Vollert

Principal Metallurgist

Newcrest Mining Ltd

Luke Vollert is a Principal Metallurgist based in Brisbane, Australia, with Newcrest Mining. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering with Honours from the University of Queensland, where he dual majored in Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering. Luke has a knack for unconventional problem-solving and a passion for technology. Throughout his 12-year career to date, Luke has held a range of operational and project-based roles working across the Newcrest portfolio. Recently he has been leading the charge in the successful adoption of coarse particle flotation.

Sharna Glover

CEO

Imvelo

Sharna is an experienced executive leader. She has expertise in step-change technology, enabling safety and productivity leaps. Backed by her experience in business development, business planning, technology commercialisation, including corporate venturing , project management and remote operating centres, Sharna has extensive full package experience to deliver.

Sharna is strongly of the shaper category. She likes to create a vision that inspires and aligns teams to deliver on innovative plans. She is a strategic thinker and quickly assimilates organisational shifts and ambiguity that are required to achieve organisational resilience. Sharna quickly establishes good working relationships with key stakeholders, senior executives and external partners to deliver strong business outcomes.

Ashley Creighton

Research Director

Rio Tinto

Ashley is a Geotechnical Engineer with over 35 years’ industry experience, spanning projects in Australia, North America, South America, Africa and Asia/Southeast Asia. Ashley has built a reputation of technical expertise in both civil and mining technical consulting, geotechnical study leadership, geotechnical operations leadership, forensic geotechnical engineering, technical due diligence, merger and acquisitions and corporate technical assurance. He has a penchant for solving challenges via research and represents Rio Tinto on the Sponsor’s Management Committee for the Large Open Pit research program as well as chairing the Surface Mining Geotechnical Working Group.

Ashley is a keen advocate of collaboration and teamwork and uses these skills to deliver complex projects such as a Reliability Based Design Acceptance Criterion approach to design and a Control/Control Effectiveness Framework for the Rio Tinto Risk Area of Expertise. He has led forensic geotechnical investigations such as that which established the causes of the 2013 Bingham Canyon Mine, Manefay failure, and has represented Rio Tinto on Geotechnical Review Boards.

Kylie Porter

CEO

Greater Whitsunday Alliance (GW3)

Kylie has a strong connection to the MIW region and, along with her leadership skills, as an experienced local – she has an invested drive in making the Mackay Isaac Whitsunday region stronger for generations. Kylie was initially engaged as the Manager for Development + Innovation for GW3 in 2018 and, in that time, she worked with inaugural CEO Garry Scanlan to deliver a range of outcomes for the organisation, such as preparing workforces of the future, diversifying the regional economy and enhancing regional innovation in MIW. In 2019, upon Garry’s departure from the region, Kylie was appointed as the CEO.

Mitch Schulte

Program Scientist

NASA

Mitch Schulte has an A.B. and a Ph.D., both in Earth & Planetary Sciences from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. At NASA since February 2011, Mitch is a Program Scientist with the Mars Exploration Program (MEP) and the Planetary Science Division (PSD) in the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. As a Program Scientist, Mitch is responsible for and manages the science content of NASA Mars missions. Currently, he oversees the U.S. contribution to the Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer (MOMA) instrument on the European Space Agency/Roscosmos ExoMars rover mission and serves as the NASA science liaison for the mission, scheduled to launch in 2022, and NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover mission. He also leads Mars Research and Analysis for MEP, manages the Mars Data Analysis Program, and serves as a discipline scientist for other PSD programs, including Exobiology and Habitable Worlds.

Kris Zacny

VP

Honeybee Robotics

Dr. Kris Zacny is Vice President of Exploration Technology Group at Honeybee Robotics. His interests include soil and rock mechanics, sample acquisition and processing, extraterrestrial drilling, and In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU). In his previous capacity as an engineer in South African underground gold, diamond, and coal mines, Dr. Zacny managed numerous mining projects and production divisions. Dr. Zacny received his PhD (UC Berkeley, 2005) in Geotechnical Engineering with an emphasis on Extraterrestrial Drilling and Mining, ME (UC Berkeley, 2001) in Petroleum Engineering with emphasis on Drilling and Materials Science, and BSc cum laude (U. Cape Town, 1997) in Mechanical Engineering. He participated in several Antarctic, Arctic, Atacama, and Greenland expeditions.

Gerald Sanders

Head, In Situ Resource Utilisation

NASA

Gerald (Jerry) Sanders has worked at the NASA Johnson Space Center full-time for 35 years in the Propulsion and Power Division of the Engineering Directorate and has extensive experience in propulsion, fluid systems, and In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU). Gerald Sanders has worked in the area of ISRU for over 25 years. During this time, he has led multiple strategic plans, architecture studies, development projects, and analog field tests for ISRU advancement. Gerald Sanders currently serves as the NASA ISRU System Capability Lead (SCL), and Co-Investigator for Human Mission Extensibility for Mars Oxygen ISRU Experiment (MOXIE) on the Mars 2020 rover. As the ISRU SCL, he serves as the technical steward for the Agency on ISRU, coordinates activities across multiple Mission Directorates and Centers, leads activities to inform mission planning work and investment strategies, and serves as an Agency-wide resource to help NASA missions leverage technologies, facilities, and workforce unique to the capability.

He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Cincinnati in 1987.

Tony Knight

Chief Government Geologist

QLD Resources

Tony Knight is Queensland’s Chief Government Geologist. He leads the Geological Survey of Queensland, whose mission is to help drive economic development from the discovery and development of Queensland’s mineral and energy resources.

Tony brings extensive breadth and depth of industry experience to the role. His focus is on the future, working to help the Queensland resources sector navigate and find opportunity in the global shifts underway across key pillars of the economy and society in energy, industry, sustainability and security of supply.

He is a keen advocate for the development of new supply chains based on Queensland’s rich resource endowment, and to couple that with rapidly growing interest from investment and customer markets for ethical and responsible supply credentials.

His interests span resources scarcity and security, sustainable supply, ethical and responsible sourcing, circular economy, traceability and provenance of minerals, and changing expectations of investor and customer markets.

Michael Hitch

Head of School

Curtin University

Professor Michael Hitch is the newly appointed Head of School of WA School of Mines: Minerals, Energy and Chemical Engineering. Michael came to Curtin from Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia where he was Director and Head of the Institute of Geology and Michael has previously held senior academic roles at UNSW Sydney and the University of British Columbia in Canada. Prior to embarking on his academic pathway, Professor Hitch spent 23 years in the resources industry in roles ranging from operations, corporate finance and senior executive roles with leading organisations including AngloGold Ashanti, Ivanhoe Mines and Echo Bay Mines.

Professor Hitch’s research areas include sustainable resource management, CO2 mineral carbonation from mine waste by-products, circular economy and the emergence of social licence in post command and conflict societies.

Roderick Eggert

Deputy Director

Critical Minials Institute, US Department of Energy

Roderick G. Eggert is Viola estal Coulter Foundation Chair in Mineral Economics at Colorado School of Mines, where he has taught since 1986. He also is deputy director of the Critical Materials Institute, a research consortium established by the U.S. Department of Energy in 2013, to accelerate innovation in energy materials. Between 1988 and 2006, he was editor of Resources Policy, an international journal of mineral economics and policy. Between 1998 and 2013, he was Economics and Business Division Director.

His research and teaching focus on mineral economics and public policy – especially, in recent years, on critical minerals and materials. He chaired the U.S. National Research Council committee that wrote the 2008 book, Minerals, Critical Minerals, and the U.S. Economy (National Academies Press). He has testified on critical minerals and materials at committee hearings of the U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, Canadian House of Commons and European Parliament.

Bruce Hebblewhite

Emeritus Professor

UNSW

Professor Bruce Hebblewhite has more than 40 years of international experience in mining and has made a long-standing commitment to the resources sector through his leadership in teaching, training and research.

Bruce has held senior positions with Australian Coal Industry Research Laboratories Ltd (ACIRL) and University of New South Wales (UNSW) Chair of Rock Mechanics. Bruce was appointed Head at UNSW’s School of Mining Engineering between 2003-2014.

Diana Drinkwater

Principal Consultant

Mineralis

Diana is a mineral processor with over 30 years’ experience in mining operations, engineering and consulting. Her principal interest is professional education and technology transfer, and she has delivered targeted education programs in Australia, Africa, the Americas and Europe. She currently chairs the Education Commission of the International Mineral Processing Council (IMPC) which is overseeing a global review of Mineral Processing education.

Gavin Lind

CEO

Australian Minerals and Energy Skills Alliance (AUSMESA)

Gavin is the Chief Executive Officer of AUSMESA, the Australian Minerals and Energy Skills Alliance. He is an accomplished academic and minerals industry executive. Prior to his appointment as CEO, Gavin spent more than a decade in a leadership role in minerals policy and advocacy with the Minerals Council of Australia. He has held various professional roles in industry, academia and government in both South Africa and Australia.

Allie MacAdam

President, Mining & Metals

Bechtel

Ailie MacAdam is president of Bechtel’s Mining & Metals global business unit. Throughout her more than 35 years with Bechtel, Ailie has held a succession of senior executive leadership, operational, and general management positions. Ailie has extensive expertise and experience managing complex transportation and civil infrastructure megaprojects in Australia, the U.K., and the U.S., in addition to oil, gas, and chemicals projects in Europe and Africa.

Johannes Cilliers

Professor

Imperial College London

Jan Cilliers was Head of Department of Earth Science and Engineering (2011-2016) and led the £12M Rio Tinto Centre for Advanced Mineral Recovery (2008-2016). His current research includes flotation, cyclones and dry techniques for mining on the Moon. He has a great interest in the mining skills gap and how it can be addressed.

Kate Hobbs

Manager of Studies

Oz Minerals

Kate Hobbs has held many roles within the industry during her career and has importantly been a strong advocate for women and diversity more broadly, both in resources and several other sectors. Kate works tirelessly to ensure diversity and inclusion is adequately highlighted at the strategic level within AusIMM. She continues to make significant contributions to both AusIMM and the industry more broadly and is an inspiring leader who is passionate about promoting and improving equality within the resources sector.

Kurt House

Founder and Chief Executive

KoBold Metals

Kurt is the Founder and Chief Executive of KoBold Metals, an AI-driven battery metal exploration company. KoBold is operating on 4 continents where it’s looking for Li, Ni, Co, and Cu. Kurt is an entrepreneur working at the interface of technology and natural resources as well as an Adjunct Professor in Stanford University’s Energy Resources Engineering Department. He previously founded a carbon sequestration and enhanced oil recovery business as well as a direct investment platform to acquire North American natural gas assets based on a superior technology for forecasting natural gas production from hydraulically fractured wells. Previously, Kurt was a KAUST Research Fellow at MIT where he studied the chemistry and physics of CO2 capture and storage. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in earth & planetary and his B.A. in physics from the Claremont Colleges. Kurt has also worked in private equity and corporate advising for Bain & Company

Robert Gray

Chief Economist and Commodity Strategist

Resource Capital Funds

Rob is the chief economist and commodity strategist for Resource Capital Funds (RCF), where he provides a macro and micro level perspective on what factors impact RCF's underlying fund performance. This role contributes to RCF’s market insight and how our investment decisions create value for our investors.

Prior to joining RCF, he gained 20 years of economic, strategy, risk and valuation experience working for PwC and Merrill Lynch in the energy, metals & mining, resources, and financial derivatives sectors; working in New York, London, Melbourne and Perth.

Rob has a BA honors in Economics / International Areas Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and has been a CFA charterholder since 2003.

Warwick Agnew

Director-General

Department of Employment, Small Business and Training

Warwick Agnew was appointed as Director-General of the department in November 2020 following an extensive career and experience in both the private and public sector.

Prior to joining the department, Warwick held the position of Director-General, Local Government, Racing and Multicultural Affairs and has direct experience in social and economic policy issues facing all areas of Queensland.

Throughout his career Warwick has led social and economic infrastructure projects, economic analysis and policy, legislative reform, financial and commercial procurement and corporate finance advisory services.

Warwick’s private sector experience includes commercial project development and senior advisory roles for global companies servicing resources, energy, industrial, infrastructure, property and defence sectors. He has also served on key government boards including Queensland Treasury Corporation Capital Markets Board, the Long-Term Asset Allocation Board and the Queensland Rural and Industry Development Authority.

Dr Hua Guo

Congress Chair, Research Director

CSIRO Mineral Resources

Dr Hua Guo is a mining engineer with more than 30 years experience in both mining operations and R&D, including three years with Pasminco’s underground mining operations at Broken Hill, six years with BHP Iron Ore’s surface mining operations in the Pilbara, and 23 years at the Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia’s national science agency

At CSIRO, Hua has held a number of senior leadership roles and is currently the Research Director for Sustainable Mining Technologies involving 70+ specialists. He is responsible for strategic planning and delivering R&D in mining geosciences and engineering, production technologies, environmental sustainability and emissions abatement. Under his leadership, world leading technologies have been successfully developed and adopted in Australia and overseas, with substantial benefits delivered. CSIRO is recognised internationally as a leading force in mining technology and innovation.

Hua is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM), an adjunct professor at the University of Queensland, Australia and a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Internationally he serves on the Global Methane Initiative, the International Organising Committee of the World Mining Congress (WMC), and is Chair for the 26th World Mining Congress in 2023, Brisbane, Australia.

Professor Marek Cala

Chairman, WMC IOC Dean

Faculty of Civil Engineering & Resource Management

Professor Marek Cała has been at AGH University of Science & Technology, Cracow, Poland since 1992. He received his MSc and PhD in Mining Engineering from AGH UST in 1992 and 1997. Since 2016 he is a Dean of the Faculty of Mining & Geoengineering (the oldest in Poland, established 1919). He teaches rock engineering and geotechnical engineering for undergraduate and graduate students.

His research focus on application of numerical methods for solving several problems of rock and soil mechanics and geotechnical engineering. Marek Cała research areas cover very interdisciplinary cases and he supervised over 120 PhD, MSc and U/G students and research scientists. His main research areas are: (i) application of 2D and 3D numerical methods to analyse slope stability in open pit mines, (ii) stability of underground openings in natural hazard conditions (rockburst, gas and rock outburst, seismic), (iii) interaction of rock mass and support for mining openings and civil tunnels, (iv) stability of underground salt caverns (including salt mines and storage caverns for hydrocarbon), (v) revitalisation and reclamation of degraded areas (brownfields).

Professor Marek Cała scientific achievements constitute over 200 scientific articles, books and reports and over 300 scientific studies, expert opinions and projects for national and world industry (he also has 2 patents). He is also an active reviewers for journals, conferences and granting agencies. He is a Chairman of the International Organizing Committee of the World Mining Congress since 2016. He’s e member of International Society of Rock Mechanics and International Association of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering. Marek Cała is a member of Scientific Committees of several national (Polish) and international conferences. He is a main organizer (since 1996) of Winter School of Rock Mechanics which celebrates XLIII edition in 2021.

Andrew Forrest AO

Chairman and Founder

Fortescue Metals Group Fortescue Future Industries, Minderoo Foundation, and Tattarang

As Founder and Executive Chairman, Dr Andrew Forrest has led Fortescue from inception to a top ten ASX listed natural resources company that has invested more than US$30 billion developing some of the world’s most efficient infrastructure.

Fortescue will become zero-emissions across its operations by 2030. Key to enabling that is FFI. Established in 2020, FFI is a developer, financier and operator of a global portfolio of renewable energy resources to produce green energy at a scale equal to the oil and gas super-majors. Fortescue has been globally recognised for its industry leading work to decarbonise and has been appointed to the UN Race to Zero Coalition and the US President’s First Movers’ Coalition.

Dr Forrest’s commercial business, Tattarang, is backing new renewable green energy projects, including Windlab wind power and Sun Cable solar power, and expanding sustainable and carbon-neutral practices within agrifood business Harvest Road. Dr Forrest has a PhD in Marine Ecology from the University of Western Australia, and serves as an IUCN Patron of Nature, a World Economic Forum Friend of Ocean Action and a member of the United Nations Environment Program’s Scientific Advisory Committee on the Assessment of Marine Litter and Microplastics.

Dr Forrest holds the Australia Medal, the Australian Sports Medal and was appointed by the Prime Minister and Cabinet of Australia to develop a blueprint for eliminating Australia’s Indigenous social and economic disparity through health, training and employment.

He is also Co-Chair of the Australia-China Senior Business Leaders’ Forum, Global Patron of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue and served as a Councillor of the Global Citizen Commission charged by the United Nations in 2016 to modernise the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

In 2017, Dr Forrest was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for distinguished service to philanthropy, mining, employment and sustainable foreign investment.

FFI is leading the green industrial revolution, developing technology solutions for hard-to-decarbonise industries, while investing in green hydrogen and green ammonia projects – recently announcing it will partner with Germany’s largest energy distributor to supply five million tonnes of green energy per year to Europe by 2030.

In 2001, Dr Forrest co-founded Minderoo Foundation with his wife Nicola, and to date they have donated more than $2.7 billion supporting initiatives addressing modern slavery, ocean health, cancer, Indigenous disparity, childhood development, artificial intelligence, disaster resilience and plastic waste.

Sherry Duhe

Interim Chief Executive Officer

Newcrest

Appointed as Interim CEO at Newcrest in December 2022, Sherry joined Newcrest as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in February 2022. She has nearly three decades of experience across global energy and resource companies, most recently at Woodside Energy and Shell before that.

Having been CFO at two top ASX-listed companies, Sherry is a seasoned international executive leader across the finance and commercial sectors, having previously lived and worked in North America, Latin America, Europe and the Middle East before moving to Australia in 2017.

Dr Larry Marshall

Chief Executive

CSIRO

Dr Larry Marshall is Chief Executive of CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency. CSIRO solves the greatest challenges through innovative science and technology, and has played a pivotal role in Australia’s response to recent challenges including catastrophic flooding and bushfires, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Larry was appointed Chief Executive of CSIRO in 2015. Under his leadership, CSIRO has delivered the highest industry revenue ever, a 70 per cent increase in CSIRO’s customer base, the largest increase in diversity, a more than ten-fold increase in CSIRO's equity portfolio, the largest increase in appropriation, and high collaboration rates with universities and industry.

Larry is a scientist, technology innovator and business leader with a wealth of experience in creating new value and impact with science. He has a PhD in Physics and has been honoured as a Federation Fellow, an AIP (Australian Institute of Physics) Fellow, and an ATSE (Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering) Fellow, and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (FAICD). He has led six companies in biotechnology, telecommunications, semiconductors, and venture capital. He has 100 publications and conference papers, holds 20 patents, and has served on 20 boards of high-tech companies operating in the US, Australia and China.

Larry is also a Champion of Change committed to tackling gender equality. He is a passionate supporter of Australian innovation, and the power of science and technology to drive Australia’s economic recovery and resilience to future challenges