Speakers
Dr Kevin Hill
Kevin Hill is a structural and petroleum geologist with over 30 years’ experience, who provides expert structural consulting to the resources industry, and offers beginners to advanced industry training courses. He has worked on many mountain belts and sedimentary basins around the world with BP, the University of Melbourne and Oil Search, where he focussed on the PNG Highlands. He is currently an Honorary Associate Professor at the University of Melbourne carrying out research with the Basin Genesis Hub.
Richard Hillis
Richard Hillis is CEO of the Deep Exploration Technologies CRC. He graduated BSc (Hons) from Imperial College (London) and PhD from the University of Edinburgh. Richard was previously Mawson Professor of Geology and Head of the Australian School of Petroleum at the University of Adelaide. He has published ~200 research papers and has been involved in establishing and selling/listing several technology and resources companies. Richard is currently a director of AuScope, an NCRIS company, and of the CRC Association. He is also a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE).
Professor James Macnae
James Macnae grew up in South Africa, where he graduated with Bachelors Degrees in Physics and Mathematics, with Honours in Geophysics. After 3 years as a field Geophysicist with Geoterrex, he moved to Canada and completed Masters and PhD degrees under the supervision of Gordon West. With Yves Lamontagne, his research on ground EM (the UTEM system) led to an award by the SEG of "Best Paper in Geophysics,1984" with Gordon West. Since then Macnae has received two further best paper awards from the Australian Society of Exploration Geophysicists.
Macnae is the author or co-author of many other publications on EM. These include the theoretical “Physics of EM” paper with Gordon West and “Time Domain EM systems” with Misac Nabighian in the SEG volumes on Electromagnetics. Other papers are on ground, borehole and airborne EM acquisition, modelling and interpretation. Macnae has authored patents on Low Temperature Squid sensors and non-contacting ground and airborne electrodes.
After 15 years in Canada, Macnae moved to Australia and was part of the small team awarded the Cooperative Research Centre for Australian Mineral Exploration technologies. Since then, Macnae has completed numerous research projects, including 7 collaborative project through AMIRA. Program EMFlow developed by Macnae in the 1990’s in the centre was the first commercial software for the automatic transform of AEM data to stitched 1D conductivity-depth sections. The software remains in extensive use today. Since then he has been Professor of Geophysics at RMIT University, where he has worked on AEM software and developed fast approximations for AEM data processing in relation to 3D target interpretation and the extraction of Airborne Induced Polarization and Superparamagnetic effects. In 2015, Macnae was a Minerals and Energy finalist in the Australian Innovation Challenge for his work on the ARMIT EM sensor design. He continues to develop sensors for electromagnetic exploration, including low-frequency IP sensors, borehole, ground and airborne sensors, as well as novel GPR antennas for physical property mapping.
Macnae is a Gold Medallist of the Australian Society of Exploration Geophysicists.
Dr Richard Flook
Dr Richard Flook has worked for both suppliers and consumers of minerals with global companies including, Steetley plc, Anglo American, Commercial Minerals (now Sibelco), Normandy Mining Ltd, Omya AG and Shinagawa Refractories.
Richard has been CEO, Managing Director & Director of Asian and Australasian companies. He has specialized in new business opportunities including strategic planning, trading, market development and acquisitions in the industrial minerals industry and has been involved in managing and developing mineral operations and businesses in Asia and Australasia.
Richard is a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining & Metallurgy (FAusIMM (CP)), the Australian Institute of Company Directors (FAICD) and the Australian Institute of Energy (FAIE). Richard is a graduate of Sydney University (BSc First Class Honours, PhD) and the University of NSW (Master of Commerce).
Since 2014, Richard has been the Managing Principal of Mosman Resources, a private consulting business, specialising in the production and marketing of industrial minerals and chemicals.
Stephen McIntosh
Stephen was appointed Group executive, Growth & Innovation in June 2016.
A New Zealander, Stephen has 30 years of service with the Rio Tinto group of companies. He has deep experience across a wide range of commodities and geographies, having worked on projects in more than 45 countries spanning the A-Z of minerals and metals during his career.
Stephen leads a global team that has accountability for finding, evaluating, developing and optimising Rio Tinto's assets so they can safely, efficiently and responsibly produce materials that are essential to human progress.
Growth & Innovation's remit extends across the entire asset lifecycle from exploration, to project evaluation and major capital project construction through to when we close a mine or processing facility.
Growth & Innovation also leads the company's mine to market productivity programme, provides technical services to operations, manages strategic technical risk and oversees Rio Tinto's IT infrastructure, innovation and automation platforms. The team has a strong track record of pioneering in automation, data analytics, operational systems and processing technologies in the resources industry.
Stephen holds an MSc in Geology from Auckland University and completed Physics units to MSc level at the same time, before spending much of his early career as a geophysicist. He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, a Fellow of the Society of Economic Geology, a Member of the Australian Society of Exploration Geophysicists and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Professor Michael McWilliams
Leader, CSIRO Deep Earth Imaging Future Science Platform
Mike McWilliams leads CSIRO's Deep Earth Imaging Future Science Platform, a new research effort aimed at helping discover and manage Australia's future minerals, energy and water resources. His team is focused on new geophysical methods, advanced data analytics and mathematical techniques that will provide a better understanding of the subsurface from sparse, incomplete and noisy geoscience data.
Mike has served in a variety of academic and government roles, including as Chief Executive of GNS Science in New Zealand, Chief of CSIRO's Division of Earth Science and Resource Engineering, and Director of the DeLaeter Centre of Isotope Science. He is Professor Emeritus of Geological and Environmental Science at Stanford University.
Kevin Ruming
Kevin is the Director Strategic Advice and Resource Assessment with the Geological Survey of NSW. He graduated with a BSc (Hons) from The University of Newcastle and returned later to complete a PhD on structural controls on gold mineralisation in the Western Australian Goldfields. He then took up an opportunity to work as a research associate, in the Earth and Ocean Science group at the University of Newcastle, studying sedimentation on the eastern Australian continental margin. One highlight of this research was the development of a new geological model to supply deep-water sands with applications in petroleum exploration and marine geology.
Kevin has been with the Geological Survey of NSW for ten years. He now leads a team that provides advice on resources to government, industry and the public, acquires coal and petroleum pre-competitive data and manages data resource and exploration data. Coal resource assessment and coal geology however, were until recently, the major focus of his work with the Geological Survey.
Dr Richard Blewett
Dr Richard Blewett is the General Manager of the Minerals Systems Branch at Geoscience Australia. He has responsibility for leading GA’s minerals science programme and the promotion of Australia as an attractive investment destination for minerals exploration.
Richard graduated 1st class Hons in Geology from Swansea University (Wales) in 1985. Following a year in the seismic industry in South Africa, he completed a PhD in structural geology from Leicester University in the UK (1989). During this time he worked as a geologist in the French Alps, Canadian Appalachians, British Caledonides and Nepalese Himalaya.
Richard joined Geoscience Australia in 1990 as a research scientist and for the past twenty seven years has worked in a number of minerals-related mapping projects across many of Australia’s mineral provinces. He combined this with work on joint projects in the Sultanate of Oman, China and is currently leading a project of institutional strengthening in India. Richard was the Chief Editor and leader of a major book (2012) on Australia’s geology – Shaping a Nation: a Geology of Australia.
Richard has been involved in the development of the UNCOVER initiative of the Australian Academy of Science. Since 2012 he has been the leader of the Mineral Systems Branch in the Resources Division at Geoscience Australia, which has carriage of the minerals component of the new Exploring for the Future programme.
Richard is interested in the management and leadership of science and in geoscience education. He has an MBA in Technology Management from Deakin University (2001).
Dr John McGaughey
John is CEO/CTO of Mira Geoscience, where he directs the company’s technology strategy and leads its geotechnical business. Prior to founding Mira Geoscience in 1999, he spent 10 years at the Noranda Technology Centre in Montreal as a Senior Scientist in their rock mechanics group. He obtained his PhD in geological engineering at Queen’s University in Canada.
John has spent his career working in multi-disciplinary modelling and interpretation for mineral exploration and geotechnical applications. He is a pioneer in the application of geophysics to rock mechanics challenges in underground mining. He has worked extensively in quantitative, integrated interpretation of geological and geophysical data in 3D earth modelling; in analysis of rock physical properties; in 4D geotechnical hazard assessment; and in data management and machine learning. He has been a leader in adapting technology advancements from the oil and gas to the minerals industry. He is currently co-leader of the Data Integration module of one of Canada’s largest-ever mineral exploration R&D initiatives, “Integrated Multi-Parameter Footprints of Ore Systems: The Next Generation of Ore Deposit Models,” and is technical co-chair of the decennial Exploration 17 conference in Toronto, October, 2017.
Dr Ryan Noble
Dr Ryan Noble is a Principal Research Scientist with CSIRO. He has a BSc and MSc in Soil Science from the University of Tennessee and a PhD in Applied Geology from Curtin University. Following his PhD, Ryan joined CSIRO 12 years ago and has mainly worked on numerous regolith and groundwater geochemistry projects related to gold, base metal, Ni and U mineral exploration. In addition, Ryan has diverse research interests and has published research on gold nanoparticles, fluid changes related to CO2 injection for geosequestration, soil microbial community analysis for monitoring soil health, Russian soil genesis and classification, soil gases, natural biofumigants for agriculture and human health implication of soil arsenic. Currently, Ryan leads two major projects improving near surface geochemistry for exploration through cover in Western Australia and South Australia. These projects emphasise the use of ultrafine soils fractions and the integration of other data types. Ryan is the President and a Fellow of the Association of Applied Geochemists (AAG) and serves on the Board of Earth Science Western Australia.
Katarina David
Katarina David is a registered professional hydrogeologist having worked for over 20 years in government, industry, consulting and research organisations. After receiving her MSc in Hydrogeology and Groundwater Management from UTS, Sydney, Katarina worked as a Principal Hydrogeologist with several consulting companies where she lead the groundwater teams both in Australia and Croatia. Her work involved roles in mining, major infrastructure, irrigation and water supply projects. Katarina’s research interests include groundwater management and challenging groundwater problems. Specific interests include multidisciplinary projects and in depth studies of the relationship between groundwater and geotechnical engineering.
At a mature age Katarina completed the PhD in groundwater at UNSW, Sydney and is currently working as a Postdoctoral Fellow at UNSW, where she is working on a groundwater project in collaboration with ANSTO and the University of Wollongong.
In her spare time Katarina is involved with volunteering, mentoring and bushwalking. She is also currently the President of the IAH NSW and the Director of the AIG.
Dr Natasha Hendrick
Natasha is a scientist, volunteer, adventurer, mentor and advocate for women in leadership. Following research at the University of Oxford as a recipient of an Australian Rhodes Scholarship, Natasha completed her PhD in geophysics at the University of Queensland. She was awarded the APPEA K.A. Richards Memorial Scholarship for her research in multi-component seismic vector processing, and subsequently received the ASEG Laric Hawkins Award for the most innovative use of geophysical technology presented at the ASEG Conference. Natasha's professional career has seen her work in a variety of roles in mining, seismic, and oil and gas companies, including research, technical leadership, business development, training, and operational management positions. She is currently Chief Geophysicist for Santos Ltd.
Natasha is also an active volunteer with the Girl Guide Movement. In 2007 she was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to conduct research on volunteerism in the USA, Canada and the UK. She is currently the Vice Chair of the World Board, World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts - leading work on the strategic realignment of the organisation's membership service offer, and supporting the empowerment of girls and young women around the world.
Dr Graham Heinson
Graham Heinson completed a BSc at Edinburgh University and a PhD in marine geophysics at the Australian National University. After postdoctoral positions at Flinders University, University of Tokyo and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, he was appointed as Lecturer at the University of Adelaide in 2000.
Graham has over 25 years of experience using magnetotellurics, or MT for short. His group has run the national AuScope MT facility for the last ten years, and is involved in a wide range of research activities, including the national MT mapping program AusLAMP, and 4D monitoring of fluids for hydrocarbon and geothermal energy development. His group were finalists for the Eureka awards (in the category Land and Water) and were winners (November 2013) of the Australian Innovation Challenge (in the category Minerals and Energy).
Peter Botten
Peter joined Oil Search in 1992, just after oil and gas production started from Papua New Guinea's Kutubu and Hides fields. He was appointed Managing Director in 1994 and has overseen the growth of Oil Search from a market capitalisation of around A$300 million to more than A$14 billion. It is presently around A$11 billion, impacted by the present low oil price environment. Peter is the longest-serving CEO on the ASX. For two years in a row, he has been included on the Harvard Business Review's list of the 100 Best-Performing CEOs in the world.
After graduating from the Royal School of Mines, Imperial College London in 1976, Peter joined the French energy group Cogema as a specialist sedimentologist. With Cogema, Peter worked across Africa, Europe and North America. Subsequent work with Kufpec, and later Petroz, saw Peter fill both technical and management roles in Africa and South East Asia.
Peter has been a leader in the Papua New Guinea petroleum industry for more than 20 years. He was formerly President of the Chamber of Mines and Petroleum and is a Council Member of the Australia PNG Business Council. He is the Chairman of the Oil Search Foundation, which is delivering major health and education programs in Papua New Guinea, in partnership with the National Department of Health, the Global Fund and the Australian Government.
In 2016, Peter was appointed to AGL Energy's Board of Directors. He is also Chairman of the Hela Provincial Health Authority, the National Football Stadium Board in Port Moresby, and Business for Development Board in Australia.
He was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 2008 in the Queen's Honours List for services to the community, mining and petroleum industries in Papua New Guinea.
Professor Ross Large
Ross Large is an Emeritus Distinguished Professor of Geology at the University of Tasmania He gained his BSc (Hons) from the University of Tasmania in 1969, PhD from University of New England in 1973, and an Honorary Doctor of Engineering from the University of Lulea, Sweden. For ten years Ross worked in the mineral exploration industry. In 1984 he joined the University of Tasmania, and five years later established the Centre for Ore Deposit and Exploration Science (CODES). Under his leadership CODES grew to become recognized as one of the top industry collaborative ore deposit research centers in the world. Ross has published over 120 scientific papers and is internationally recognised for his research on the genesis of ore deposits and relationships to Earth evolution. His current research interest is the chemistry of past oceans and relationships to evolution of life, mass extinction and mineral deposit cycles. He has won many awards during his career the most recent as lead scientist for a UTAS team that won the 2016 Eureka prize for interdisciplinary research. Ross is the past President of the Royal Society of Tasmania and the Chair of the Tasmanian Division of The Academy of Technology and Engineering.
Peter Baillie
Peter Baillie has been employed by CGG since August 2012 where he is Senior Vice President Business Development in the Multi-Client & New Ventures division, based in Perth, Western Australia.
He holds degrees from the University of Tasmania (B.Sc.1970, Geology) and Macquarie University in Sydney (M.Sc.Hons 1988, Sedimentology and Basin Analysis). He held positions in government from 1970 until 1997 (Tasmanian Department of Mines 1970-1993, Western Australia Department of Minerals and Energy 1993-1997). He joined TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Company in 1997 as Chief Geologist Asia Pacific involved in development and marketing of non-exclusive geophysical surveys, and subsequently joined Singapore based Geodata Ventures in 2009.
He has been actively involved with many professional associations and has held positions of Secretary of the Geological Society of Australia, Managing Editor of the PESA Journal (Petroleum Exploration Society of Australia) and President of the Formation Evaluation Society of Western Australia (FESWA). He was President of the AAPG Asia Pacific Region from 2011 to 2014 and President of SEAPEX (South East Asia Petroleum Exploration Society) from 2012 until October 2016.
Andrew Waltho
Andrew Waltho is a geologist with more than 30 years’ experience in exploration and mining geology, covering a range of commodities and geographies, focusing on the assessment and development of advanced exploration projects, greenfield project generation and technical improvement of existing mining operations. This experience has been gained through employment with a number of companies in the industry and consulting groups, including twenty years with Rio Tinto.
Andrew is based in Brisbane and leads a diverse and highly capable global team identifying and assessing new opportunities in a range of commodities including lithium and other new technology metals, diamonds, potash, uranium and industrial minerals.
