WASMA Mining & Resources Podcast

In this episode, we have invited Ivy Chen, Principal Consultant of CSA Global and Director of Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM) to the show. Ivy is also a Director at Western Power and Football West. Ivy is a skilled and knowledgeable geologist whose adept at incorporating technologies to various mining projects and excellent at diversified training. Her current role sees her auditig IPS to ensure that they pose a balanced view - a view that is important given that the resources industry leans toward optimism. Ivy chose an interesting career path out of university. Working with ASIC! A great listen for all. It was a pleasure to have Ivy with us. Ivy’s Career Journey [02:25] Ivy had always been in Australia but her expertise allowed her to represent as a trainer for the first Australian-Chinese joint venture in Shanxi Province. She taught a group of older Chinese geologist how to use computer-aided mined planning. [03:26] Ivy was amazed on how previous generation geologist draws highly-detailed maps and for her to translate them into a modern computer system is challenging yet fulfilling. Life as Principal Consultant [05:02] Ivy’s work, in a nutshell, is a to be a “Bulldust Detector” where she tests the risk disclosure of mining companies and see if there’s a balance between upside and downside. The mining industry are optimist and loves their project, but this love is the reason why companies tend to forget all the good things. It is her job to take detailed technical reports aided with lawyers to help everyone understand where the risk are and how well they are disclosed. Directorship Learnings [07:38] Ivy learned that a non-executive director is vastly different from someone being on operations. As a non-executive director, you are hands-off on the operation—you cannot tell anyone what they should and interfere with what the CEO is doing. All you do is ask questions, challenge their assumptions, and make them think outside the box that would allow them to craft solutions for any situation. Diversity [09:02] The mining industry is headed to the right direction when it comes to diversity. Ivy emphasizes that it should just be about gender, but also age and ability. She thinks that the mining industry is not great at accommodating disabled people who can contribute many things. Inclusivity should encompass everyone, even those who are different from the norm. The mining industry is headed there, but there are still things to improve. Issues [11:35] Ivy felt that the mining industry have not defined any clear solutions when it comes to social license and environmental issues with climate change on the bigger picture. The industry should learn how to measure and quantify reports for these critical issues that people outside the industry can understand. [12:29] The mining industry should show to other industry that they are better. With this, investments flows in and offers on lower interest rates. If the industry will not pay attention into this, Ivy thinks that everyone will lose their social license to operate. Everyone should be conscious of it and ensure to avoid it from happening. Leaders of Tomorrow [13:07] Ivy hopes that the leaders of tomorrow should understand social license and not take it for granted. Social license covers everything – family, friends, colleagues – in other words, the society. The mining industry is not separated from the rest. Everyone is a family and that is important for future leaders to understand. Social license is not just a check box for a compliance list—it is something deeper and meaningful.   Learn more about Ivy Chen on: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivy-chen-06764613/  

Today, we talk with Matt Bennetto, Operations Manager at LinkForce. Joining us again is Rosie Allen from Rosie Allen Consulting, Mining Engineer and proud WASM graduate from the class of 2009. In this podcast we take a dive into diversity and how Western Australias largest shutdown business encourages diversity. Fun fact: 70% of employees at LinkForces Central Perth offices are female!   Episode Timeline: Diversity Program [00:50] We have developed a program called LTGo Program, it’s an eight-week course with tickets and certifications for individuals that may not have the connection, ability, or opportunity to work. We give everyone the opportunity, even if you are white, indigenous, Asian, male, female, etc. [01:32] LinkForce has always taken the approach of recruiting future graduates in mechanical engineering, structural engineering, etc. with female engineers as my priority.   Qualifications [02:09] With more than a thousand applicants, only 2% of females had applied for structural, civil, and mechanical engineering. Females are known for their attention to detail and drive that fits to our industry. Personal achievements are not enough to succeed, circumstances of diversity are just as important to be motivated.   Priming Young & Gifted People [04:22] Teens already made a decision about their interest before they get to high school and enrolling at a university. Companies are starting to realize that having a diverse workplace should be addressed at the root level. [07:01] Curtains opens up to these gifted children. Many companies organize flights for a bootcamp.   [09:32] It creates buzz for them. Seeing adults working in action at a large scale creates excitement for them. With technology and the aspects happening in the mining industry, the world is their oyster.   Introducing your Work to your Child [10:56] Seeing your children watch with excitement, the question is how do you promote it to them? There are many career opportunities in Western Australia; geology, metallurgy, mining, engineering, surveying, fabrication—data and coding in the next decade.   Key Quotes: [04:58 – 05:04] “Whether you have a son or daughter, they always want to be like their parents.” [03:04 – 03:14] “Regardless if you are a male or female, you always challenge yourself to be better at something.”   Connect with Rosie through her socials: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosie-allen-consulting   Connect with Matt through his socials: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-bennetto-a580a899/   Learn more about Link Force at: Website: https://www.linkforce.com.au/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/linkforce-engineering/    

In this episode, we have invited Matt Bennetto, Operations Manager of Linkforce. He worked on and supported some of WA's largest projects and companies Chevron Gorgon load-out facility, Christmas Creek, Utah Point, KCGM to name a few, with success and efficiencies improved every time. Matt understands reliability, communication, transparency but most of all honesty, which has assisted greatly throughout my career. Today, Matt talks all about shutdowns; his experiences, how he manages his people and leadership.   Shutdown during the pandemic [01:22] With current situations relating to COVID, Matt and his company had to work closely with state and federal government to make sure that proper protocols are followed, like social distancing. As well as working closely with BHP, who were instrumental in coordinating and organizing everything from the information packs prior to attendance, coordinating multiple planes, and multiple buses to carry people. They had four meetings a day, with all the contractors as well as the morning client, and the key decision makers. These are then reported through to the federal government and state government of how they were managing it.   Managing people [03:26] Matt work with a very large workforce, it is diverse and has different personalities. Leadership is key to any business, and it always sets a tone of culture, performance, and attitude. He thinks that Linkforce has a very strong and solid culture. From that, it runs into the leadership that are on site. Not everyone gets along in life, and there are different personalities but each of their leadership is significantly similar in that some may have stronger empathy than others. Matt believes in a leadership that cares and has passion for what they do. Because they are people driven business. Empathy is the most important thing.   Good workplace culture [06:40] Matt thinks that what creates a good workplace culture is honesty, integrity, support, and ensuring that, at the end of the day, if you say something you stand by that having everyone's ability to voice their opinion in the company is very important. As wells as working with people that have similar passions, that operates or is pulling in the same direction as you. He has may similarities with his people wherein they come from a rural background, so they have similar interests like being early morning risers, the fencing all day, or cattle mastering or working in the cattle yards, etc.   Attitude towards failure and mistakes [07:37] Matt shares that their business is people driven, they make mistakes. It's just how people own it and accept it. They have a very close leadership in their business where they monitor all sorts of aspects of whether it's a safety incident, or if we're seeing a trend, or if we're seeing sort of behaviors that could be coming from them as leaders.   Software development [10:47] Their company developed a software because there needed to be an ability to measure and monitor how people are operating in shutdown. To reduce the time of meeting with a client and having one key leader talking to the client directly, and where you need your frontline leaders to be monitoring the field, so that there are no delays of time of where they actually need to be. Because of this, not only can they show the client the areas where they can potentially improve, but it also drives an improvement in their business.   [13:05] The software was developed purely for something that has a timeline. So, everything that Matt and his people do each day at work, they are coordinated, one task flows to the next task because of this. They could be backfilling or working on the pace plan, looking at the pressures, and all of that will be in a timeline directed by either the client, the company, or the contractor.   Go to https://www.linkforce.com.au/ to know more about their services.   You can also follow Matt on LinkedIn. Thanks to our producer Trixi for the tireless effort that goes into the production of these episodes and also to Rosie Allen for joining us on the show. 

Brett Cunningham is the MD of Mining Leaders Group. Pretty self-explanatory really….BUT…Brett does not just create mining leaders. He transforms mining businesses so they are industry leading. A seasoned C-suite executive across a number of private and public companies - Brett's strategic vision for our industry is at the forefront of the transformation we are seeing across the sector. Brett is spearheading the transformation we see in the mining industry by developing the leadership capabilities and strategies for companies to transform. Mining Leaders Group not only runs leadership training and facilitation courses – but also helps mining companies develop long term strategies at a corporate level. Brett has worked with some of the biggest resources companies in the world and it was a pleasure to have Brett share some of his knowledge with us. As someone who has been on the Optimise Program - I can first hand speak for the impact and power of the course and I'm sure you'll take a lot out of this podcast. [1:40] How do we deliver a step change in production? How do we meet the future energy and mineral needs? We cannot meet those future needs based on those existing practices. [2:40] What other technologies do you see having an impact on our sector? There is a change across all sectors. We need to invest in making time to look at what other sectors are doing. The augmentation of technologies are next. Defence and agriculture are some industries we can look to. [4:10] Upgrading your skills. What do we need to do? If we focus in at a leadership level. Unless leaders build their capabilities and open up their perspective and mindset then not a lot will change. We almost need to unlearn forecasting – straight line production and finance. We need to re-learn scenario planning. Multiple eventualities that you need to prepare your company for. [6:10] What is the starting point for staying ahead in leadership? Networking and managing your network strategically. By mixing with different sectors of the industry we give ourselves shared experiences to learn from each-other. Are you always drawing down on your network like a bank account? Or are you growing it? [7:20] Tips for emerging leaders. Defining factors of your future success and performance is around self-awareness. Self-Awareness is one of these skills. Being aware of ourselves and our effect on others is a key too. Building that capability to look in the mirror, stop, understand and reflect. [8:50] Leaders aren’t born. They’re made. Understanding why you want to be a leader is important. projects that give you a good opportunity and figure out what you enjoy. What are the opportunities and experiences that will test your leadership experiences? What experiences do you enjoy? DO you enjoy being technical? Technical leadership is another pathway to consider. Don’t get too hooked up on a title – the title does not make you a leader. [10:40] Impacts of a bad leader? The erosion of trust. A fundamental. Leaders who have not been consistent and being truly getting behind their people. This erosion of trust is the start of poor leadership. [12:10] Books to read on Leadership: Principles by Paul Browning. Awake At Work – Michael Carroll. [12:50] Fears for our industry: As a sector. Can we learn and change fast enough? Do we have the knowledge to create new value within the sector. That still is not a core capability. We need to quickly get good at harnessing, adopting and implementing technology. [14:00] Diversity. How do we understand it? Developing highly capable female leaders. When combining male and females in leadership courses one common discussion point is that women are listened to, but are not heard. We all need to do better, and focus on being present and to truly hear what people are saying. [15:20] Weaknesses of emerging leaders. A strong reliance on their IQ and their technical capability to perform. Do you understand the end to end nature of the business? From exploration to product. Knowing each process is integral to building your capability as a leader.   If you want to transform your business through your leaders then you can get a hold of Brett Cunningham here. 

What would it have been like for explorers back in the 19th century when they stumbled across large mineralised systems? The thrill. The excitement. The opportunity of a lifetime! Dr. Jonathan Bell may well be revisiting the steps taken in history with a new discovery in Greenland which is fast becoming a target for mining activity. In this podcast Jonathan discusses the different approach that Greenfields has taken to sourcing their financing - Crowdfunding. A must listen for anyone looking to diversify their spread of investors during capital raising for stock exchange listing.[1:00] What is a mining incubator? [1:30] Uncertainty. [1:50] Copper staining all over the place with significant grades and no one there. Are we seeing two sedimentary copper basins?[2:30] Survivorship bias [3:15] The Greenfield Exploration Team[4:20] Going down the well trodden path OR go down the less walked path[5:00] Crowdfunding vs Private Placements[5:30] Reporting and ASIC regulatory guidelines [5:48] What sort of updates do investors get? Continual updates[6:00] JORC reporting and Greenfields stance[6:40] IS there resistance? Just curiosity. Traditional investment channels still have their place.[7:10] Reaching the spread requirements for a ASX listing.[7:30] Raising private capital is incredibly difficult. Crowdfunding is a way to knock on many doors. [8:00] Start-ups as the growth engine of the economy.Once again - thanks to our Executive producer Trixi Olfield for her effort in putting this podcast together. A big shout out to Matt Bennito from Link Force for allowing us to record in your sound proof offices.If you want to hear more and keep up to date with Jonathan Bell you can find more information here. Please subscribe to this podcast and leave us a review so that we can spread the amazing stories that make up our industry.Seasons greetings from the WASM Alumni Team.    

Joe's a proud WASM Graduate. This short 10 minute podcast is a snapshot of where mining can take you. From Saudia Arabia one day to the Arctic Circle the next. Joe has lived a lifelong dream of seeing the world and its mines operate - and find technical solutions for them. A must listen for any graduate who is technically minded and wants to travel!Executive Producer: Trixi OldfieldSpecial Thanks: Matt Bennito from LinkForce for letting us use their sound proof offices to record.

The Camborne School of Mines (fondly known as CSM) is one of the oldest mining schools in the world. Unfortunately the school may shut, with the University of Exeter cutting funding to the school. It’s a sad day for mining globally as we see the lifeline to one of the greatest (if not the greatest) mining schools cut. Here is Mike Moore, past president of the CSM Alumni and MD of Golden State Mining to talk about his experiences at CSM, and why it’s so important that we all get behind any move to try and save CSM. [0:30] Mike Moore’s family history. Life as a 4th generation miner. Mikes Great-great-great grandfather purchased a limestone quarry. [1:30] Mikes father got work experience at a tin mine in Cornwall and subsequently studied at CSM. [1:50] The Turks invade. The range rover. The motorbike. [3:00] No one in school had a dad that was a mining engineer. A mining education is limitless in terms of where you can end up. [4:50] Life for CSM graduates. In the 60s and 70s grads went to Africa. Early 80s a lot of graduates went up to the oil-fields, and then in the late 80s a lot went into the Channel Tunnel. In the late 90s a lot went to Hong Kong and Singapore and that group is now in Sydney and Melbourne putting in the tunnels there. [5:50] Any towns newspaper had 10-15 pages of job adverts and 10 of those were mining jobs. [7:00] Australia as a favoured destination for CSM graduates now. Mike recommends getting to Perth as a start and then moving to Kalgoorlie if you can to get exposure and a start in the industry. [8:00] A global strategy for attracting people to the mining industry. [9:00] New blood and their importance to the industry. We need to support CSM and WASM. [9:15] Are there opportunities for graduates in mining after COVID-19? [9:35] Our industry is adaptable. We’re well placed to adapt to the situations in front of us. Just look at how we have handled COVID. WE react very well to these challenges. [10:15] This is the time to be bringing graduates on board so they are well placed to excel when we are in the boom. When you take a punt on these guys, you are often rewarded for it.   Don't forget to subscribe to our podcast so you can here more of these great stories from legends like Mike.

Elaine is Perth based and holds a Masters of Science in Work and Organisational Psychology, a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management. The mental health of our people has never been under so much strain as it is now this extends to our board and management teams. Today we discuss Neurofeedback training with Elaine Corcoran - Clinical Director and Founder of Brain Training Australia. It was a pleasure to have Elaine share some of her knowledge with us. [1:00] 70% of issues that people raise are related to work and 30% are related to home. [1:40] Importance in focusing on stress and anxiety because this is the number one issue that we see in FIFO mental health scenarios. There's a lot of pressure on them (miners) to perform, to continue to perform, even in situations where they may not feel a hundred percent comfortable or safe.  [2:00] Issues that were being discussed before COVID just over a quarter of the population suffered form anxiety. That number skyrocketed to 80% of their clientele after COVID. This saw a huge rise in stress and insomnia amongst clients. [3:10] Survivor syndrome. Where you feel guilty that you have not lost your job but others have. This uncertainty was not good. As humans we need to slowly evolve into these different mindsets and to make sense of what is going on. When COVID hit – we did not have the time to change, adapt and pivot. [3:50] We can develop PTST up to 6 weeks after an event. You need to teach your brain that everything is going to be okay. [4:40] With COVID-19, we also have the added fear of a second wave. The second way of maybe the wave of mental health issues. Prolonged exposure to stress, because we're going to see, sleep issues, it develops into anxiety which impacts sleep, which impacts relationships. People get angry, people are snappy, people are on edge and hyper vigilant.  It’s like having your house broken into – and the feeling of being on edge after it has happened. That continuous exposure to stress is not healthy. Its where your cortisol levels are elevated at all times – and it is difficult to bring it down and this is where anxiety develops. [6:00] Focus is on stress and anxiety. As the sole breadwinner in many circumstances – it adds to the stress. [6:50] An alternative to talk therapy, feedback brain training, which is a type of technology that you can use to retrain your brand activity. For somebody who is in a state of stress or overwhelm, you would have a high Hertz frequency. Get those brainwave activities back down, you want to feel cool, calm and collected basically. This is a wonderful alternative for somebody who wants to choose a safe, natural non-invasive approach that doesn't involve talking about your issues or work in the past, through past traumas, that kind of thing. [7:54] With the use of EEG technology – a few sensors strapped to the patients head with some paste and the patient listens to music. Where there is a stress response the patient will hear a glitch in the music and this is unconsciously making the brain ‘aware’ of its own stress response. Effectively training the brain to know what it is doing. It is a non-medical approach. There is a medical approach available but Brain Training Australia do not work with that technology – they are focused on Brain Training. [8:30] Clients come in for anxiety, stress, anger, insomnia, ADD or ADHD. Some clients come in for optimal performance like elite athletes. [10:00] Let’s make mental health fun. If you do not feel good, you don’t feel good. You do not need to be ashamed of it. There is a reason your feeling that way. It’s the information your brain is receiving – so lets give it new information. When you go to a psychologist – and you bring forward positive thoughts – this is effectively giving your brain new information. When you include technology into the mix you’re effectively pressing fast forward on that button and you’re getting results a lot faster. [10:58] It sounds too good to be true. What is the scientific research which proves this works? It was actually developed by NASA and had advanced so that the general public can access this. Neuroplasticity is the process used for change. There is lots of research which backs this up. [12:18] Could this be a tool that we use to train the brain to stay more alert? [13:26] If this machine was onsite would people use it? In the USA the Employee Assistance Programs have Brain Training as part of them. [14:23] In Australia most companies have EAPs. EAPs also make psychologists available to most people. If you have a mental health issue – you can go to a GP and get up to a maximum of 10-12 sessions a year. [16:20] Understanding the process of using the EAP to help others out is really important. Thanks Elaine for sharing the amazing work you are doing in the FIFO landscape with Brain Training Australia. You can find more information here or can get Elaine on 1300 501 843.    

Mike Moore is the MD of Golden State Mining and a proud graduate from the Camborne school of Mines. Born in a copper mine in Cyprus, Mike is a 4th generation miner. In this podcast Mike talks about Golden State mining – the dream to find the next big discovery in the Pilbara and life in the highest seat in the company.   [00:45] About Mike   [1:30] Mike starts about starting a junior company, the sacrifices and what it means to have ‘skin in the game’   [4:00] Meeting interesting people and the human element.   [5;30] The marketability of a mine   [8:15] Getting exposure to many sites and companies and its importance that it plays in forming a team in the future. A large network means you can pick the best from a large pool of people.   [8:30] Building a network and the importance of building the ‘address book’.   [10:00] How do you and your family cope with the pressures of being in a corporate environment.   [11:30] Learning from failures. Mike talks about losing his dad at 13 and the lessons he has learned from that.   [13:00] Career planning at the executive level. What is Mikes plan for the future? Mike talks about the insights that he picked up on the board for a Aged care facility and different options down the line.You can find more about Golden State Mining (ASX:GSM) by visiting their website on https://goldenstatemining.com.au/

Follow the incredible journey of one of the original innovators of mining - Willy Wilshaw. A rare interview where he bares all. With a $500 scholarship he started off his Mechanical Engineering journey in Kalgoorlie. He describes the courses as mining focused with courses heavily focusing on Mechanical, Electrical, Production, Electrical Engineering and drafting. Everything revolved around design work where you were industry ready. He started off as a trades assistant on the ground floor. In the late 60's he got his break during the Nickel strikes where management put him in the drawing offices as a draftsman. In the 70's he left Kalgoorlie on a journey of self discovery which took him across the continents to 80 countries. He recounts his experiences of apartheid in South Africa and the personal conflict he experienced at the way Africans were treated. He goes on to discuss his return to Kambalda - where mechanisation started to emerge in the region. He describes his drawings for the Portal sets at the Otter Juan mine and the excitement of designing something new and using all his knowledge and how this creativity fuelled the rest of his engineering career. At the peak of his career, with WMC he had 14 mines, a processing plant, spray driers and a power station under his supervision as the Chief Engineer of Kambalda. They boy who started of as a trades assistant proved that anyone can make it to the top - and it those days it was possible. Willy goes on to describe he atmosphere he created in his company to encourage creativity in his team - "Lets have a go and if it does not work out - we put it to bed". 99% of the time it works - but if it does not - they try and solve the problem. A concern for him being the new generation being too afraid of making mistakes to think creatively and add value for the future. He misses the freedoms that he had back in his younger day but understands why we have so many rules in place now and their importance. With optimism for the industry of the future, Willy hopes that "old guys like him" are not pushed aside, and that they share their knowledge with the younger people and mentor them. He hopes that experience does not get washed away in the sands of time.  Who will be the Innovators of the digital age? We would love to know who's stories like Willy's will inspire so get in touch with us.  This episode was sponsored by our partners DaveyBikford Enaex

Kathryn Cutler  Passionate geologist and graduate from the WA School of Mines talks about her passion for mining and geology.  

The ultimate partnership. Father and son. Willy Wilshaw founded Wilshaw  Engineering in 1988. Since the companies inception, Wilshaws has been a leading engineering consultancy to the mining and mineral processing industry. Founded on world class engineering rigor and family values, Willy now runs the business with his son, Noel. Both of them graduated from the WA School of Mines in Kalgoorlie. Willy started studying at WASM in 1967 when the school had just started  expanding . Willy had studied part-time and worked in Kambalda before his biggest career highlight;  jumping from workshop  manager to the chief engineer’s position in the engineering drawing offices  in Kambalda;  from which he gained the skills to form Wilshaw engineering. Noel’s experience at the School of Mines was quite similar to his father’s. He originally wanted to do pharmacy but later found himself impressed by  some miners and decided to become a mining engineer. Noel had a great sense of achievement when he finished studying at the School of Mines, and always had the ambition to get involved in the family business; however, Willy found him distracted much of the time. With little experience, Noel didn’t know what the core business was, particularly with the underground infrastructure work. Noel worked for 12 years as a miner and mining engineer working his way to a  GM role onsite before he had the conversation with his family about his desires to grow the family business. After being knocked back once before he came back with a sales pitch Willy couldn’t refuse. After lots of convincing, Willy wrote him a job description and Noel started work. Their close and strong family relationship is a considerable factor to their success of the business. As for the succession planning they are working on it. Willy’s current role is giving advice regarding engineering drawings, designs, and calculations to get the work done to their clients at reasonable cost whilst Noel takes care of the day to day operations. Both Willy and Noel have played instrumental roles in the guidance, mentoring and inspiration of countless mining professionals – and for that we tip our hats to you both.

Graeme is one of the founders of State of Play and its parent company VCI. His current work focuses on understanding and advising on business strategy for the global resources industry at the nexus of economics, social and technology change. Graeme is based in Western Australia, travelling widely to support the development of strategies for most of the major mining companies over the past 15 years. A PhD in Engineering by training, Graeme has developed an industry-wide reputation as one of its leading thinkers. Xavier is the research manager for State of Play conducting much of the research, analysis and writing for State of Play publications. Xavier has experience in advising organisations on strategy, business model design and innovation, particularly with mining and utilities sectors. An economist and political scientist by training, Xavier has worked with a range of organisations aiming to catalyse innovation in the resources industry The Innovation: State of Play platform was initiated by VCI in 2012 to create a platform to support industry discussion of innovation and performance at a strategic level, macro-level insights into the industry ecosystem, and more effective strategy execution and business design for competitive advantage. Innovation: State of Play has undertaken 3 global surveys – 2013, 2015 and 2017. They also released the groundbreaking CEO Insights Report in 2016 of interviews with CEOs and Board members from the world’s leading mining companies. The link to participate in this non-profit survey can be found here. Contribute to the strategy forming material that State of Play produces so that our resources executives have as many perspectives as possible in making decisions about your future. https://stateofplay.org/survey-2018   

In this podcast we are talking with Rachel Cooke. Rachel Cooke assumed the position of U.S. Consul General in Perth on August 11, 2016 with responsibilities for Western Australia. We go through her life in Afghanistan, how she introduced change in conflict zones, how she led the community by forming relationships. WE also talk about the future for Afghanistan and look at investment opportunities for mining. A career Senior Foreign Service Officer, Rachel has focused more than 20 years of work on building U.S. relationships in Asia and the Pacific.  Immediately prior to taking up her current posting Rachel led the Southeast Asia policy team in Washington, DC.  Before that she spent two years in Afghanistan developing educational opportunities and engaging with the media, and another two years leading joint civilian-military training.  Rachel has also served in Malaysia, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan, where she was Acting Public Affairs Officer during both the 2005 and 2010 revolutions.   Prior to joining the Foreign Service, Rachel worked for the Environmental Protection Agency and for NASA. She was also a Peace Corps volunteer in Thailand teaching fish farming.  Rachel has a B.S. in Marine Biology, and Master degrees in Environmental Management and Public Policy from Indiana University.  Having grown up on the beach in New Jersey, she is delighted to have the opportunity to serve in Western Australia and check out the surf (as is her husband Martin). When we were recording this podcast we were in the meeting room of the US Embassy. We had to turn off the air-conditioning in the whole level so our mic's did not pick up the sound of the air-conditioners. So thank-you to the staff at the US Embassy for that 1 hour of discomfort. Throughout the podcast we were getting a lot of looks from staff. I asked Rachel why we were getting so many looks - and she said because not many people get to come into the room. I felt very, very special. It was an honor to speak to you Rachel - you're a true leader, inspiration and I personally took so much out of. Thanks for making time for me after the podcast to talk alone.

Jade Singleton and Alex AtkinsConnecting, Coaching & Caring in a Diverse Mining World

Elan is the Director of Product at Airobotics. Elan comes from a diverse background of engineering, business strategy and product development. Elan has served various roles in Airobotics since its inception in 2014.Today, he works to discover how drones can best be applied to enhance processes for industrial enterprises. Elan is passionate about bringing inspired ideas to the market through a clear understanding of the industry and market in which it operates in. His role at Airobotics encompasses deep technology and market exploration to identify opportunities and develop the future of automated drones. Highlights of Elan’s career involve developing startup companies, self-started projects from MEMS devices to efficient vehicles, and being able to experience the staggering growth of Airobotics. Elan has a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering.

Tamryn Barker is a co-founder and CEO of CORE Innovation Hub, Australia’s first co-working, collaboration and innovation hub focused on the resources sector. CORE provides a common point for operators, suppliers, researchers, entrepreneurs and startups to connect and collaborate on innovative challenges and opportunities across the oil, gas and mining and mining equipment, technology and services (METS) sectors. Leveraging Australia’s strengths in natural resources, CORE is a growing a network of hubs to support the resources innovation ecosystem, providing proximity to skills, solutions and opportunity along thesupply chain, and a culture of entrepreneurship, open innovation, collaboration and speed to market. CORE’s members and industrypartners are focused on leveraging the opportunities from digital technologies into the sector. Tamryn has worked for a number of international organisations including the European Commission in Brussels, Delegation of theEuropean Union in Beijing, the European Patent Office in diplomatic, trade and economic co-operation posts for over 10 years; and on a number of local collaborative initiatives including the international Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope project and data science and innovation projects for the resources sector. Tamryn is committed to growing a community of innovators in WA to deliver the ideas, solutions and skills we need into the future.

Boom and bust are common words when people refer to mining or oil and gas. But there’s actually a fairly predictable mining cycle – starting with explorers finding new leads… green shoots as investors dip their toes back in… early success as projects are proven… and mine sites begin to be built. And then there’s the investment and mysterious merger and acquisition phase where secret deals are done, investors jostle to put money in, companies divest assets that are no longer part of their grand plan, and small mining companies are taken out by bigger ones. Joe McDiarmid, is an experienced mining engineer from WASMA with RPM Global and he understands the true value of a mining project is critical to both the parties trying to sell themselves and the astute buyer who wants value for money.

A mining company’s success is not just the ore in the ground but also its social licence to operate. Without this social licence, it is very difficult for a mine to get off the ground.That’s why every mining company needs a “why factor. Ken Brinsden is CEO and Managing Director of one of the most important lithium and tantalum projects, globally, Pilbara Minerals.His passion for mining is contagious, and he reckons we need to spread that passion to the general community.

Dr. Jay Spence holds a Master of Clinical Psychology and a doctorate in Psychology from Macquarie University. He was a joint recipient of the Gold Prize at the Australian and New Zealand Mental Health Service Achievement Awards (2010) and of the St Vincent’s Health Australia National Invention and Innovation Award (2010). He was also the recipient of the 2011 New South Wales Institute of Psychiatry Fellowship and the Centre for Emotional Health Prize. A 2013 research paper on treating PTSD via the internet was awarded the ‘Research of Special Significance‘ designation. He has previously been a lecturer at the University of New South Wales and has 10 years experience treating patients in private practice. Dr. Spence is the CEO of Uprise, which is a Telstra-backed startup that provides innovative mental health programs for employers and insurance providers. About Uprise Uprise was founded by Dr. Jay Spence, a clinical psychologist, who treated patients with work-related stress or depression. It became apparent that by the time that many people came to see him it is was too late to treat them back to a full recovery. Many patients arrived in crisis with complex problems that made recovery time prolonged and emotionally difficult. He began to look at early intervention approaches and was fortunate to be part of one of the first online treatment clinics established in Australia. Dr. Spence completed his PhD thesis on adapting face-to-face therapies to be delivered online in the shortest amount of time possible. His PhD research became the basis for Uprise. Companies are in a unique position to be able to support their community of workers because taking care of them means better output from the community as a whole. Our aim is to facilitate that by bringing the best that psychology has to offer in the most accessible and engaging format possible.

Joe Dwyer graduated from UWA in 1991 with a bachelors in geotechnical engineering. In the first decade of his working life he worked for international geotechnical engineering consulting firms, his second decade was with WMC Resources before becoming Manager Engineering for BHP Billiton Nickel West following BHP’s purchase of WMC. Joe left BHP in 2010 to lead a reflection seismic acquisition company to the Oil & Gas exploration industry, becoming a contractor in his third decade in the resources industry. In 2015, Joe joined HiSeis … a technical spinoff from Curtin University in Western Australia specialising in the application of reflection seismic in the hard-rock minerals industry. He has an MBA and MSc in Mineral Economics from Curtin-WASM and as Managing Director and CEO of HiSeis, Joe is passionate about promoting the value proposition the reflection seismic method offers hard rock miners in their exploration, resource development and mine planning and design

Brendan Parker is a Principal Engineer and Mining Process, Production & Safety Expert with Advanced Mining Production Systems (AMPS). As a graduate from the Western Australian School of Mines (WASM) with a Bachelor of Mining Engineering degree, Brendan has global experience within various mining operations in Australia, China & Canada giving him a diverse knowledge of different mining environments, process & system management methodologies, techniques, corporate cultures & management structures. Brendan is the Director/ Principal Mining Engineer at Advanced Mining Production Systems Pty Ltd (AMPS), which is a production engineering specialised consultancy company. Brendan Parker holds a Western Australian First Class Mine Managers Certificate and is a Member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (MAusIMM). Mr Parker joined WASMA in 2014

Ben Auld graduated in Mining Engineering at the Western Australian School of Mines and commenced his highly successful career in the mining industry gaining experience in a broad range of commodities, disciplines and positions. He held technical positions in underground mines before forming a partnership in a consulting company (Mining Plus Pty Ltd) as the managing director. Ben is an entrepreneur, 

Scott Dutton, who is currently functioning as the director of mediation and conflict resolution agency “Fighting Fair”, is a well know name across all sectors of the industry in Australia for his trainings and workshops on conflict intelligence, mediation and emotional intelligence. After successfully driving the point home that conflict is an opportunity for transformation for companies in Part 1 of the 2 part series, Scott Dutton proceeds to give me some healthy advice for conflict situations. One such, could be a dispute between two employees which results in a toxic situation where work productivity and culture get affected. Scott gives us three tips to solving such disputes. Firstly, he emphasises on solving the conflict/dispute early. By letting it escalate only increases the fiction and Scott advises us to step into conflict situations early (as managers) and resolve the conflict as soon as possible. Secondly he suggests choosing the right method- investigation and mediation. In investigation generally an outsider comes and listens to both parties allegations; find the outcome and makes recommendation for the situation. However a mediator talks to the parties separately, on a another level, discussing the concerns and challenges faced by them, their allegations and determine whether negotiation is appropriate to the case or not and finally the mediator must find common ground for the parties to openly discuss their concerns. He explains how mediation can take a lot of time and skill to sort out and why it is crucial to make sure the right person is chosen to deal with the conflict in hand. At a lower level (site based for example) it could be taken care of by managers themselves if they were able to identify the issue/problem in its early stages. Scott also reiterates the importance of having clear cut processes for conflict resolution and grievance policy within the company framework to better handle the conflict situations between employees. With a robust framework to manage conflict, companies can delay engaging a third party mediator or mediation agency, however in the absence of such framework, its best to approach guidance before it’s too late. When asked for setting ground rules for negotiation, he states the best mind-set to have when we are about to negotiate is to think about the other party’s happiness as your priority also. Both the parties must openly discuss their needs and requirements and both the parties must be willing to listen and understand the other’s needs and requirements. This kind of mind-set will result in collaboration in the negotiation rather than conflict. With collaboration comes creativity in the way the process discussions which safeguard both the parties’ interests – and often both parties will walk away with results that were better than they were expecting. All in all, Scott Dutton makes us realise that winning might not always be the best option, in fact fighting fair and working together, is the outcome we are looking for to achieve the best results from a cultural and productivity perspective. It was an absolute pleasure talking with Scott – I didn’t have to look at my notes. It was that easy to talk to him and I’d say that is why he is so good at mediating! He can get parties in conflict to talk and collaborate. You can get in touch with Scott at www.fightingfair.com.au and www.scottdutton.com.au

Scott Dutton, who is currently functioning as the director of mediation and conflict resolution agency “Fighting Fair”, is a well know name across all sectors of the industry in Australia for his trainings and workshops on conflict intelligence, mediation and emotional intelligence. Innovative and insightful, could well be the middle names Scott, who has nearly 15 years of experience in mediation and conflict resolution. But what he brought into the discussion is possibly the most persisting challenges we face in the mining sphere- dealing with conflict. I say that this is the most persisting challenge because how we deal with conflict for the most part dictates the culture we have within our organisations. Scott says that confrontation is merely a style of dealing with a conflict situation. He also mentions how people tend to associate a negative connotation to the word “conflict”. He questions this quite universal notion to conflict saying that it really is an opportunity to forge better relations. Scott says that conflict is more like neutral ground and our reactions to it makes it constructive or destructive. He also introduces us to four characters he uses in conflict intelligence training sessions, namely, the Shark, the turtle, the teddy and the owl. The shark being the aggressive way of dealing with conflict and having a head to win rather than to solve anything, while turtle is simply hiding away from the issue. Teddy is, true to its name, trying to keep the others happy, which is quite self-destructive and finally the Owl, perhaps the most mature way to deal things in conflict, being thoughtful and mindful of the entire context to approach the conflict situation. When confronted with a difference between a contractor and client, a real time scenario in the mining industry, he warned against the stale mate situation that tends to manifest as both parties want to win the argument at hand. He suggests an easy method to approach such problems. One has to be open minded and try to not to think about everything as a know-it-all, which creates an opening to discussion which will accommodate other’s perception of the problem. Furthermore he says being a know-it-all creates many baseless assumptions – which further increases the rift between parties. Scott adds that this is especially helpful for people in managerial roles not jumping to conclusions, but rather, being approachable and understanding. Interestingly he mentions a famous “old lady and young lady optical illusion” (you can Google that) which reminds people that all this is just our perception. Beyond the old and young ladies, the picture may also reveal to you three different animals including an echidna. Take a look! This understanding of different perspectives itself will turn any conflict into a situation of opportunity for both parties. By taking in all the perspectives into account we get the whole context rather than just our own skewed opinion on the situation. On a lighter note, if we have got to discuss the need for a pay-rise with our boss, Scott has some tips for this extremely awkward discussion. He suggests that we focus on how we might deserve a pay-rise and also share an insight on what that adds on as value to the firm’s interest, in terms of loyalty, stress reduction, employee satisfaction and productivity. It was an absolute pleasure talking with Scott – I didn’t have to look at my notes. It was that easy to talk to him and I’d say that is why he is so good at mediating! He can get parties in conflict to talk and collaborate. You can get in touch with Scott at www.fightingfair.com.au and www.scottdutton.com.au  

Raleigh Finlayson, a COO at 31, a Managing Director at 33, at 38 he is the newly elected President of West Australian school of Mines Alumni, and Managing Director of Saracen Mineral Holdings. A mining boss born in boots on a station that his mine site is on now. Despite all the heights he had scaled, Raleigh has stayed true to humble beginnings and states that his most memorable moments were at the School of mines, where he formed great friendships and bonds that lasted forever. Interestingly the foundation of his great career also started out at the WASM when he started working right from the first year in the school from which he gained immense experience. He gives credit to his success to the right opportunities he took which came at the right place and right time. It is this winsome attitude that brought him more opportunities and inevitable got him to where he is today. Raleigh faced a lot of challenges in his career however he believes, it was all about making the right decisions, and proper planning. Advising young people stepping into corporate roles, he says the challenge is handling the expectations from people below and stakeholders above you, and perhaps even bigger challenge is to give oneself a break, focus on family too. He explains about those days when he comes home inexplicably frazzled and must figure out how to switch off from work and relax a bit. For the newly graduated engineers his advice was to learn things differently and to get financial perspective, perhaps even study a bit of finance to know and gain insight on how things work in the bigger picture. He never underestimated the importance of culture one brings into the teams. His prime focus for his teams had always been working hard, working together and learning much more with each passing day. He also invests a lot of time Mines Alumni as he feels that the school’s contribution to what he is today are immense. When asked about three major decisions in his career that defined it, he candidly replied that firstly courage and conviction about what you think, to stand up to your own beliefs will land you in situations that prove your mettle. Secondly he says, seeking advice and support will help young professionals, and finally he says young professionals must network and constantly try to up skill which will open new avenues for growth. Insightful as he is, with all his experience he said that as an industry, we might not be looking as great, with all the closing down of mines and loads of negative publicity. However he believed that the situation can and will turn for better. His thoughts on diversity were also very pragmatic. He said that the biggest mistake is that they are targeting diversity in the board room. Their focus should not be on prescribed numbers; instead it should be the quality and value of the person coming onto the board without any bias in terms of gender or ethnicity. However promoting quality in young professionals will help many females and individuals from diverse backgrounds an equal footing while getting into managerial and corporate levels. Raleigh Finlayson continues to bring immense value to this industry – and reflects the strong family values we have all come to know being WASM graduates.

WASMA Podcast Episode 10: Graham Crew’s tips on the future of mining and the skills professionals really need to excel in their careers  Graham Crew is a mining engineer who graduated from WASM in 1996. When we recorded Graham was General Manager at the iconic Bulyanhulu Gold Mine operated by Acacia Mining Plc and located 50km South of Lake Victoria in central Tanzania. Currently he is General Manager at Barminco. Prior to this he was Operations Manager with gold producer La Mancha Resources Australia during their expansion from 30,000 to 170,000 ounces per annum including construction of the 1.5Mtpa Mungari Processing Facility. Graham grew up in Kalgoorlie and worked in the mining industry as a draftsman and operator prior to enrolling at WASM as a mature age student in 1993. He has worked in extensively in mining operations and technical roles in Australia and overseas. In this podcast we discuss Graham’s climb to become one of the mining industries most respected professionals. We dive into the decisions, which he has made to get to where he is. Graham has no regrets and explains his optimistic view on everything happening for a reason. We get stuck into tips for mine managers and General managers and take a look at the future of mining and the skills professionals really need to excel in their careers. We finish with an intriguing discussion on diversity – and as you can tell – Graham is well versed in the benefits of diversity!.

EYE OPENING INSIGHT INTO BEHAVIORAL CUES 91% of people lie regularly, yet the majority of people are only 54% accurate in detecting a lie. While many lies are trivial, some are significant and potentially damaging to relationships, communities and organisations. Understanding nonverbal communication cues conveyed by others, and adapting your own behavioural expression is key to seeking truth and concord. In this recording Sophie Zadeh reveal’s the nonverbal communication cues that point towards deception, giving you the power to spot red flags and adapt your response to seek the truth. But it’s also a lot more than that. It will give you insight into behaviours that indicate dislike, discomfort and distress, and expressions that reveal true emotions. Ultimately developing your emotional intelligence

Imagine being able to control how people perceive you and to have the ability to read others- it’s like having a superpower! That’s the power of body language Driven by a passion to help people achieve their goals and with over twenty years of experience in training and presenting, Sophie Zadeh has worked with people of all ages and abilities, from all walks of life. Working one to one, in small groups or presenting to large audiences at conventions, her diverse experience, combined with an inherent creative flair, enables her to engage her audience and deliver effective, insightful training and presentations. Originally from the UK, Sophie lives and works predominantly in Australia, but is also able to take on work in the UK depending on timing and availability. Sophie’s company is called my alCOM

Andy is the Regional Manager for Priority Management WA and has been in this role since December 2002. During his time with Priority Management WA the company has experienced exceptional growth.With over 40 years’ experience in all areas of Sales and Customer Service, Andy has amassed a wealth of knowledge in developing long term relationships with people and organisations which has helped Priority Management to secure many long term training partnerships. Through a network of strategic alliance partners, friends and mentors Andy works with, Priority Management WA has the ability to offer their customers a complete training and implementation process solving many of the problems faced by businesses in today’s busy and demanding world.Andy’s belief around business growth lies heavily in providing excellent customer service plus just doing what you say you’re going to do. Have Fun, Think Big & Never Quit.

The TAG Financial Group are now proud partners with WASMA. This partnership is designed to provide all WASMA Members access to a partner that is able to educate you on all your personal and business financial needs. TAG Financials can help you look after your retirement Your dedicated support of this partnership will directly provide financial support back to WASMA.

Dr Spearing has a diverse background in academia and the mining industry. With an international career spanning 40 countries, Australia is the fourth continent he has lived in. Previously an Associate Professor in the Department of Mining and Mineral Resources Engineering at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, USA, Dr Spearing said he hoped his global experience will reinforce the global reputation of the School and strengthen the relationships between the WA School of Mines, Curtin, the mining industry, alumni and local community. “As Director, I would like to help grow research and international collaborations with the WA School of Mines Curtin whilst still maintaining the proud local history of the School,” Dr Spearing said. During his career, Dr Spearing has commercialised various patents and products, supported over $1.5 million dollars of funded research since joining academia in 2007 and has been published in a variety of technical books and related publications.

Jim has over 17 years of experience in the mining industry after graduating from the Camborne School of Mines in 1995. His mining career has been primarily in Western Australia, particularly with the Eastern Goldfields. He started his career in the field of Rock Mechanics involved in seismically active underground mines at the Gold Fields Kundana mine and the St Ives Junction Mine in the WA Eastern Goldfields. Following on from this he moved into senior technical services roll at LionOre’s Black Swan Mine, Barrick Kanowna Belle and Avoca Higginsville operations. He commenced at Higginsville in the earlier stages of development and took the mine plan from concept through to production of +1Mtpa. In 2011 Jim has been the project manager for the South Kalgoorlie Expansion Project (SKOEP) and has been in the General Manager at the South Kalgoorlie Operations and Higginsville Gold Operations and has recently taken up the position of General Manager for the Northern Star Resources Kalgoorlie Operations

Tom Paynter is a mining engineer, graduated from the University of Ballarat, with experience in most underground hard rock commodities. These include gold, silver, lead, zinc and copper using a wide variety of mining methods such as block caving, cut and fill stoping, room and pillar, and open stoping in both narrow and wide ore bodies.Tom currently works as  a Drill and Blast Engineer for Davey Bickford.

WASM Alumni Podcast 2 Bill Beament, Chairman of Northern Star Resources, President of the WASM Alumni talks to Kyle De Souza. Beament set his sights on a mining career at the young age of 13 after attending a careers expo and learning about the Western Australian School of Mines in Kalgoorlie. His dad had plans for him to take on the family farm machinery business, but Beament had other ideas. Like many in WA’s mining alumni, he headed to Kalgoorlie after high school to study mine engineering, and ended up in the red-dirt town for eight years, gaining experience in underground goldmining. “In Kalgoorlie, you’re immersed in the hard rock industry, but mainly gold,” he says. “Back then iron ore was a taboo word, no one wanted to go into iron ore, that was for people who couldn’t get jobs in the gold industry. Coal was a dirty word.” He started his career working underground for four years for a contracting company and then moved on, because he knew by this stage he wanted to work his way into a management position. Barminco, an underground mining contractor, sought him out and he joined its team at the age of 24, taking on the role of second in command at an operation in Wiluna, in the state’s Mid West. His potential was noticed and he was sent to run a copper mine in Queensland, at the age of 27. “That was a sink-or-swim opportunity and was a real defining moment,” he says. Three years later, he was put into the Perth head office for the remainder of his 8 1/2-year stint with the company and was given the job of general manager of WA operations overseeing 13 mine sites and 1000 employees. “What they probably didn’t realise was I didn’t want to be a contractor for the rest of my career and they had been grooming me as a future MD.” After leaving Barminco, Beament started his own underground mining contract company, which he ran for about 18 months before the mine it was contracted to went under. “I earned my first $1m and then lost it in the first year, but we paid off all employees and suppliers and had no debt and had a little bit of cash leftover, which I used to put into Northern Star,” he says. Beament doesn’t believe it is luck that has got him to where he is, but that it is the culture of the company he and his team have built. “We have a work ethic in this company that reflects from the top to the bottom and there is a culture of calculated risk,” he says. My board has backed me and my team 100 per cent and that is a pleasure to work in. They give us the licence to do what needs to be done and the results speak for themselves.       Name

Welcome to the very first WASM Alumni Podcast    Andrew Browne from TAG Finance talks to Kyle De Souza The WASM Alumni Podcast series is designed to break down the ‘distance’ that is pass and parcel in our industry and bring a voice back to everyone involved and allow our members another avenue to learn more about the industry whilst promoting the WA School of Mines. The TAG Financial Group are now proud partners with WASMA.This partnership is designed to provide all WASMA Members access to a partner that is able to educate you on all your personal and business financial needs.Your dedicated support of this partnership will directly provide financial support back to WASMA.