Namali Mackay is the Managing Director of the newly formed Critical Minerals Association of Australia. Namali has just returned from 15 years in the UK where most recently she led on the critical minerals agenda for the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) in London. With Austrade, she worked with UK and Australian critical minerals stakeholders, on behalf of the Australian Government. Namali is a former Australian diplomat and trade negotiator, covering the trade, industry, resource and climate portfolios during her diplomatic posting at the Australian High Commission in London. Following her posting, Namali was appointed Group Head of International Relations at Prudential plc UK in London where she managed the Group's trade and international agenda across the ASEAN region. Thereafter during Brexit, Namali was the Trade Advisor to Make UK (the UK’s largest manufacturing industry body) where she worked with UK manufacturers on supply chain and trade strategies for Brexit-readiness.

Radhika is a registered Australian patent attorney and is an Associate at Griffith Hack. She has been working at Griffith Hack for three years, where she has gained experience in drafting and prosecuting patent applications, primarily in the chemical engineering realm. Radhika completed a Bachelor in Chemical Engineering at the University of Sydney, where she went on to do her PhD in the field of mineral processing. Her research was on lithium extraction from hard-rock silicates, with a particular focus on spodumene. She then went on to work as a process engineer, where she specialised in mineral processing including both hydrometallurgical and pyrometallurgical processes.

Lisa Koch is a Partner at A&O Shearman and a recognised leader in project finance for the energy and resources sector, with a particular focus on emerging market mining and critical minerals financing. She has advised the International Seabed Authority on the development of the regulatory regime for deep sea mining exploitation, and has advised lenders, investors and multinational corporates on the legal and commercial frameworks governing international deep sea mining. She also served on the advisory board of Blue Nodules, an EU-funded consortium assessing the technical and economic feasibility of deep sea mining. Lisa’s broader practice spans project financing and investment structures across mining, natural resources and commodities, including royalty financing and commodity offtake arrangements. She has practised in South Africa, London and Australia, and has advised on the development and financing of projects in more than 50 countries worldwide.

Jo is an arbitration Partner and Head of Trade at Corrs Chambers Westgarth. She has worked on landmark disputes against foreign governments, and commercial arbitrations, particularly contractual disputes triggered by international disruption and regulatory change. Jo has advised the International Seabed Authority on the regulatory regime for deep sea mining exploitation. She is one of Australia’s leading trade and investment negotiators and has negotiated trade deals with the US, China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, and advised the UK government on post-Brexit trade issues. She has held senior roles across government and international institutions, including the United Nations, World Intellectual Property Organization, and World Trade Organization. Jo has advised Ministers and Prime Ministers on foreign interference, foreign investment decisions, sanctions, tariffs, export controls, business and human rights, and international disputes. Jo is regularly brought in to work with boards and executive teams to advise on government negotiations around regulatory change and develop international strategy in response to global market disruption.

Gavin Kennedy is an experienced geospatial project manager and business analyst at FrontierSI, with a strong track record of managing cross-sector, collaborative projects. Gavin works closely with Queensland Government agencies and other key stakeholders to apply geospatial and Earth observation (EO) technologies to critical challenges across mining and resources, agriculture, natural resource management, infrastructure, and climate resilience. Gavin is also the co-ordinator of the Queensland Earth Observation Hub, a multi-million-dollar initiative between the Queensland Government and SmartSat CRC to accelerate the growth of Queensland’s, and Australia’s, Earth observation industry by supporting commercialisation of research, the creation of collaborative networks and investment in EO product and service development. Gavin has a long and diverse career in data analysis, software development, research support and IT management. Gavin has managed significant IT infrastructure projects and products including software systems and high-performance computing infrastructure for genomics, research data storage across Australian universities and GIS data systems for seabed characterisation at Fugro.

Justin Schouten is a Product Manager at Komatsu, specializing in Mechanical Cutting, with over a decade of hands-on mining experience. His career has been shaped by a deep understanding of underground operations, equipment performance, and the practical challenges faced in the field. Since joining Komatsu in 2023, Justin has applied this operational expertise to guide product development, enhance customer value, and drive innovation across mechanical cutting solutions. His ability to bridge the gap between field realities and engineering design makes him a key contributor to Komatsu’s mission of delivering smarter, safer, and more efficient mining technologies.