Avadh is an experienced Electrical Control Engineer and certified Project Management Professional (PMP) with over a decade of expertise in the mining industry. His career is marked by a unique blend of technical knowledge and strategic leadership, making him a thought leader in mining innovation and technology. Avadh has a deep passion for advancing automation, electrification, and sustainability in mining operations. He has published research on the performance and maintenance optimization of electric rope shovel machines, contributing to the growing body of knowledge in mining machinery and automation. Avadh is a member of several prestigious organizations, including the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (SME), the Colorado Mining Association, and Women in Mining. He is also an active participant in initiatives promoting digital transformation and sustainability within the sector. In addition to his technical accomplishments, Avadh is a sought-after speaker, regularly presenting at industry conferences and events. His innovative ideas on the integration of artificial intelligence and automation in mining aim to create safer, more efficient, and environmentally responsible operations. Avadh’s mission is to inspire the global mining community to embrace cutting-edge technologies for a resilient and sustainable future.

Chris is a Digital Solutions & Innovation Manager with over 16 years’ experience in the mining and minerals processing industry, with a passion for OT/IT and automation. From his roots, as a hands-on Industrial Chemist and Process Engineer in refineries and processing plants, he now looks for opportunities to provide innovative and disruptive technological solutions to enable cloud-based monitoring, optimisation and support of remote mining operations. Managing a diverse digital engineering and data science team he is responsible for research and development initiatives and building scalable software solutions for the business and its customers. He is an AusIMM Fellow with innovative work published in various journals.

Paseka Leeuw is a Professional Engineer with PhD and Master of Science in Mining Engineering degrees from the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), Johannesburg, South Africa. He also holds an MBA degree from De Montfort University, UK. He obtained his BSc Eng. in Mining Engineering from Wits University in 1994. After graduation, he joined the mining industry to hone his knowledge of mining engineering, particularly in metalliferous mining. Later, he founded a contract mining company, before joining Wits University’s School of Mining Engineering in 2009 as a Lecturer teaching underground and surface mining methods and mine transportation. Currently, he is a Senior Lecturer teaching and supervising both undergraduate and postgraduate students in the areas of mining equipment application and logistics, and mineral economics focusing on, mineral value chains, and mining technology inputs. He has also presented papers at mining conferences and published technical papers in journals.

Milka Madahana is currently a Lecturer at the School of Mining Engineering, at the University of the Witwatersrand, where she conducts data science, control, automation and application of digital technologies in the mining industry related research work, and she also lectures data science related courses. She holds doctorate, Master’s degree and Bachelor of Science in Engineering which were all conferred by the University of the Witwatersrand. She has worked as a Data scientist for the Business Intelligence Service Unit of the University of the Witwatersrand and continues to collaborate with institutions of higher learning as well as the industry both locally and internationally on data science and automation related projects. She has authored and co-authored several peer-reviewed journals and conference papers, as well as two book chapters in areas of application of artificial intelligence and machine learning concepts to mining systems. Her other research interests include modelling, automation, and control of engineering systems. She has also reviewed articles for several international journals and conferences in line with her research interests.