Heru Utama is a mining engineer, a professional in mining operation management and also a Drill & Blast engineering passionate. His current role is as a junior mining manager (Mining operations department) of PT Indo Muro Kencana, a surface gold mine, located in Mount Muro, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. On his current role, he is responsible for mining operations management, implementing health & safety in mining operations, people development, and also safe and efficient blasting practices that will support IMK objective to reach safety excellence and to achieve mining operational excellence. Heru studied mining engineering in Trisakti University (Jakarta, Indonesia) and has a master’s degree in mining engineering (mining geomechanics) from UNSW (University of New South Wales), Sydney, Australia. In his spare time, Heru teaches Drill & Blast engineering courses for mining engineering students in Indonesia and plays the drums in a band, namely Silver Elephant band or Golden Muro band.

Holds PhD and BE in Mining Engineering from University of Wollongong. David has over 30 years of coal mining operational experience. He is a qualified NSW Ventilation Officer and Ventilation Engineer, Mine Deputy and Undermanager.

J. Githiria is a senior lecturer in the School of Mining Engineering, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. He lectures both postgraduate and undergraduate students through effective teaching, research and publishing. He holds a PhD in Mining Engineering from the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa, a Master of Engineering Science-Mining from Curtin University in Australia and a Bachelor of Science in Mining and Mineral Processing Engineering from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture in Kenya. He is a mining engineer professional with experience in the mining industry, having worked in the academia, mining and manufacturing industry. His research interests include mine planning and optimisation in surface and underground mining and mine design with the aid of computer and operations research applications. He has several peer reviewed journals and conference publications. He is a Member of the Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK), Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM) and the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (SAIMM).

Diego Canullan, a 25-year-old Chilean, is a passionate mining engineer. After completing his education in Chile, he currently resides in Tucson, Arizona, where he is pursuing a master's degree in Mining Sciences, Geology, and Geophysics at the University of Arizona. One of his greatest dreams is to travel the world working in mining, which would allow him to experience different cultures and countries. For the past year, he has begun to make this dream a reality, combining his love for travel with his professional career. With a global perspective and a strong commitment to his personal and professional development, he continues to work towards expanding his horizons in the mining industry.