Program | Strategic Mine Planning Conference 2026

Strategic Mine Planning Conference 2026 Program

The conference program is subject to change at any time, at the discretion of the advisory committee.

All times are listed below in AWST (Perth, Australia).

Tuesday, November 17, 2026

	Stream 1	Stream 2
7:30 AM - 8:30 AM	Registration Opens I Arrival Networking (Tuesday)
8:20 AM - 10:15 AM	Session 1 \| Opening Plenary Welcome to Country Theo Kearing, Welcome from the Conference Chair Roussos Dimitrakopoulos, McGill University AusIMM Address Stephen Durkin, AusIMM, CEO Why mine plans fail: Value, predictability and flexibility under uncertainty Marcelo Godoy, AngloGold Ashanti Q&A Discussion \| Session 1 Session Chair, Commodity prices have changed. How have you adapted? Gerald Whittle, Whittle Consulting Q&A Discussion \| Session 1 Session Chair,
10:15 AM - 10:40 AM	Morning Tea (Tuesday)
Session 2 10:40 AM - 12:45 PM	Session 2a \| Strategic Mine Planning: Value, Governance and Decision-Making Value generation in mining: Does mineral resource management still matter? Peter Knights, The University of Queensland Strategic value driven planning through integrated multimine optimisation Felipe Damasceno, VALE SA Mind the Gap: Aligning Strategic Vision with Technical Evidence in Strategic Mine Planning Amit Suchak, BHP - Perth Closing the gap between strategic and tactical mine planning Erick Ponce, Agnico Eagle Mines Limited Beyond the pit shell: A framework for strategic mine planning to challenge constraints and support value-driven decisions Branwen Price, Rio Tinto	Session 2b \| Geological Modelling, Uncertainty and Simulation Dynamic structural modelling for near real-time inputs for geotechnical risk management and optimisation Akash Jani, Rio Tinto Localised conditional simulation in mine planning: bridging deterministic and stochastic workflows Tarrant Elkington, Snowden Optiro Effects of Non-Stationary Geostatistical Simulation on Open-Pit Production Scheduling Kadri Dagdelen, CSM A kernel mean embedding method for high-order geostatistical simulation in orebody modelling Julien Herrero, McGill University - Department of Mining, Metals and Materials Engineering Generative geostatistical simulation using Restricted Boltzmann Machine, Comparison with VAEs and GANs Yanyan Mu, McGill University - Department of Mining, Metals and Materials Engineering
12:45 PM - 1:40 PM	Lunch (Tuesday)
1:40 PM - 2:25 PM	Session 3 \| Keynote Presentation Beyond naive optimisation, revisited Gavin Yeates, Gavin Yeates Consulting Q&A Discussion \| Session 3 Session Chair, Session Changeover Session Chair,
Session 3 2:25 PM - 3:15 PM	Session 3a \| Geometallurgy in Mine Planning A geometallurgical framework using operational mining data for plant performance prediction and stochastic mine production scheduling Christian Both, Newmont Corporation Quantifying geometallurgical uncertainty for mine planning using machine learning and conditional simulation Cecilia Artica, Fortescue	Session 3b \| Commodity Prices and Capital Allocation Deterministic and stochastic metal price models and implications for strategic mine planning Steven Hoerger, Peak View Mine Planning Strategic capital allocation methods for commodity cycle resilience Elizabeth Deucker, AurumIQ
3:15 PM - 3:40 PM	Afternoon Tea (Tuesday)
Session 4 3:40 PM - 4:55 PM	Session 4a \| Geometallurgy and Mine-to-Mill Integration Assessing the impact of nonlinear combinations from the geometallurgical models and geological uncertainty within the strategic mine planning Alisson Mayrink, KPI Mining Solutions Strategic mine-to-mill as a risk-informed value system Farhad Faramarzi, Dassault Systèmes - Brisbane Debottlenecking underground stoping operations using an integrated mine-to-mill-to-backfill digital twin and optimization model Ashish Kumar, Newmont Mining Corporation	Session 4b \| Cut-off Grade and Economic Optimisation Cut-off Grade as a variable: An emergent property of multi-constraint mine plan optimisation at Evolution Mining’s Red Lake Operations Blake Talbot, Evolution Mining A Case Study of Blending-Based Cut-Off Selection in an Open Pit Iron Ore Mine Rodrigo Peroni, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul Leveraging underutilised statistical techniques and low-cost data to drive optimisation and generate value in strategic life-of-mine planning: a case study Leigh Lawrence, Whittle Consulting
4:55 PM - 7:10 PM	Welcome Reception

	Stream 1	Stream 2
7:30 AM - 8:30 AM	Registration Opens I Arrival Networking (Tuesday)
8:20 AM - 10:15 AM	Session 1 \| Opening Plenary Welcome to Country Theo Kearing, Welcome from the Conference Chair Roussos Dimitrakopoulos, McGill University AusIMM Address Stephen Durkin, AusIMM, CEO Why mine plans fail: Value, predictability and flexibility under uncertainty Marcelo Godoy, AngloGold Ashanti Q&A Discussion \| Session 1 Session Chair, Commodity prices have changed. How have you adapted? Gerald Whittle, Whittle Consulting Q&A Discussion \| Session 1 Session Chair,
10:15 AM - 10:40 AM	Morning Tea (Tuesday)
Session 2 10:40 AM - 12:45 PM	Session 2a \| Strategic Mine Planning: Value, Governance and Decision-Making Value generation in mining: Does mineral resource management still matter? Peter Knights, The University of Queensland Strategic value driven planning through integrated multimine optimisation Felipe Damasceno, VALE SA Mind the Gap: Aligning Strategic Vision with Technical Evidence in Strategic Mine Planning Amit Suchak, BHP - Perth Closing the gap between strategic and tactical mine planning Erick Ponce, Agnico Eagle Mines Limited Beyond the pit shell: A framework for strategic mine planning to challenge constraints and support value-driven decisions Branwen Price, Rio Tinto	Session 2b \| Geological Modelling, Uncertainty and Simulation Dynamic structural modelling for near real-time inputs for geotechnical risk management and optimisation Akash Jani, Rio Tinto Localised conditional simulation in mine planning: bridging deterministic and stochastic workflows Tarrant Elkington, Snowden Optiro Effects of Non-Stationary Geostatistical Simulation on Open-Pit Production Scheduling Kadri Dagdelen, CSM A kernel mean embedding method for high-order geostatistical simulation in orebody modelling Julien Herrero, McGill University - Department of Mining, Metals and Materials Engineering Generative geostatistical simulation using Restricted Boltzmann Machine, Comparison with VAEs and GANs Yanyan Mu, McGill University - Department of Mining, Metals and Materials Engineering
12:45 PM - 1:40 PM	Lunch (Tuesday)
1:40 PM - 2:25 PM	Session 3 \| Keynote Presentation Beyond naive optimisation, revisited Gavin Yeates, Gavin Yeates Consulting Q&A Discussion \| Session 3 Session Chair, Session Changeover Session Chair,
Session 3 2:25 PM - 3:15 PM	Session 3a \| Geometallurgy in Mine Planning A geometallurgical framework using operational mining data for plant performance prediction and stochastic mine production scheduling Christian Both, Newmont Corporation Quantifying geometallurgical uncertainty for mine planning using machine learning and conditional simulation Cecilia Artica, Fortescue	Session 3b \| Commodity Prices and Capital Allocation Deterministic and stochastic metal price models and implications for strategic mine planning Steven Hoerger, Peak View Mine Planning Strategic capital allocation methods for commodity cycle resilience Elizabeth Deucker, AurumIQ
3:15 PM - 3:40 PM	Afternoon Tea (Tuesday)
Session 4 3:40 PM - 4:55 PM	Session 4a \| Geometallurgy and Mine-to-Mill Integration Assessing the impact of nonlinear combinations from the geometallurgical models and geological uncertainty within the strategic mine planning Alisson Mayrink, KPI Mining Solutions Strategic mine-to-mill as a risk-informed value system Farhad Faramarzi, Dassault Systèmes - Brisbane Debottlenecking underground stoping operations using an integrated mine-to-mill-to-backfill digital twin and optimization model Ashish Kumar, Newmont Mining Corporation	Session 4b \| Cut-off Grade and Economic Optimisation Cut-off Grade as a variable: An emergent property of multi-constraint mine plan optimisation at Evolution Mining’s Red Lake Operations Blake Talbot, Evolution Mining A Case Study of Blending-Based Cut-Off Selection in an Open Pit Iron Ore Mine Rodrigo Peroni, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul Leveraging underutilised statistical techniques and low-cost data to drive optimisation and generate value in strategic life-of-mine planning: a case study Leigh Lawrence, Whittle Consulting
4:55 PM - 7:10 PM	Welcome Reception

	Stream 1
7:30 AM - 8:30 AM	Registration Opens I Arrival Networking (Tuesday)
8:20 AM - 10:15 AM	Session 1 \| Opening Plenary Welcome to Country Theo Kearing, Welcome from the Conference Chair Roussos Dimitrakopoulos, McGill University AusIMM Address Stephen Durkin, AusIMM, CEO Why mine plans fail: Value, predictability and flexibility under uncertainty Marcelo Godoy, AngloGold Ashanti Q&A Discussion \| Session 1 Session Chair, Commodity prices have changed. How have you adapted? Gerald Whittle, Whittle Consulting Q&A Discussion \| Session 1 Session Chair,
10:15 AM - 10:40 AM	Morning Tea (Tuesday)
Session 2 10:40 AM - 12:45 PM	Session 2a \| Strategic Mine Planning: Value, Governance and Decision-Making Value generation in mining: Does mineral resource management still matter? Peter Knights, The University of Queensland Strategic value driven planning through integrated multimine optimisation Felipe Damasceno, VALE SA Mind the Gap: Aligning Strategic Vision with Technical Evidence in Strategic Mine Planning Amit Suchak, BHP - Perth Closing the gap between strategic and tactical mine planning Erick Ponce, Agnico Eagle Mines Limited Beyond the pit shell: A framework for strategic mine planning to challenge constraints and support value-driven decisions Branwen Price, Rio Tinto
12:45 PM - 1:40 PM	Lunch (Tuesday)
1:40 PM - 2:25 PM	Session 3 \| Keynote Presentation Beyond naive optimisation, revisited Gavin Yeates, Gavin Yeates Consulting Q&A Discussion \| Session 3 Session Chair, Session Changeover Session Chair,
Session 3 2:25 PM - 3:15 PM	Session 3a \| Geometallurgy in Mine Planning A geometallurgical framework using operational mining data for plant performance prediction and stochastic mine production scheduling Christian Both, Newmont Corporation Quantifying geometallurgical uncertainty for mine planning using machine learning and conditional simulation Cecilia Artica, Fortescue
3:15 PM - 3:40 PM	Afternoon Tea (Tuesday)
Session 4 3:40 PM - 4:55 PM	Session 4a \| Geometallurgy and Mine-to-Mill Integration Assessing the impact of nonlinear combinations from the geometallurgical models and geological uncertainty within the strategic mine planning Alisson Mayrink, KPI Mining Solutions Strategic mine-to-mill as a risk-informed value system Farhad Faramarzi, Dassault Systèmes - Brisbane Debottlenecking underground stoping operations using an integrated mine-to-mill-to-backfill digital twin and optimization model Ashish Kumar, Newmont Mining Corporation
4:55 PM - 7:10 PM	Welcome Reception

	Stream 2
7:30 AM - 8:30 AM	Registration Opens I Arrival Networking (Tuesday)
8:20 AM - 10:15 AM	Session 1 \| Opening Plenary Welcome to Country Theo Kearing, Welcome from the Conference Chair Roussos Dimitrakopoulos, McGill University AusIMM Address Stephen Durkin, AusIMM, CEO Why mine plans fail: Value, predictability and flexibility under uncertainty Marcelo Godoy, AngloGold Ashanti Q&A Discussion \| Session 1 Session Chair, Commodity prices have changed. How have you adapted? Gerald Whittle, Whittle Consulting Q&A Discussion \| Session 1 Session Chair,
10:15 AM - 10:40 AM	Morning Tea (Tuesday)
Session 2 10:40 AM - 12:45 PM	Session 2b \| Geological Modelling, Uncertainty and Simulation Dynamic structural modelling for near real-time inputs for geotechnical risk management and optimisation Akash Jani, Rio Tinto Localised conditional simulation in mine planning: bridging deterministic and stochastic workflows Tarrant Elkington, Snowden Optiro Effects of Non-Stationary Geostatistical Simulation on Open-Pit Production Scheduling Kadri Dagdelen, CSM A kernel mean embedding method for high-order geostatistical simulation in orebody modelling Julien Herrero, McGill University - Department of Mining, Metals and Materials Engineering Generative geostatistical simulation using Restricted Boltzmann Machine, Comparison with VAEs and GANs Yanyan Mu, McGill University - Department of Mining, Metals and Materials Engineering
12:45 PM - 1:40 PM	Lunch (Tuesday)
1:40 PM - 2:25 PM	Session 3 \| Keynote Presentation Beyond naive optimisation, revisited Gavin Yeates, Gavin Yeates Consulting Q&A Discussion \| Session 3 Session Chair, Session Changeover Session Chair,
Session 3 2:25 PM - 3:15 PM	Session 3b \| Commodity Prices and Capital Allocation Deterministic and stochastic metal price models and implications for strategic mine planning Steven Hoerger, Peak View Mine Planning Strategic capital allocation methods for commodity cycle resilience Elizabeth Deucker, AurumIQ
3:15 PM - 3:40 PM	Afternoon Tea (Tuesday)
Session 4 3:40 PM - 4:55 PM	Session 4b \| Cut-off Grade and Economic Optimisation Cut-off Grade as a variable: An emergent property of multi-constraint mine plan optimisation at Evolution Mining’s Red Lake Operations Blake Talbot, Evolution Mining A Case Study of Blending-Based Cut-Off Selection in an Open Pit Iron Ore Mine Rodrigo Peroni, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul Leveraging underutilised statistical techniques and low-cost data to drive optimisation and generate value in strategic life-of-mine planning: a case study Leigh Lawrence, Whittle Consulting
4:55 PM - 7:10 PM	Welcome Reception

Wednesday, November 18, 2026

	Stream 1	Stream 2
8:00 AM - 8:30 AM	Registration Opens I Arrival Networking (Wednesday)
8:30 AM - 10:35 AM	Session 5 \| Opening Plenary Welcome and Opening Remarks \| Day 2 Roussos Dimitrakopoulos, McGill University Geology, structural uncertainty and the multi dimensional reality of strategic mine planning Rhonda O'Sullivan, BHP Q&A Disscussion \| Session 5 Session Chair, Unlocking value in mining projects: A stochastic mine planning workflow for complex gold-copper leach operations under geological uncertainty Agung Prawasono, Kinross Gold Corporation Q&A Discussion \| Session 5 Session Chair, From asset review to executable growth transforming strategic mine planning at Vale Base Metals Mario Freitas Silva, Vale Base Metals Q&A Discussion \| Session 5 Session Chair,
10:35 AM - 11:00 AM	Morning Tea (Wednesday)
Session 6 11:00 AM - 1:05 PM	Session 6a \| Mining Complexes and Value Chain Optimisation Strategic optimisation of the Voisey’s Bay mining and processing value chain Derek Galloway, Vale - Vale Base Metals Strategic value optimization for an integrated copper open-pit and underground mining complex Derek Galloway, Vale - Vale Base Metals Integrating planning horizons and capital investments for mining complexes with uncertainty using multi-level stochastic optimization Liam Findlay, McGill University - Department of Mining, Metals and Materials Engineering Assessing strategic production schedules of mining complexes and project evaluation impacts relating to uncertainty Will Patton, BHP	Session 6b \| AI and Machine Learning for Mine Operations AI-powered mine reconciliation: enhancing operational efficiency Stephanie Bream, AMC Consultants Learning interpretable dispatch heuristics for real-time open-pit truck dispatching under uncertainty Jingyu Luo, McGill University - Department of Mining, Metals and Materials Engineering L2Ofor2SP: Learning to optimize for two-stage stochastic programs Lidiia Shchichko, Concordia University Reinforcement learning-based stochastic optimization of short-term production scheduling and shovel allocation incorporating truck dispatching policies and environmental constraints. Victor Balboa Espinoza, McGill University
1:05 PM - 2:00 PM	Lunch (Wednesday)
2:00 PM - 2:30 PM	Session 7 \| Keynote Presentation Holistic optimisation: Integrating agriculture into mining for sustainable value Brett King, COMET Strategy Pty Ltd Q&A Discussion \| Session 7 Session Chair, Session Changeover Session Chair,
Session 7 2:45 PM - 3:35 PM	Session 7a \| Underground Mine Design and Method Selection Transforming mine planning: Auto-design rules for rapid underground layouts in Deswik and Datamine Ashish Saxena, AMC Consultants Underground mining method selection for narrow veins at depth at Cuiabá Mine Rodolfo Silva, Anglogold Ashanti	Session 7b \| Haulage Systems: In-Pit Crushing and Conveying Strategic conveyor-guided mine sequencing for cost stability and value optimisation in nickel open pit operations Andika Ramdhani Wilogo, PT Roda Jaya Sakti
3:35 PM - 4:00 PM	Afternoon Tea (Wednesday)
Session 8 4:00 PM - 5:15 PM	Session 8a \| Closure and Sustainable Mine Planning Integrating closure in the mine plan: Practical ways to reduce risk and cost, and improve ESG outcomes Christine Lison, Department of Mines, Petroleum and Exploration Digital Solutions for sustainable mining: Optimization methodology for pit limit & extracting sequence definition to reduce the mining impact and closure liabilities Florian Egger, Rio Tinto Regenerative mine planning: Embedding closure, carbon sequestration, and circular land use into mine design Eliakim Chauke, University of The Witwatersrand, Johannesburg - School of Mining Engineering	Session 8b \| Fleet, Equipment and Blasting in Mine Planning Incorporating maintenance-driven equipment costs into mine planning Dimitar Kaykov, McGill University - Department of Mining, Metals and Materials Engineering Diesel hazards to zero-emission safety: Techno-economic feasibility of mining fleet electrification at AngloGold Ashanti’s Iduapriem Gold Mine, Ghana Augustine Acheampong, Anglogold Ashanti Iduapriem Mine Multi-objective blast optimisation as a decision variable in mine production scheduling Rahad Supriatna, Unsw

	Stream 1	Stream 2
8:00 AM - 8:30 AM	Registration Opens I Arrival Networking (Wednesday)
8:30 AM - 10:35 AM	Session 5 \| Opening Plenary Welcome and Opening Remarks \| Day 2 Roussos Dimitrakopoulos, McGill University Geology, structural uncertainty and the multi dimensional reality of strategic mine planning Rhonda O'Sullivan, BHP Q&A Disscussion \| Session 5 Session Chair, Unlocking value in mining projects: A stochastic mine planning workflow for complex gold-copper leach operations under geological uncertainty Agung Prawasono, Kinross Gold Corporation Q&A Discussion \| Session 5 Session Chair, From asset review to executable growth transforming strategic mine planning at Vale Base Metals Mario Freitas Silva, Vale Base Metals Q&A Discussion \| Session 5 Session Chair,
10:35 AM - 11:00 AM	Morning Tea (Wednesday)
Session 6 11:00 AM - 1:05 PM	Session 6a \| Mining Complexes and Value Chain Optimisation Strategic optimisation of the Voisey’s Bay mining and processing value chain Derek Galloway, Vale - Vale Base Metals Strategic value optimization for an integrated copper open-pit and underground mining complex Derek Galloway, Vale - Vale Base Metals Integrating planning horizons and capital investments for mining complexes with uncertainty using multi-level stochastic optimization Liam Findlay, McGill University - Department of Mining, Metals and Materials Engineering Assessing strategic production schedules of mining complexes and project evaluation impacts relating to uncertainty Will Patton, BHP	Session 6b \| AI and Machine Learning for Mine Operations AI-powered mine reconciliation: enhancing operational efficiency Stephanie Bream, AMC Consultants Learning interpretable dispatch heuristics for real-time open-pit truck dispatching under uncertainty Jingyu Luo, McGill University - Department of Mining, Metals and Materials Engineering L2Ofor2SP: Learning to optimize for two-stage stochastic programs Lidiia Shchichko, Concordia University Reinforcement learning-based stochastic optimization of short-term production scheduling and shovel allocation incorporating truck dispatching policies and environmental constraints. Victor Balboa Espinoza, McGill University
1:05 PM - 2:00 PM	Lunch (Wednesday)
2:00 PM - 2:30 PM	Session 7 \| Keynote Presentation Holistic optimisation: Integrating agriculture into mining for sustainable value Brett King, COMET Strategy Pty Ltd Q&A Discussion \| Session 7 Session Chair, Session Changeover Session Chair,
Session 7 2:45 PM - 3:35 PM	Session 7a \| Underground Mine Design and Method Selection Transforming mine planning: Auto-design rules for rapid underground layouts in Deswik and Datamine Ashish Saxena, AMC Consultants Underground mining method selection for narrow veins at depth at Cuiabá Mine Rodolfo Silva, Anglogold Ashanti	Session 7b \| Haulage Systems: In-Pit Crushing and Conveying Strategic conveyor-guided mine sequencing for cost stability and value optimisation in nickel open pit operations Andika Ramdhani Wilogo, PT Roda Jaya Sakti
3:35 PM - 4:00 PM	Afternoon Tea (Wednesday)
Session 8 4:00 PM - 5:15 PM	Session 8a \| Closure and Sustainable Mine Planning Integrating closure in the mine plan: Practical ways to reduce risk and cost, and improve ESG outcomes Christine Lison, Department of Mines, Petroleum and Exploration Digital Solutions for sustainable mining: Optimization methodology for pit limit & extracting sequence definition to reduce the mining impact and closure liabilities Florian Egger, Rio Tinto Regenerative mine planning: Embedding closure, carbon sequestration, and circular land use into mine design Eliakim Chauke, University of The Witwatersrand, Johannesburg - School of Mining Engineering	Session 8b \| Fleet, Equipment and Blasting in Mine Planning Incorporating maintenance-driven equipment costs into mine planning Dimitar Kaykov, McGill University - Department of Mining, Metals and Materials Engineering Diesel hazards to zero-emission safety: Techno-economic feasibility of mining fleet electrification at AngloGold Ashanti’s Iduapriem Gold Mine, Ghana Augustine Acheampong, Anglogold Ashanti Iduapriem Mine Multi-objective blast optimisation as a decision variable in mine production scheduling Rahad Supriatna, Unsw

	Stream 1
8:00 AM - 8:30 AM	Registration Opens I Arrival Networking (Wednesday)
8:30 AM - 10:35 AM	Session 5 \| Opening Plenary Welcome and Opening Remarks \| Day 2 Roussos Dimitrakopoulos, McGill University Geology, structural uncertainty and the multi dimensional reality of strategic mine planning Rhonda O'Sullivan, BHP Q&A Disscussion \| Session 5 Session Chair, Unlocking value in mining projects: A stochastic mine planning workflow for complex gold-copper leach operations under geological uncertainty Agung Prawasono, Kinross Gold Corporation Q&A Discussion \| Session 5 Session Chair, From asset review to executable growth transforming strategic mine planning at Vale Base Metals Mario Freitas Silva, Vale Base Metals Q&A Discussion \| Session 5 Session Chair,
10:35 AM - 11:00 AM	Morning Tea (Wednesday)
Session 6 11:00 AM - 1:05 PM	Session 6a \| Mining Complexes and Value Chain Optimisation Strategic optimisation of the Voisey’s Bay mining and processing value chain Derek Galloway, Vale - Vale Base Metals Strategic value optimization for an integrated copper open-pit and underground mining complex Derek Galloway, Vale - Vale Base Metals Integrating planning horizons and capital investments for mining complexes with uncertainty using multi-level stochastic optimization Liam Findlay, McGill University - Department of Mining, Metals and Materials Engineering Assessing strategic production schedules of mining complexes and project evaluation impacts relating to uncertainty Will Patton, BHP
1:05 PM - 2:00 PM	Lunch (Wednesday)
2:00 PM - 2:30 PM	Session 7 \| Keynote Presentation Holistic optimisation: Integrating agriculture into mining for sustainable value Brett King, COMET Strategy Pty Ltd Q&A Discussion \| Session 7 Session Chair, Session Changeover Session Chair,
Session 7 2:45 PM - 3:35 PM	Session 7a \| Underground Mine Design and Method Selection Transforming mine planning: Auto-design rules for rapid underground layouts in Deswik and Datamine Ashish Saxena, AMC Consultants Underground mining method selection for narrow veins at depth at Cuiabá Mine Rodolfo Silva, Anglogold Ashanti
3:35 PM - 4:00 PM	Afternoon Tea (Wednesday)
Session 8 4:00 PM - 5:15 PM	Session 8a \| Closure and Sustainable Mine Planning Integrating closure in the mine plan: Practical ways to reduce risk and cost, and improve ESG outcomes Christine Lison, Department of Mines, Petroleum and Exploration Digital Solutions for sustainable mining: Optimization methodology for pit limit & extracting sequence definition to reduce the mining impact and closure liabilities Florian Egger, Rio Tinto Regenerative mine planning: Embedding closure, carbon sequestration, and circular land use into mine design Eliakim Chauke, University of The Witwatersrand, Johannesburg - School of Mining Engineering

	Stream 2
8:00 AM - 8:30 AM	Registration Opens I Arrival Networking (Wednesday)
8:30 AM - 10:35 AM	Session 5 \| Opening Plenary Welcome and Opening Remarks \| Day 2 Roussos Dimitrakopoulos, McGill University Geology, structural uncertainty and the multi dimensional reality of strategic mine planning Rhonda O'Sullivan, BHP Q&A Disscussion \| Session 5 Session Chair, Unlocking value in mining projects: A stochastic mine planning workflow for complex gold-copper leach operations under geological uncertainty Agung Prawasono, Kinross Gold Corporation Q&A Discussion \| Session 5 Session Chair, From asset review to executable growth transforming strategic mine planning at Vale Base Metals Mario Freitas Silva, Vale Base Metals Q&A Discussion \| Session 5 Session Chair,
10:35 AM - 11:00 AM	Morning Tea (Wednesday)
Session 6 11:00 AM - 1:05 PM	Session 6b \| AI and Machine Learning for Mine Operations AI-powered mine reconciliation: enhancing operational efficiency Stephanie Bream, AMC Consultants Learning interpretable dispatch heuristics for real-time open-pit truck dispatching under uncertainty Jingyu Luo, McGill University - Department of Mining, Metals and Materials Engineering L2Ofor2SP: Learning to optimize for two-stage stochastic programs Lidiia Shchichko, Concordia University Reinforcement learning-based stochastic optimization of short-term production scheduling and shovel allocation incorporating truck dispatching policies and environmental constraints. Victor Balboa Espinoza, McGill University
1:05 PM - 2:00 PM	Lunch (Wednesday)
2:00 PM - 2:30 PM	Session 7 \| Keynote Presentation Holistic optimisation: Integrating agriculture into mining for sustainable value Brett King, COMET Strategy Pty Ltd Q&A Discussion \| Session 7 Session Chair, Session Changeover Session Chair,
Session 7 2:45 PM - 3:35 PM	Session 7b \| Haulage Systems: In-Pit Crushing and Conveying Strategic conveyor-guided mine sequencing for cost stability and value optimisation in nickel open pit operations Andika Ramdhani Wilogo, PT Roda Jaya Sakti
3:35 PM - 4:00 PM	Afternoon Tea (Wednesday)
Session 8 4:00 PM - 5:15 PM	Session 8b \| Fleet, Equipment and Blasting in Mine Planning Incorporating maintenance-driven equipment costs into mine planning Dimitar Kaykov, McGill University - Department of Mining, Metals and Materials Engineering Diesel hazards to zero-emission safety: Techno-economic feasibility of mining fleet electrification at AngloGold Ashanti’s Iduapriem Gold Mine, Ghana Augustine Acheampong, Anglogold Ashanti Iduapriem Mine Multi-objective blast optimisation as a decision variable in mine production scheduling Rahad Supriatna, Unsw

Thursday, November 19, 2026

	Stream 1	Stream 2
8:00 AM - 8:30 AM	Registration Opens I Arrival Networking (Thursday)
8:30 AM - 10:35 AM	Session 9 \| Opening Plenary Welcome and Opening Remarks \| Day 3 Roussos Dimitrakopoulos, McGill University Institutional memory: Remembering why decisions were made Eduardo Coloma, Maptek Q&A Discussion \| Session 9 Session Chair, Evolution of mine planning to include the uncertainty as a critical factor to define the strategy of a mine asset Orlando Leiva, Anglo American Q&A Discussion \| Session 9 Session Chair, Managing Resource Uncertainty in a Large Mining Organizations Arja Jewbali, Newmont Q&A Discussion \| Session 9 Session Chair,
10:35 AM - 11:00 AM	Morning Tea (Thursday)
Session 10 11:00 AM - 1:05 PM	Session 10a \| Production Planning under Geological Uncertainty From risk assessment to stochastic optimization: A systematic approach to de-risk an operating gold mine production schedule Adrienne Rispoli, IAMGOLD Corporation Unlocking opportunities through a stochastic production plan optimization of an iron ore greenfield mining project Matheus Furtado e Faria, KPI Mining Solutions Generating operational mine schedule using a stochastic block-based simultaneous optimization framework Alisson Mayrink, KPI Mining Solutions Incorporating geological and equipment uncertainty into two-year budget (2YB) planning Ilnur Minniakhmetov, BHP Optimization of selective mining unit (SMU) size through misclassification and economic analysis using sequential Gaussian simulation (SGS): application to a copper deposit Noaman Bouhlali, Geology & Sustainable Mining Institute - University Mohamed 6 Polytechnic	Session 10b \| Underground Planning: Caving and Stope Optimisation Dynamic Optimization of Integrated Mine Value Chains: A Tractable MILP Framework for Adaptive Decision-Making Junlin Qu, The University of Adelaide Geotechnical simulation for block caving: Quantifying rock mass uncertainty to drive long term planning at Carrapateena Shaun Light, BHP - Copper South Australia A Stochastic Economic Block-Model Framework for Optimising Underground Stope Layouts Under Grade Uncertainty for a Platinum-Group-Element Deposit Sihe Nhleko, North-West University Simultaneous stochastic optimization of underground mining complexes: production and development scheduling with multiple design alternatives under uncertainty Angus Macrae, McGill University - Department of Mining, Metals and Materials Engineering Integration of machine learning and mixed-integer programming in underground mine planning Prosper Chimunhu, Curtin University - Western Australian School of Mines(WASM)
1:05 PM - 2:00 PM	Lunch (Thursday)
Session 11 2:00 PM - 3:40 PM	Session 11a \| Mine Scheduling Algorithms and Pit Optimisation Pit optimization for large models in the presence of geologic and economic uncertainty Matthew Deutsch, Resource Modeling Solutions Multi-objective genetic algorithm for strategic open pit mine planning: Generating pareto-optimal schedules for value-feasibility trade-offs Jérémy André, Maptek Improving confidence in evolutionary mine scheduling via uncertainty discounting William Reid, Maptek Incorporating mining direction into strategic mine planning: modelling and implementation Iain Rudge, Dassault Systemes	Session 11b \| Strategic Planning in Practice: People, Projects and Decision Support Best practices for uncertainty management in mineral projects Mario Freitas Silva, Vale Base Metals The role and application of techno-economics theory in the development of mining projects Michael Fox-Martin, Mventech (Pty) Ltd From file-based workflows to decision support systems: a framework for scalable mine planning in the cloud era Luke Victor, Maptek Pty Ltd AI enabled strategic planning - why people are the mining industry’s real asset Belinda Yaqub, Rio Tinto
3:40 PM - 4:05 PM	Afternoon Tea (Thursday)
4:05 PM - 5:20 PM	Session 12 \| Closing Plenary & Awards Panel Discussion Vanessa Lickfold, Independent Conference Close & Award Presentations Roussos Dimitrakopoulos, McGill University

	Stream 1	Stream 2
8:00 AM - 8:30 AM	Registration Opens I Arrival Networking (Thursday)
8:30 AM - 10:35 AM	Session 9 \| Opening Plenary Welcome and Opening Remarks \| Day 3 Roussos Dimitrakopoulos, McGill University Institutional memory: Remembering why decisions were made Eduardo Coloma, Maptek Q&A Discussion \| Session 9 Session Chair, Evolution of mine planning to include the uncertainty as a critical factor to define the strategy of a mine asset Orlando Leiva, Anglo American Q&A Discussion \| Session 9 Session Chair, Managing Resource Uncertainty in a Large Mining Organizations Arja Jewbali, Newmont Q&A Discussion \| Session 9 Session Chair,
10:35 AM - 11:00 AM	Morning Tea (Thursday)
Session 10 11:00 AM - 1:05 PM	Session 10a \| Production Planning under Geological Uncertainty From risk assessment to stochastic optimization: A systematic approach to de-risk an operating gold mine production schedule Adrienne Rispoli, IAMGOLD Corporation Unlocking opportunities through a stochastic production plan optimization of an iron ore greenfield mining project Matheus Furtado e Faria, KPI Mining Solutions Generating operational mine schedule using a stochastic block-based simultaneous optimization framework Alisson Mayrink, KPI Mining Solutions Incorporating geological and equipment uncertainty into two-year budget (2YB) planning Ilnur Minniakhmetov, BHP Optimization of selective mining unit (SMU) size through misclassification and economic analysis using sequential Gaussian simulation (SGS): application to a copper deposit Noaman Bouhlali, Geology & Sustainable Mining Institute - University Mohamed 6 Polytechnic	Session 10b \| Underground Planning: Caving and Stope Optimisation Dynamic Optimization of Integrated Mine Value Chains: A Tractable MILP Framework for Adaptive Decision-Making Junlin Qu, The University of Adelaide Geotechnical simulation for block caving: Quantifying rock mass uncertainty to drive long term planning at Carrapateena Shaun Light, BHP - Copper South Australia A Stochastic Economic Block-Model Framework for Optimising Underground Stope Layouts Under Grade Uncertainty for a Platinum-Group-Element Deposit Sihe Nhleko, North-West University Simultaneous stochastic optimization of underground mining complexes: production and development scheduling with multiple design alternatives under uncertainty Angus Macrae, McGill University - Department of Mining, Metals and Materials Engineering Integration of machine learning and mixed-integer programming in underground mine planning Prosper Chimunhu, Curtin University - Western Australian School of Mines(WASM)
1:05 PM - 2:00 PM	Lunch (Thursday)
Session 11 2:00 PM - 3:40 PM	Session 11a \| Mine Scheduling Algorithms and Pit Optimisation Pit optimization for large models in the presence of geologic and economic uncertainty Matthew Deutsch, Resource Modeling Solutions Multi-objective genetic algorithm for strategic open pit mine planning: Generating pareto-optimal schedules for value-feasibility trade-offs Jérémy André, Maptek Improving confidence in evolutionary mine scheduling via uncertainty discounting William Reid, Maptek Incorporating mining direction into strategic mine planning: modelling and implementation Iain Rudge, Dassault Systemes	Session 11b \| Strategic Planning in Practice: People, Projects and Decision Support Best practices for uncertainty management in mineral projects Mario Freitas Silva, Vale Base Metals The role and application of techno-economics theory in the development of mining projects Michael Fox-Martin, Mventech (Pty) Ltd From file-based workflows to decision support systems: a framework for scalable mine planning in the cloud era Luke Victor, Maptek Pty Ltd AI enabled strategic planning - why people are the mining industry’s real asset Belinda Yaqub, Rio Tinto
3:40 PM - 4:05 PM	Afternoon Tea (Thursday)
4:05 PM - 5:20 PM	Session 12 \| Closing Plenary & Awards Panel Discussion Vanessa Lickfold, Independent Conference Close & Award Presentations Roussos Dimitrakopoulos, McGill University

	Stream 1
8:00 AM - 8:30 AM	Registration Opens I Arrival Networking (Thursday)
8:30 AM - 10:35 AM	Session 9 \| Opening Plenary Welcome and Opening Remarks \| Day 3 Roussos Dimitrakopoulos, McGill University Institutional memory: Remembering why decisions were made Eduardo Coloma, Maptek Q&A Discussion \| Session 9 Session Chair, Evolution of mine planning to include the uncertainty as a critical factor to define the strategy of a mine asset Orlando Leiva, Anglo American Q&A Discussion \| Session 9 Session Chair, Managing Resource Uncertainty in a Large Mining Organizations Arja Jewbali, Newmont Q&A Discussion \| Session 9 Session Chair,
10:35 AM - 11:00 AM	Morning Tea (Thursday)
Session 10 11:00 AM - 1:05 PM	Session 10a \| Production Planning under Geological Uncertainty From risk assessment to stochastic optimization: A systematic approach to de-risk an operating gold mine production schedule Adrienne Rispoli, IAMGOLD Corporation Unlocking opportunities through a stochastic production plan optimization of an iron ore greenfield mining project Matheus Furtado e Faria, KPI Mining Solutions Generating operational mine schedule using a stochastic block-based simultaneous optimization framework Alisson Mayrink, KPI Mining Solutions Incorporating geological and equipment uncertainty into two-year budget (2YB) planning Ilnur Minniakhmetov, BHP Optimization of selective mining unit (SMU) size through misclassification and economic analysis using sequential Gaussian simulation (SGS): application to a copper deposit Noaman Bouhlali, Geology & Sustainable Mining Institute - University Mohamed 6 Polytechnic
1:05 PM - 2:00 PM	Lunch (Thursday)
Session 11 2:00 PM - 3:40 PM	Session 11a \| Mine Scheduling Algorithms and Pit Optimisation Pit optimization for large models in the presence of geologic and economic uncertainty Matthew Deutsch, Resource Modeling Solutions Multi-objective genetic algorithm for strategic open pit mine planning: Generating pareto-optimal schedules for value-feasibility trade-offs Jérémy André, Maptek Improving confidence in evolutionary mine scheduling via uncertainty discounting William Reid, Maptek Incorporating mining direction into strategic mine planning: modelling and implementation Iain Rudge, Dassault Systemes
3:40 PM - 4:05 PM	Afternoon Tea (Thursday)
4:05 PM - 5:20 PM	Session 12 \| Closing Plenary & Awards Panel Discussion Vanessa Lickfold, Independent Conference Close & Award Presentations Roussos Dimitrakopoulos, McGill University

	Stream 2
8:00 AM - 8:30 AM	Registration Opens I Arrival Networking (Thursday)
8:30 AM - 10:35 AM	Session 9 \| Opening Plenary Welcome and Opening Remarks \| Day 3 Roussos Dimitrakopoulos, McGill University Institutional memory: Remembering why decisions were made Eduardo Coloma, Maptek Q&A Discussion \| Session 9 Session Chair, Evolution of mine planning to include the uncertainty as a critical factor to define the strategy of a mine asset Orlando Leiva, Anglo American Q&A Discussion \| Session 9 Session Chair, Managing Resource Uncertainty in a Large Mining Organizations Arja Jewbali, Newmont Q&A Discussion \| Session 9 Session Chair,
10:35 AM - 11:00 AM	Morning Tea (Thursday)
Session 10 11:00 AM - 1:05 PM	Session 10b \| Underground Planning: Caving and Stope Optimisation Dynamic Optimization of Integrated Mine Value Chains: A Tractable MILP Framework for Adaptive Decision-Making Junlin Qu, The University of Adelaide Geotechnical simulation for block caving: Quantifying rock mass uncertainty to drive long term planning at Carrapateena Shaun Light, BHP - Copper South Australia A Stochastic Economic Block-Model Framework for Optimising Underground Stope Layouts Under Grade Uncertainty for a Platinum-Group-Element Deposit Sihe Nhleko, North-West University Simultaneous stochastic optimization of underground mining complexes: production and development scheduling with multiple design alternatives under uncertainty Angus Macrae, McGill University - Department of Mining, Metals and Materials Engineering Integration of machine learning and mixed-integer programming in underground mine planning Prosper Chimunhu, Curtin University - Western Australian School of Mines(WASM)
1:05 PM - 2:00 PM	Lunch (Thursday)
Session 11 2:00 PM - 3:40 PM	Session 11b \| Strategic Planning in Practice: People, Projects and Decision Support Best practices for uncertainty management in mineral projects Mario Freitas Silva, Vale Base Metals The role and application of techno-economics theory in the development of mining projects Michael Fox-Martin, Mventech (Pty) Ltd From file-based workflows to decision support systems: a framework for scalable mine planning in the cloud era Luke Victor, Maptek Pty Ltd AI enabled strategic planning - why people are the mining industry’s real asset Belinda Yaqub, Rio Tinto
3:40 PM - 4:05 PM	Afternoon Tea (Thursday)
4:05 PM - 5:20 PM	Session 12 \| Closing Plenary & Awards Panel Discussion Vanessa Lickfold, Independent Conference Close & Award Presentations Roussos Dimitrakopoulos, McGill University

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