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Ashish Kumar is Manager, Mine Optimization at Newmont, where he leads the development and deployment of optimization and digital-twin solutions to improve planning, productivity, and operational performance across underground mining value chains. He has over a decade of experience delivering advanced analytics, simulation, and optimization systems for complex resource operations. Prior to Newmont, he held technical leadership roles at Rio Tinto and Vale, and developed a patented emissions-reconciliation solution at climate-technology startup Validere. Ashish holds a Ph.D. in AI-enabled production planning for mining value chains from McGill University and a Bachelor’s degree in Mining Engineering from NIT Rourkela, India.

Dr Matthew Deutsch is a mining engineer and software developer building decision support systems for Mine Planning and Geostatistical Modeling. He has worked at Maptek on Vulcan, and is currently at Resource Modeling Solutions building the Resource Modeling Solutions Platform (RMSP). Matthew continues to be interested in applying advanced optimization techniques to large realistic mining problems.

Belinda Yaqub is a Principal Engineer in Strategic Production Planning, based in Perth, with a strong track record in long‑term mine planning, optimisation, and strategic decision support. She is known for bringing structure and clarity to complex planning problems, particularly in environments characterised by uncertainty, competing priorities, and tight timelines. Hyper‑organised by nature, Belinda’s ability to influence outcomes under timeline pressure is a key strength. She combines analytical rigour with a pragmatic, people‑centred approach, helping teams align around decisions that are both technically robust and practically achievable. Her work often sits at the intersection of planning, optimisation, and stakeholder decision‑making, where trust, communication, and clarity are critical. Belinda is currently undertaking a Master’s in Business Psychology, reflecting her interest in how human behaviour, cognitive bias, and organisational dynamics shape strategic outcomes. She is particularly passionate about improving how complex technical information is translated into decisions that people can confidently act on. Belinda brings a grounded, practitioner perspective on strategic planning that recognises both the technical and human dimensions of value creation.