Mark Bowater is a mining engineer with more than 35 years of experience in the Australian and global open pit mining industry, spanning coal and metalliferous operations. He has held senior operational and technical roles, founded and led a successful mining consultancy, and worked across more than 50 mining operations. In recent years, Mark has shifted his focus toward working “on the industry” rather than in it—challenging conventional thinking and advancing how mine planning is understood and practiced. He is the author of Crimes Against Mine Planning and a recognised thought leader on the evolution of mine planning. Through his writing, speaking, and training, he advocates for a fundamental shift away from deterministic planning toward decision-centric approaches that better reflect the realities of uncertainty and variability. Mark is driven by a clear purpose: to leave mine planning in a better place than he found it. He is passionate about helping the industry rethink how mine planning is structured, how decisions are made, and how capability is developed—so that mine planning can better support operational performance and decision-making.

Tony Whitfield is an Optimisation Engineering and Delivery Manager at Deswik, based in Brisbane, Australia. He holds a Master of Mathematical Science and has over 11 years of experience in developing mathematical optimisation software. Tony specialises in designing and delivering scalable optimisation solutions that drive operational efficiency across complex systems. His work bridges the gap between advanced mathematical theory and practical, high-impact applications in the mining industry. Tony is passionate about leveraging mathematical modelling and software engineering to solve real-world problems and lead high-performing technical teams.

n, Director / Global Study Lead – Open Pit, BEng (Mining) (Hons1), GDip (Mgt), MAusIMM (CP), MAICD. Mark’s expertise of more than 20 years is in project management, evaluation, planning and operation of open-pit mines. In Management, technical, and operational roles, he has provided expert advice to many world class mines and project owners covering a wide range of commodities across multiple jurisdictions. Comprehensive exposure to the global mining industry has enabled a deep understanding of leading practices and technology developments. He has led multiple feasibility studies and technical reviews and acted as a CP according to the JORC Code, working on more than 200 projects across the globe covering iron ore, precious metals, base metals, uranium, mineral sands and phosphate.

Chet Fong has over 30 years of Mining Engineering experience in a wide range of commodities around the world. Chet has worked extensively in both Mining Operations as well as with a number of different Mining Technology vendors over the years. Chet has a passion for technology that improves both operations and technical services, while still honoring the principles and practices of the previous generations of mining engineers.

David has developed extensive product and key account management experience over the past 25 years in the mining industry. His dual background in mining and minerals processing has provided a solid foundation in product development and delivering value through industry partnerships. He holds postgraduate degrees from the University of Queensland which were sponsored through industry driven research programs in process and schedule optimisation. He is currently the Product Manager for Optimisation and Caving at Deswik Mining Consultants. In this role he supports a range of optimisation and scheduling products that provide value to the mining industry by improving the quality of strategic mining plans.